Ok, so it's been a while since my last review. I'll be honest, I've become very disenfranchised with the whole movie scene this year. It seems like one after another, each movie comes out and is just, well, garbage. So I started to think, why rate movies at all if the ratings never really change much? Then the hiatus. Diablo 4 came out in the meantime, and yes, I've spent a lot of time playing that too, but I've also watched A LOT of movies in the last few months. What has suddenly brought me back to share my views with you today you might ask? A friend's Facebook post of all things. "Just watched 'The Boogeyman'. This may be the scariest thing I've ever seen", and then I threw up in my mouth a little. So here we go. Yes, I've watched The Boogeyman.
 |
| Image by IMDB |
Let's start by saying this is far from the worst movie I have seen, after all, I've watched the Requin and half of Drown the Clown (That review for another day *gross full body shivers from how terrible it was*). My real issues with the movie are the same issues with almost all movies recently, or easily in 2023: They never push the envelope. No one REALLY wants to scare anyone anymore. If they did, they'd shoot for an "R" rating not a "PG-13". As soon as you put your movie into that younger box, all hopes of a real scary movie leaves, and you're left with something resembling The Boogeyman. I know film makers want the added cash of the younger audience. Make it a good, rated "R" film and the adults that have the money will go see it again and again, rather than one and done. Look at IT Chapter 1 as a newer example. Also, creating these films for the youth takes away from that magical place that used to exist. Stay with me now. There was a time when movies were physically rented! I know right! And as a child, you would stray away from your parents for a couple of minutes to run over to the horror section, which you knew you weren't allowed to watch yet. You would gasp and be in awe at the cases of movies that featured all things horror, and even those small images made you want to watch them. The sheer fact that you weren't allowed to watch them yet made you want to watch them that much more. That excitement is what I'm talking about. A kid hears rated "R" and knows there's something there that has been made for eyes older than theirs and they can't wait to be scared by it. Now though.....those days are dead and gone. Not only the rental stores, but the excitement because they can watch it online whenever they want, from the comfort of being at home. That alone, diminishes the experience of a horror movie. I digress.
 |
| Image by Variety |
The Boogeyman is your average script about a mediocre family dealing with the death of their mother/wife. There's nothing special to run home about this family. They're average, white, suburban, well-off economically and socially accepted. Aside from the loss of their mother/wife, there's nothing to remember about these characters. More throw away characters in a throw away movie with a throw away plot device. I'm sorry that I sound tired and cranky, but, well, I am. This basic premise is the setup for many, many movies now, and they're so close that it get's hard to tell them apart. Don't believe me? Look up Countdown, Come Play, It Follows, It Comes At Night, Grimcutty, The Babadook, the list can go on and on. Now, do some of these have a shining light? Absolutely. At least Come Play tried to make an original idea of having an Autistic child experiencing these events, however, the monster in question is the same; something in the darkness that should never be seen because as soon as you see it as the audience, the laughter begins. Especially Grimcutty. *Shutters in grossness again*
 |
| Image by Screen Realm |
I digress a bit, but my main point still comes alive here. Hollywood doesn't really want to scare people anymore. It's all about the money now. Horror films used to be about leaving someone with a wet seat, now it's all dollar signs. Low budget, big box office. So, let's do some examples. If the Boogeyman wanted to really scare people, and I mean REALLY scare people, then make it "R" and have some fun with it. Don't just throw the child around, kill it. Break the unwritten rule, show a child death. Shock the audience. Too much? Fine, at least bring the body count up. A "Demon" thing in the darkness only happens to kill a couple of children in the whole movie? I doubt it.
 |
| Image by The Direct |
The plot is weak and again, suffers like most movies now. The writers create this world in their heads and forget that the audience isn't in there. They forget to tell us things about the movie and we're supposed to fill in the blanks. So again, this movie states at one point that "I think it's always been here" alluding that this thing is eternal and has been around since the dawn of time. That's fine, good start. Now have someone do some actual research. Have them find mentions of this entity in the bible, cave paintings, other literature. Tell us something about this thing or I don't care. Honestly, I want a story, not just loud music that tells you exactly when something will happen (Anther terrible horror movie trope now).
 |
| Image by IMDB |
Jaws is a great example that these new writers should watch and read the script for. It's a simple movie about a large shark. Doesn't really sound that scary. The fact that you don't see the shark for most of the movie is what makes it scary. The audiences imagination is always scarier than anything you can write, or show with CGI. Friday the 13th also adopted this, and for the most part was great for it. Blair Witch Project also does this format very well. Grimcutty would have been great if the movie had kept the monster in the shadows. Show pieces or glimpses here or there, but we don't need to see the whole thing. If you need to show us the whole monster, try to use practical effects. It always looks scarier when the thing is actually there.
 |
| Image by Digital Spy |
Another issue with these movies that has become a thing, is the writers can't seem to find ways to destroy these things without them being "real". Yes, I realize this is nothing new, but even movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street tell you WHY they have to make him real. In The Boogeyman we are sort of told the rules of the world in a very vague sort of way, and that the entity lives in the darkness, and hates the light. Ok well, first off, don't use a loop hole of "Well he only hates certain lights", that's just lazy writing. Secondly, if it lives in the shadows and is able to disappear at will within the darkness, how can it be whole? Like physical? Why would it be physical? Like, if the entity had to choose to bring its-self into our reality to eat children or something, then that's fine, but TELL US THAT! That's back to the research piece. As a viewer I'm just wondering why they don't blow up their house if they know the thing's in there. Wouldn't that be easier? No where for it to go apparently if it's physical form. I digress.
| Image by PrivateMovieZ |
Again, this isn't the worse thing I've seen. It's unfortunately far from it, but there's nothing special here. Another bland movie, with forgettable characters about another entity that does a couple of bad things, that lives forever, except when a teenage girl needs to kill it. I understand there's a writers strike over AI. I'm starting to think it's because the writers know the computer can likely write better than they can. Realistically, a computer doesn't care about morality, or the mother goose ending to things. I'm sure AI could turn out something much darker, creepier, violent, distressing and most of all, something unique.
Comments
Post a Comment