Horror Movie Review: The Boogeyman (1980)

An old slice of early 80s horror, combining supernatural horror with slasher-style violence and gore. The Boogeyman was written and directed by Ulli Lommel. It stars Suzanna Love, John Carradine, and Ron James.

The titular villain isn’t hiding in your closet or hiding under your bed. This one is in the mirror.

At a very young age, Willy murders his mother’s boyfriend after the man tied him up in bed so he wouldn’t interrupt them having sex. After being freed by his younger sister Lacey, he takes a knife and stabs him to death. All in front of a large mirror.

Twenty years later, Willy has been mute since the murder and now lives with Lacey, her husband, Jake and child, and their aunt and uncle on a farm. The siblings have tried to have a normal life, but Lacey has started to have a reoccurring nightmare that involves her being stabbed to death.

Encouraged by her husband, Lacey goes to therapy and from there, to her childhood house to confront her fears. There, she sees the reflection of her mother’s dead boyfriend which causes her to freak out and smash it. The catalyst for all the events that follow – the boogeyman has been freed and he wants revenge.

He also wants to kill random teenagers that have no bearing on the main plot either. After all, it is a slasher film and we need a body count. Something The Boogeyman certainly has. Although the lack of substance behind the deaths doesn’t exactly make them memorable, even if they can be bloody.

It’s the latter that saw The Boogeyman get added to the ‘nasty’ list during the UK moral panic of the 80s. Tame by today’s standards, as many on the list are, but notable to make The Boogeyman one to watch if you’re interested in seeing what the nasty list contained.

Aside from that draw, and a wacky final third, The Boogeyman doesn’t really have much to get excited about. The story is humdrum and really doesn’t make a lot of sense at times. The supernatural elements don’t mesh well with traditional slasher tropes as the limitations of the killer are unclear. From being freed from the smashing of the mirror, to being transported on pieces of the mirror, to direct possession when someone gets a piece stuck in them… The Boogeymen is far too random.

Still, it has enjoyable elements, and one is a likable cast of characters with some solid acting from the leads. In particular, Suzanna Love as Lacey. Another is the effects; The Boogeyman has some bloody moments and they look good for its time. One final one is how it utilises light, in particular, reflections. It may not have had a big budget, but a decent amount of effort was put in to make it stand out in places.