Line #20 Film/TheBoogeyman2023


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16	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/264c14c5_e6e9_45ea_afae_01f94e4ade37.jpeg]]
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18	''The Boogeyman'' is a 2023 horror film based upon [[Literature/NightShift the short story]] by Creator/StephenKing, directed by Rob Savage (''Film/{{Host}}''), co-written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (''Film/AQuietPlace''), and produced by Creator/ShawnLevy. It stars Madison Hu, Vivien Lyra Blair, Creator/SophieThatcher, Creator/DavidDastmalchian, and Creator/ChrisMessina.
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20	The story follows two sisters grieving the loss of their mother, when their psychiatrist father’s latest patient unwittingly unleashed a supernatural threat upon the family. The film was released in theatres on June 2, 2023.
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22	No relation to [[Film/TheBoogeyman1980 the 1980 film of the same name]], nor the similarly named [[Film/Boogeyman2005 2005 movie]] and [[VideoGame/{{Boogeyman}} video game]].
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24	'''Previews:''' [[https://youtu.be/QsudEHsuvIg Trailer 1]], [[https://youtu.be/cFqCmIU0-_M Trailer 2]]
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26	!!''The Boogeyman'' features the following examples:
27	* AdaptationalHeroism:
28	** In the short story, Lester is an abusive bigot who deliberately lets the Boogeyman kill his son to buy himself some time. There's no evidence of this here, and he's at worst guilty of not believing his children until it was too late.
29	** In the short story, [[spoiler:Dr. Harper was merely a disguise for the Boogeyman to kill Lester.]] Here, he's a normal psychiatrist who is at worst a flawed but loving parent.
30	* AdaptationalWimp: In the short story, the Boogeyman was able to take on a convincingly human disguise [[spoiler:as Dr. Harper]]. Here, it's simply a VoiceChangeling that relies primarily on vocal mimicry to lure victims in.
31	* AdvertisingByAssociation: Aside from mentioning it’s a Creator/StephenKing adaptation, the trailer also mentions that the film is from “producers of ''Series/StrangerThings''”.
32	* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:Was Lester killed by the Boogeyman, or did he commit suicide to lure it into the Harpers' household instead of tormenting his wife?]]
33	* AncientEvil: Rita Billings speculates that the Boogeyman has existed since the beginning of time, and that it's the reason why humans started using fire: to protect themselves from it.
34	* BigBrotherInstinct: Sadie is very concerned to protect Sawyer, her little sister. It's what convinces her to fight the Boogeyman, despite her great fear of it and the danger.
35	* BumblingDad: A downplayed, realistic variant with Will. He's fairly put-together and loving towards his daughters, but he's distant from them and often fails to take their words into account.
36	* TheCameo: Seylan from Rob Savage's previous film ''Film/{{Host}}'' appears in a Youtube video Sadie watches.
37	* TheCorruption: The Boogeyman's arrival into the Harper's household is accompanied by a series of black vines slowly growing inside the house. When Sadie arrives at the Billings home, she finds it covered in them.
38	* DarkIsEvil: The titular creature is a spindly, spiderly, dark-skinned being that hides in the shadows and is completely cruel and utterly malevolent.
39	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Lester Billings dies much earlier on here, namely due to having been DemotedToExtra.]]
40	* DecompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:Dr. Harper]] isn't a disguise of the Boogeyman here, and is simply a normal man.
41	* DemotedToExtra: Lester Billings is the main protagonist of the short story, but here he's a supporting character.
42	* DyingCandle: In the trailer, there is a shot of a hallway with lit candles all over the floor. In another shot, the wind blows out the candles…
43	* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:After the Boogeyman is seemingly killed, Sadie is called back into the room after a family therapy session by Dr. Weller, only to find the voice is emanating from the closet. Dr. Weller than appears behind her, hinting that the Boogeyman was trying to lure her into a trap.]]
44	* EvilSoundsRaspy: On the rare occasions it speaks [[VoiceChangeling in its own voice]], the Boogeyman speaks in a harsh and guttural rasp.
45	* FauxAffablyEvil: The Boogeyman mockingly reassures its victims as it murders them. Notably, it briefly pauses while trying to kill Sadie in the climax to whisper "Hush now."
46	* TheFilmOfTheBook: It is based on the 1973 short story "The Boogeyman" (it was first published in the magazine ''Cavalier'' in March 1973 and was later republished in the 1978 short story collection ''Literature/NightShift'').
47	* ForTheEvulz: It's left ambiguous exactly ''what'' the Boogeyman is, but it's heavily implied to be motivated by nothing more than its own sadism.
48	* GoodIsNotNice: Rita is trying to kill the Boogeyman, but it doesn't stop her from using Sadie as bait to lure it out without even telling her her plan.
49	* GoryDiscretionShot:
50	** The Boogeyman murdering Lester's daughter is kept offscreen, with only a few drops of blood being shown spraying onto a photograph.
51	** [[spoiler:Rita]] bring torn apart by the Boogeyman is shown only in quick cuts so the viewer can't see it clearly.
52	* HopeSpot: After [[spoiler:the Boogeyman kills Rita]], Sadie desperately calls Will to warn him not to go in the house with Sawyer. Will actually listens and prepares to leave, [[spoiler:only for the Boogeyman to grab him and and Sawyer and drag them into the house.]]
53	* ItCanThink: The Boogeyman acts like a feral beast, but it's actually quite intelligent and notably taunts its victims while using the voice of their loved ones just to KickTheDog.
54	* {{Jerkass}}: Nathalie shows an astonishing LackOfEmpathy to Sadie and even mocks her about her mother's death. She later locks her inside the room where [[spoiler:Lester]] died as a prank, and is genuinely offended when Sadie calls her out for it.
55	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sadie is gloomy, withdrawn, and at times short-tempered, but she's still a generally decent person who risks it all to save her family.
56	* KickTheDog: Lester notes the Boogeyman specifically preys on people who are hurt and vulnerable, seemingly out of nothing but sadism.
57	* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:The Boogeyman is ultimately defeated when Sadie and Sawyer douse it in lighter fluid and set it ablaze. It is hinted at the end it might have survived, however.]]
58	* LovableAlphaBitch: Sadie's friend Bethany is popular and surrounds herself with superficial jerks, but she genuinely cares about Sadie and wants to help her. Unfortunately, her decision to help Nathalie prank her seemingly severs their ties for good when it leads to Sadie being attacked by the Boogeyman.
59	* MissingMom: The girls' mother and Will's wife was recently killed in a car accident. All of them are still mourning her, with the girls having therapy together for it. Will, [[TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes though a therapist himself]], hasn't opened up about it with his daughters and dealt with the loss well. Sadie wears a dress of her mom's early on, and is quite unhappy with her dad not talking to her about it. His trying to get rid of her mom's old things also angers Sadie. The three's sadness over her death turns out to be a plot point, as it's their sorrow which causes the Boogeyman's targeting them, as it preys on people like them.
60	* NeverSuicide: [[spoiler:Lester]]'s apparent suicide is implied to be the work of the Boogeyman, though nothing is ever stated.
61	* NiceGirl: Dr. Weller is nothing but polite to the Harpers and genuinely cares about the family's well-being.
62	* NotNowKiddo: Will's reaction to his daughters' bringing up the Boogeyman, though in fairness Sawyer had been afraid of monsters even before it showed up and Sadie only brought it up after having smoked weed. He averts it towards the end when a desperate Sadie calls him and warns against going in the house, [[spoiler:only for the Boogeyman to abduct him anyway.]]
63	* PapaWolf: [[spoiler:Will's reaction to the Boogeyman trying to murder Sadie is to stab it with a broken hockey stick.]]
64	* ParentsAsPeople: Will Harper is a loving father, but he refuses to come to terms with his wife's death and won't talk with his daughters about it. He also has a bad tendency not to listen to them, which helps enable the Boogeyman to haunt his daughters for as long as it does.
65	* PrecisionFStrike: Sadie says “fuck you” to the Boogeyman [[spoiler:before setting him on fire.]]
66	* PsychoStrings: The trailer has ominous violins playing over the footage.
67	* {{Sadist}}: Rita notes that the Boogeyman could easily kill its victims all at once, but it prefers to play with its food and torment them first.
68	* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: The trailer begins with a dad checking his daughter’s closet for monsters. Shortly after, the daughter finds ''something'' under the bed.
69	* VillainOpeningScene: The film opens with the Boogeyman murdering Lester and Rita's daughter, all while tauntingly mimicking Lester's voice.
70	--> '''The Boogeyman:''' Don't worry… ''Daddy's here.''
71	* VoiceChangeling: The Boogeyman can mimic the voices of others, which it uses to lure in its victims.
72	* WouldHurtAChild: The Boogeyman takes a sadistic joy in tormenting children while their parents aren't paying attention. It's fully capable of killing an entire family on its own, but it enjoys toying with them first.
73	* WritingIndentationClue: Sadie rubs a pencil on a page to reveal Lester's creepy drawing of the monster.

Context Film / TheBoogeyman2023