The Boogeyman

"It's not real. It's not real. It's not real."

2023 1h 39m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

60%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.9

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 1,190🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★5.9IMDB · 54,974

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late.

“It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sophie Thatcher
Sadie Harper
Vivien Lyra Blair
Sawyer Harper
Chris Messina
Will Harper
David Dastmalchian
Lester Billings
Marin Ireland
Rita Billings
Madison Hu
Bethany
Maddie Nichols
Natalie
Mabel Tyler
Abby

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rob Savage
Writers: Mark Heyman, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rob Savage, shot by Eli Born. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Patrick Jonsson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Gvozdas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair and Chris Messina carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt3427252 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rob Savage directs. Eli Born behind the camera. Patrick Jonsson scores. Peter Gvozdas cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2Directed by Rob Savage, shot by Eli Born. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Patrick Jonsson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Peter Gvozdas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair and Chris Messina carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.".
7IMDB entry: tt3427252 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Eli Born
Original score: Patrick Jonsson
Editing: Peter Gvozdas
Production design: Jeremy Woodward
Costume design: Kari Perkins
Makeup / hair: Chelsea Barber
VFX supervisor: Paul Graff
Sound: Russell Topal
Stunt coordinator: Chelsea Bruland
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $35,000,000
Box office: $82,344,833
Return: 235% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Boogeyman (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 60% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 55/100
IMDB rating: 5.9/10 · 54,974 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

3 nominations total

Also by

Rob Savage

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2023-05-31
★ 7/10
MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2023-edition "The Boogeyman quickly becomes one of my favorite horror flicks of this year! It won't leave any viewers used to these formulaic stories surprised, but director Rob Savage tremendously elevates a film that would otherwise fall into oblivion once the end credits started rolling. Creative, clever build-ups for truly suspenseful sequences, as well as efficient jumpscares that I haven't experienced in a long time. But the cast is essential to the success of this movie. I've no words to describe how impressive Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, and Vivien Lyra Blair (11 years old!) are. Absolutely outstanding performances! For fans of the genre. Definitely see it at the cinema!" Rating: B+
CinemaSerf2023-06-07
★ 6/10
Oh well, I suppose I was being overly optimistic in expecting anything different from this. The "Harper" family are still grieving after the death of the wife/mother and with each struggling to deal with this aftermath the father (Chris Messina), elder daughter "Sadie" (Sophie Thatcher) and the younger one "Sawyer" (Vivien Lyra Blair) are all just drifting along. When dad "Will", who is a therapist, gets a visit from "Billings" (the always slightly sinister looking David Dastmalchian) and then a few pots of mother's paint get spilled, it becomes clear that the eponymous creature is out to capitalise on their familial misery. Can the family realise the peril they are in in time to thwart it's evil intentions? Could the beastie do us all a favour and just come for the audience first? To be fair there are a few jump points, but otherwise this is a really dialogue heavy, family melodrama that focusses way to much on the who's neglecting/loving/hating whom and nowhere near enough on trying to create something original and/or scary. It may well be based on a Stephen King short story but that doesn't mean it has the credentials to stretch into one hundred minutes of pretty mediocre storytelling and acting. The lack of light works to a certain extent, but after a while it appears (or not) to be all that the film is relying upon to create any sense of jeopardy. I suppose the moral of the story might be: always keep a set of portable Christmas lights handy? Halloween television fodder only, sorry.
MovieGuys2023-09-08
★ 5/10
I've watched a couple of former cinematic takes on Stephen Kings Boogeyman novel and this is by far, the least inspiring. The real issue lies, in what can best be described, as the treatment of the tale of the cruel, child stalking creature, that potentially lives in every closet. Its tone is obsessively analysing, of the dysfunctional family dynamic, to the point of neurosis. Yes, grieving families don't work too well, unsurprisingly. The less than optimistic over statement of this fact, overtakes the actual horror story. This, in turn, renders this film, too dark and too depressing, for its own good. The results a predictable, not terribly enjoyable watch, that left this reviewer feeling a little washed out and disappointed. In summary, the too dark and maudlin treatment, robs this film of the glimmer of hope, that lies at the heart of any half decent, horror film.