Boogey Man, The (1980)

Boogey Man, The (1980)

“I can’t get away from it — it keeps haunting me.”

Synopsis:
A woman (Suzanna Love) whose mute brother (Nicholas Love) killed their mother’s abusive boyfriend as a child is now happily married with a husband (Ron James) and son (Raymond Boyden) of her own, but suffers from repeated nightmares. Upon advice from her psychiatrist (John Carradine), she goes back to her childhood home, which unwittingly sets in motion a chain of supernatural events related to a spiritually possessed mirror.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror Films
  • John Carradine Films
  • Possession

Review:
German director Ulli Lommel — whose career in film started with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and then shifted to working with Andy Warhol in New York — helmed this unusual supernatural horror flick, which starts off seeming like a straightforward slasher film (a man is traumatized by a brutal crime he committed as a child and will continue to act out), but quickly moves in unexpected directions. It’s filled with many effectively filmed moments, drawing inspiration from Halloween (1978), The Amityville Horror (1979), and The Exorcist (1973) — and while it’s not entirely successful, it will surely please fans of the genre.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Effective direction and cinematography


Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look by horror fans. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book, which makes sense.

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2 thoughts on “Boogey Man, The (1980)

  1. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    An effective, creepy little horror flick; well done and well worth seeing for fans of such things.

    But, for FFs it’s not a must see.

  2. First viewing. Skip it.

    Rather (sub-)standard ’80s horror stuff. Amateurish (oh, like when the boom mic comes into view a few times); shoddy, haphazard direction (i.e., a very small window falls on a kid’s head and, somehow, kills him? – seriously?!); some unintentionally funny moments (i.e., putting a completely demolished mirror back together piece by tiny piece? – seriously?!!).

    Lousy acting (even from old pro Carradine).

    ~ oh, and then the supernatural is also suddenly, inexplicably involved. Hey, sure, why not?! … The worst is the conclusion. The film doesn’t so much end as much as it seems bored with itself and just gives up.

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