Horror Movie Review: Boogeyman II (1983)

The Boogeyman was a serviceable supernatural slasher horror that only garnered attention because it ended up on the video nasty list in the 80s. The same fate that would befall its sequel, Boogeyman II aka Revenge of the Boogeyman.

Released in 1983 (although made in 1981), directed by Ulli Lommel and starring Suzanna Love, Ulli Lommel, and Shannah Hall, Boogeyman II is a shocker of a sequel.

Not in a ‘it’s so shocking because it’s so good/violent/scary’ but because it’s so bad. In fact, calling it a film feels wrong considering how much footage is taken from the original in flashback form.

Here, Lacey, the star of the first film has travelled to Los Angeles to meet her friend who, after hearing about the events of the first film, introduces her to a producer who is considering turning it into a feature film. Lacey, able to remember events that she was not even part of, tells the story to the producer and some other ‘in the business’ folks and reveals to them that she has a piece of the mirror with her.

Guess what happens next?

Aside from the fact that the malevolent spirit returns through this piece, what happens in the second half of this movie is hilariously unpredictable. Sure, the cast of characters are going to die but not in the way anyone could expect. We have death by toothbrush, death by shaving cream, death by car tailpipe, and even death by salad tongs. There’s next to no gore and most of these scenes are done in the dark with flashing lights.

The story is as bare bones as it sounds and, just like the first movie, makes little sense. However, at least effort was put in there. Here, nobody is trying… least of all director Lommel, who also plays the part of the producer who doesn’t want to make a movie. Get it?

The silliness could be forgiven if it was more self-referential and on the nose, a parody to some degree. However, that is not the case. Proven by the egregious amount of Boogeyman II that is made up of footage from the first film. There’s around 30 minutes of original content here and most of that is sitting around the pool in Ulli Lommel and Suzanna Love’s actual home (they were married in real life).

Why did it end up on the nasty list? Because of the footage it shows from the first film. How hilarious is that!?