Thanks to Empire, we now know a little more about what Rob Savage has in store for us with his adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Boogeyman. What’s lurking in your closet or under your bed?
This adaptation will premiere in the U.S. on June 2nd. It was written by Black Swan‘s co-writer Mark Heyman. Rob Savage’s previous directorial credit was on the 2020 Shudder horror movie Host.
The Boogeyman first appeared in Cavalier magazine, based in my hometown of Tampa, Florida. While the story is short, King fills us with the same anxiety that the main character Lester Billings feels.
The former father of three relays the events that led to the death of his children to his psychiatrist. Each of the Billings kids was killed by the Boogeyman. Lester refused at first to believe the creature was real, but the nightmarish being made itself known in not-so-subtle ways.
Now, I doubt this movie is going to adapt the story faithfully. One reason is that the length is short and told entirely from Lester’s point of view. Second, Mr. Billings is not likable, as King makes him a combination of all the things he dislikes: bigotry, sexism, etc. Finally, Mr. Billings doesn’t even care for his kids all that much until the Boogeyman comes for the last child.
Of course, the twist at the end would require general audiences to suspend a few tons of disbelief for it to work. No, I think this will be a more traditional by-the-numbers horror film. That’s not bad if the film is atmospheric and the creature is well-designed.
The header image for our story captures the split second of the trailer that shows us the Boogeyman’s face. It resembles what Stephen King describes towards the story’s conclusion.
If you’re wondering what King dreamt up, he describes the creature as squelchy and foul-smelling. It leaves a path of filth in its trail. The face is like a scarecrow, and it has two spade-claw hands.
The story has been adapted on a smaller scale multiple times. Check out those films below.
[Source: Empire]
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