Boogeyman

"Boogeyman" directed by Jeffery Lando was far, far better than expected. Most syfy original movies leave me wondering what has happened to the film industry but this particular movie was very enjoyable.

Although the script could have been better, the actors did the best an actor could do with what they were given. The two brothers (played by Gabriel Steele and Danny Horn) shared an excellent chemistry on screen and are definitely ones to watch for the future. For his age, Steele came across relaxed and professional on screen and Horn (who studied at CSSD, after doing a little research) had a fab American accent. Steele and Horn definitely lead the movie excellently.

The actual boogeyman monster was fun to watch and the brutal deaths did not come across as scary but were still great fun to watch. The CGI boogey head was very cool too! Some might instantly disregard this movie because of its syfy origin and its genre. But what you have to remember is that it is a fantasy horror and should not be taken seriously. Sit back and enjoy it, if you like the genre. You won't be disappointed! Loved it! :)

Perhaps I was just in an extraordinary good mood or maybe my level of tolerance for low-budget horror movies became a lot more flexible over the years, but I honestly enjoyed "Legend of the Boogeyman" … I also have a strange and inexplicable affiliation for the works of director Jeffery Scott Lando. He's not exactly considered to be a prodigy horror director, but I count his "Savage Island" and "Decoys 2" among my guilty pleasures, and earlier this year I watched his latest movie "Suspension" at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and felt it was terrific (albeit derivative) late- night entertainment! "The Legend of Boogeyman" should also be seen as such… The script is flawed and contains quite a few holes, the acting performances are questionable and the attempts to generate suspense are underwhelming, but the titular creature (actually, never really referred to as the boogeyman) is pretty cool-looking, its background is relatively original and there's a fair amount of lightly digestible gore/bloodshed. There you, three negative aspects and three positive ones! The film tells the familiar tale of a couple of irritating teenagers that break into the ramshackle house of a local weirdo/hermit and accidentally release the hideous creature that was safely locked away in the attic. The monster promptly goes on a murderous rampage, but in fact there's more than meets the eye. He's not just a random brainless monster, but an ancient biblical figure on the lookout for a new brother to protect. He's got his rotten mind set on Jacob, the idiotic teen who released him from his attic jail, while the cute female law enforcer Rebecca senses a strong bloodline connection with the creature. "The Legend of Boogeyman" is unpretentious, never boring and features a large amount of massacres that are gory without ever getting repulsive or shocking. But the best thing about the film is undoubtedly the monster's make-up, as he sort looks like a hybrid between a zombie and a mummy.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2012 and directed by Jeffery Scott Lando, "Boogeyman" concerns a single cop father in a small town in Michigan (Eddie McClintock) and his attractive female partner (Amy Bailey) who investigate the mysterious death of a nasty recluse who seemed to be keeping 'something' in the attic, but 'it' was released and is now on a murderous rampage. Emma Samms plays the chief of police while Danny Horn & Gabriel Steele play the father's two sons, a teen and adolescent respectively.

This is NOT the theatrically released "Boogeyman" from 2005, which started the 3-movie franchise, but rather a standalone TV flick. The cast, locations, monster and plot are all fine. In spirit, it's akin to the Friday the 13th sequels after the first two movies; even the 'monster' looks like Jason when he morphed into an inhuman zombie by Part VI (1986). Speaking of the monster, they reveal him right from the get-go, which destroys any suspense. Even the Friday the 13th sequels waited till the end to reveal Jason's hideous face. Speaking of which, every Friday the 13th flick is a masterpiece compared to this movie.

What's wrong with this version of "Boogeyman"? While the eventual explanation of the monster is interesting and unexpected (I'm not going to give it away), the movie smacks of amateurism in script and overall execution (you'll know what I mean). The filmmakers try to make up for it with quirky or amusing moments (e.g. the two lesbians), but it wasn't enough. The flick needed a serious rewrite and to work out the kinks in execution, but these take time, and time costs money, which the producers weren't willing to spend.

THE MOVIE RUNS 85 minutes. Unfortunately, I can't find any info on where it was shot, but it doesn't look like lower Michigan, although I suppose it COULD be Upper Peninsula Michigan, but I doubt it. WRITER (term used loosely): David Reed.

GRADE: D+

OK.. not REALLY a 10 when compared to "REAL" movies. But this bit of Syfy channel horror fluff had more than the usual amount of funny quips....

The best:

"Hey, I found my cell!"....

There are quite a few more good lines.

Not a bad bit of background entertainment while you're doing something else. Doesn't take much effort to watch with your peripheral attention, and when a line does catch your ear, a chuckle may follow.

The characters were much more fully developed than what is typically found in these disposable scifi/horror shows. This also sets this movie apart than the norm.

Most of the SyFy movies are either bad or bottom-of-the-barrel. There are a few tolerable ones out there, but they are too far and between. I'll start off to say that Boogeyman is not among SyFy's worst, and I didn't think it was a terrible film. It was one of those films that did have some promise but didn't live up to that. Boogeyman does start off decently, the idea was good and the beginning set a good atmosphere. The film does have a couple of good things beyond that, the monster effects for SyFy are not too bad, they are not great but much improved from most of the SyFy monsters I've seen. Plus, this monster actually is quite menacing, rather than being over or under-utilised and not doing all that much. Visually, it is not so bad either, I was expecting choppy editing and the like, and while there is some stiffness there is definitely much worse around. The scenery is sometimes basic, but does set a foreboding tone and has some authenticity. However, there are a lot of faults still. The acting is better than most SyFy movies, but is not great. The leads have some likability but the younger boy especially is awful. The way the characters are written doesn't help either, nobody stood out as likable, none of them are developed all that convincingly and some in places even had an over-the-top vibe. I was particularly annoyed by the police chief, her constant pep talks and huddle ups are enough to make anybody mad. I also disliked how the boys were made to look like idiots in some parts of the movie. The dialogue is likewise lame, it is very cheesy and little of it rings true. Disappointing also is the story, after a decent start it quickly turns into predictability and utter stupidity with nothing standing out as creepy, suspenseful or convincing. The monster does elevate things, but the aimless exposition and the bland build-ups hamper the scenes with it in from being any more than they actually were. There are a couple of jolts, but little beyond that and I was often thinking "I've seen this all before... and done better". Further spilt by a rushed and rather contrived finale, Boogeyman is better than most SyFy movies and had potential but doesn't live up to it. 4/10 Bethany Cox