The Boogeyman (2023)
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A grieving family's home becomes a hunting ground for a malevolent entity after a disturbed man's visit.
The story
Therapist Will Harper is struggling to overcome the death of his wife, while his daughters, Sadie and Sawyer, also cope with their mother's passing. Their lives are upended when a disturbed man named Lester Billings visits Will's office, claiming an evil entity killed his children. After Lester's mysterious death, Sadie notices strange mold forming around the house and Sawyer glimpses a sinister creature under her bed. As the family is terrorized, Sadie discovers the truth about the entity from the unhinged wife of the man who visited them, learning that the creature feeds on fear and grief.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Therapist Will Harper is struggling to overcome the death of his wife, while his daughters, Sadie and Sawyer, also cope with their mother's passing. Their lives are upended when a disturbed man named Lester Billings visits Will's office, claiming an evil entity killed his children. After Lester's mysterious death, Sadie notices strange mold forming around the house and Sawyer glimpses a sinister creature under her bed. As the family is terrorized, Sadie discovers the truth about the entity from the unhinged wife of the man who visited them, learning that the creature feeds on fear and grief. During a sleepover, Sadie encounters the Boogeyman and Sawyer is attacked, ending up hospitalized. Sadie is contacted by Rita, who needs her help to kill the Boogeyman. When Sadie arrives, Rita attacks her, planning to use her as bait. The Boogeyman survives the trap and kills Rita. Sadie escapes and returns home to find Sawyer hiding, while the creature has taken Will into the basement. The sisters find the creature feeding off Will, rescue their father, and Sadie sets the creature on fire, avenging the Billings family. Later, during a group session with Dr. Weller, Sadie is called back by the doctor, only to find the closet door open and Dr. Weller appearing to ask why she is there.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Savage
- Writers
- Scott Beck · screenplay; Bryan Woods · screenplay; Mark Heyman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Sophie Thatcher · Sadie Harper; Chris Messina · Will Harper; Vivien Lyra Blair · Sawyer Harper; David Dastmalchian · Lester Billings; Marin Ireland · Rita Billings; Madison Hu · Bethany; LisaGay Hamilton · Dr. Weller; Michael Bekemeier · The Boogeyman
- Genres
- supernatural horror
- Themes
- Grief; Fear; Family bonds
- Tone and mood
- Spooky; Atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- Monster movie; Supernatural horror; Family drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1973 short story by Stephen King
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $82 million worldwide.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 37; CinemaScore · score: B– · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 2.5 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film was originally planned for a Hulu streaming release before being moved to theaters.; The studio rented out Stephen King's favorite cinema in Maine to get his input.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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