Boogeyman 3 (DVD)
Steve Barton
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Reviewed by Uncle Creepy
Starring Erin Cahill, Chuck Hittinger, Mimi Michaels, Matt Rippy, Nikki Sanderson
Directed by Gary Jones
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
After the dismal original flick, who knew that Boogeyman would turn into a franchise? In a way it kind of makes sense because let’s face it — for 99% of us the first villain we were introduced to as children was the Big B. Still, as a film series the first one was poo. As for the second film? Well, it had Tobin Bell being … Tobin Bell, but there was no supernatural bad guy. The flick was more or less a straight slasher romp that for some reason was a little bit better than it had any right to be. Enter Boogeyman 3. Dare I say it … I liked it. It’s certainly not the best film you’ll see this year, but director Gary Jones has come closer to getting the formula right than anyone else thus far.
When the daughter of Dr. Mitchell Allen (Bell’s character from the second film) returns to college after mourning her father’s loss, she brings along an evil spirit, The Boogeyman, who is looking for fresh victims who believe in him. Her best friend Sarah (Cahill) tries to comfort her buddy, but once she is murdered before her by the spectral psycho, Sarah has no choice but to believe. Then her friends start believing. Then her friends start dying.
Sure the story isn’t exactly anything original, but it’s workable and put to good use. The Boogeyman here is no CGI sprite like in the first movie, nor is it a dude in a mask as in the second. In this flick he’s exactly what you’d expect him to be — the really wicked scary looking guy who’s waiting for you in the back of your closet or under your bed. He ain’t messing around either. This dude is out to kill people in heinous bloody ways! I can respect that. The only real problems here are the usual for a direct-to-video low budget flick — just on par digital effects, unpolished script, etc. Still, I was entertained.
The DVD itself is home to three enthusiastic behind-the-scenes featurettes — Creating The Boogeyman, Deconstructing the Deaths, and Boogey in Bulgaria. The makers of this flick totally had their hearts in the right place, and it shows up on the screen. For all its shortcomings the one thing Boogeyman 3 is not is phoned in. Watching these making-ofs is proof positive of that. Good for them. Tack on a couple of wisely excised scenes, and there you have it. Not a bad haul.
With Boogeyman 3 this franchise seems to be improving. It’s a nice sized step in the right direction that brings on the boo and garnishes it with a healthy dose of the red stuff. Hopefully someday someone will really do justice to the Boogeyman legend. Until then this is probably as good as it gets.
Special Features
3 out of 5
Special Features:
3 out of 5
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