Reviews & Ratings for
The Boogeyman More at IMDbPro »

9 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
A father is losing his children one by one...and his sanity., 2 January 1999

Author: anonymous from Drums, Pennsylvania

This mega-cheap, college film has a way of getting under your skin. The main character is so weird that I didn't know if I was watching a good performance or a bad one. Watch this one late at night with the lights off, then check your closets! I found it when I rented Stephen King's Nightshift Collection which showcases this one along with "The Woman in the Room".

8 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Awful adaptation, 15 April 2004

Author: camachoborracho from Los Angeles, CA

Not because it's a college short film, but because:

a) it butchered possibly Stephen King's best short story &

b) as a film alone it doesn't really make any sense

the acting left something to be desired too and I really found the music annoying. The main protagonist (Lester Billings) was interesting but I was unsure if this was a good or bad performance, I want to say good but the direction was bad and the effects were cheesy thus bringing down the actor. Too bad.

Final verdict: Stay away from the film. Read the book.

Closet case, 23 May 2010

Author: ctomvelu1 from United States

Amateur-grade adaptation of a Stephen King story from his legendary NIGHTSHIFT collection. A screwy father's three children die, one by one, which he attributes to a monster in the closet. Now he is worried he will be next. Most of this short film has the dad telling his story to a kindly psychiatrist. A very static film, consisting mainly of one actor at a time appearing on screen to spout his dialog. Michal Read is the nervous dad, and the best part of this odd little thriller. The surprise ending is a hoot. Bert Linder is the benevolent shrink. The editing is on the choppy side, so be prepared. It is worth watching if for no other reason than to see what lies on the other side of that closet door.

misunderstood, 27 August 2009

Author: seveleniumus from Lithuania

This one is probably misunderstood by many, because of it's genre. It's short but very powerful story and I can't see any way in which it could have been done better. It perfectly reflects the horror and disturbance in the main characters mind. It doesn't really give you too much of a plot, but because of it's genre it's not what it's supposed to do. The main thing here is psychology and this short delivers that part perfectly. And I guarantee that some words said here will haunt you for some time. I'm a fan of Stephen King and can really see his reflection here, it really reflects his style - madness, disturbance and despair - that's the glorious mix of Mr. Stephen King. Watch it if you have some free time to waste.

7 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
From the works of Stephen King., 7 August 2005

Author: Miyagis_Sweaty_wifebeater (sirjosephu@aol.com) from Sacramento, CA

The Boogeyman (1982) was a lame adaptation to the eerie short story that was written by Stephen King. This story can be found in the short story collection called Night Shift. Quite a few of these stories were adapted into film (either shorts or features). The film makers of this one fell a sleep at the wheel. I understand about budget limitations, but this is no excuse. The movie was boring and the actors over acted big time in this one.

The story is about a scruffy and unpleasant man who seeks psychiatric help from a professional (i.e. a psychoanalyst). In his meeting, he describes the deaths of his children to him. He's guilt ridden over how his children died and he wants to relive himself of the burden of his children's deaths. Who killed his children? Is the dude responsible? Will I enjoy this movie? I don't know, you'll have to find out for yourself when you watch the Stephen King short film adaptation of......THE BOOGEYMAN!!!!

Not worth it but you might want to take a gander.

1 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
The scariest things..., 26 May 2004
Author: tabaddon from United States

The scariest things about this ultra-low budget short are the opening titles and jarring score that tries far too hard to mimic Wendy Carlos' 'The Shining' score. It does not succeed.

Even as a student film, it's contrived and poorly executed. Framing is off (and not in an 'artistic' way), direction seems scatterbrained (and not in a 'good horror film' way), and the soundtrack seems out of sync in places (enough to draw attention away from the story). The climactic end scene is anything but, and even confusing.

Steer clear of this slow, tired adaptation - it doesn't represent the story well at all - and read King's original composition. The out-of-print VHS (part of the 'Nightshift Collection') is only worth hunting down if you're a serious collector of Stephen King or amateur/student horror attempts.

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