The Bye Bye Man

The Bye Bye Man is an evil reaper who haunts those who say his name, plaguing them with visions, feeding off their fear, getting closer and closer until they can bear it no more. So, part Freddy Krueger, part Bloody Mary, part The Babadook, and part Candyman, with that entity from It Follows thrown into the mix for good measure. Clearly, there's very little originality on offer here. This probably wouldn't be such a big issue if director Stacy Title had managed to conjure up lots of effective scares or deliver some gross out gore, but her film is light on fright and strictly PG-13 when it comes to content.

The plot is also very sketchy in terms of exposition: who is the Bye Bye man? Where does he come from? What is his purpose? Why does he hang around with a poorly rendered CGI dog? Is he a metaphor for mental illness or the product of mass hysteria? (or is that expecting too much from a popcorn horror aimed at a teen audience?). Just a few of the questions that the film fails to answer. Perhaps these issues will be dealt with in a sequel, but I won't be in a hurry to find out. I'm happy to say 'bye bye' to The Bye Bye man. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

'THE BYE BYE MAN': Three Stars (Out of Five)

A horror flick about a supernatural entity that can possess anyone that learns it's name, which terrorizes three college students. It was directed by Stacy Title, and written by Jonathan Penner (of TV's 'SURVIVOR' fame). The script is based on a chapter of the 2005 book 'The President's Vampire', titled 'The Bridge to Body Island' (by Robert Damon Schneck). The film stars Douglas Smith, Cressida Bonas, Lucien Laviscount, Jenna Kanell, Michael Trucco, Carrie-Ann Moss, Leigh Whannell, Erica Tremblay, Cleo King, Faye Dunaway and Doug Jones (as The Bye Bye Man). It's received mostly negative reviews from critics, and fans alike, but it's done really well at the Box Office (so far). I thought it was OK.

Three college students (Smith, Bonas and Laviscount) move into an old house, near campus. Once there, they learn about a supernatural entity called The Bye Bye Man (Jones). They also discover that the Bye Bye Man can possess anyone who says or thinks it's name (and make them do horrible things). In order to try and stop the creature, they investigate it's origins. While doing so, they desperately try to stop others from learning about it. They also frantically try not to kill each other, in the process either.

The movie is a great concept for a horror flick, and The Bye Bye Man is definitely a frighteningly memorable slasher film villain. I'd like to see a sequel, or maybe more, and hopefully the potential franchise keeps getting better. Penner's script isn't bad though (he also plays a small part in the film), and Title's direction is decent as well. I also can't believe the producers got such an awesome cast for this (Whannell, Moss, Dunaway, Jones!). I'd still recommend seeing it, if you're a fan of horror movies.

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If you like horror flicks in general & do not have huge aspirations of seeing a Silence of the Lambs or Halloween or even The Ring or Strangers, you will probably enjoy The Bye Bye Man. It's worth watching though not very memorable as nothing really makes it stand out from the run of the mill horror flicks.

The story: 3 college kids move into an off campus house & quickly discover a night stand with a cryptic verse written over & over, "Don't think it, don't say it". Yes, of course, we all know right away what it is they can't think or say, it's "The Bye Bye Man". Say that & you're history! Sounds like The Candy Man, right?? Or kinda like The Ring (if you watch it you will die). Not only will you die if you say it but anyone who heard you say it is also a dead man or lady. Nothing new here. I must say the acting cold have been better but overall, I still liked it. Then again, I like most horror flicks more than most do so take my opinion for what it is.

What has happened to this genre? Years ago it seemed a similar type of film would be hitting the big screen on an almost bimonthly basis, now when we get a horror, it always feels as if something is missing somehow.

The Bye Bye Man begins well enough, and has a fairly interesting concept, trouble is the direction is so poor, it fails almost entirely to so the basic premise of a film, and tell a story, it's lazy somehow, we get no backstory, no real conclusion, and certainly no real tension.

The acting was fair I guess, but none of the cast were treated well in terms of script.

Overall, a total disappointment, some wonderful ideas, just badly realised, and way too predictable, you always seem to know what's coming next. 4/10

Like some other reviewers said, I could not understand how the IMDb score at this time is 4.3. but there were so many 1 star ratings in the written reviews. This horror movie deserves 5 stars, which makes it worth watching if you are a horror fan. IMDb users note, horror movies rarely get above 6 stars, its just how people vote in this entire genre. A 7 in a real horror movie, is like "gone with the wind" or "citizen kane" level classic (lol). Anyways, back to the review.

This movie has a good premise, good rules for the supernatural critter to follow, real unease and dread, even among the "authority" support characters, and a few good scares. The CGI budget is low, and it DOESN'T MATTER, as it might in some other movie.

And I don't just mean it is good for an indie, it is just plain good (if you are a horror fan).