Boogeyman 2 (DVD)
Steve Barton
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Reviewed by Uncle Creepy
Starring Tobin Bell, Danielle Savre, Mathew Cohen, David Gallagher
Directed by Jeff Betancourt
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Ah, Ghost House Pictures. It seemed like such a good idea at first. A horror movie production company run by the folks behind the classic Evil Dead! Sounds like a no-brainer; yet, it was apparently not. Since its inception Ghost House has been churning out what can only be described as misfire after misfire. Some of the flicks have been slightly above average while others have been bad enough to make you question why you watch this stuff to begin with. In 2005 they released Boogeyman. Now there was a film that really could have been good. I mean perfect subject, right? A movie about the one thing we were all scared of as kids! What could go wrong? Plenty. We ended up getting an incoherent CGI laden mess that had something to do with an old doll or some shit like that. Could a sequel redeem the first? Could we finally see a decent Boogeyman movie? The answer …
No.
For starters a character like The Boogeyman has to be otherworldly to be effective. In Boogeyman 2, instead of a supernatural fright machine, we get your standard psycho slasher dude whose identity you could see coming from farther than a mile away. Who’s lamebrain idea was this, and how in the blue hell did it ever get filmed? If someone buys a rabbit and sets it next to a basket full of eggs, would we be expected to believe it was the Easter Bunny? No. And why? Because there’s no magic. No mysticism. Ergo … nothing interesting about it other than it’s probably cuddly. Hell, when an ambulance driver tried playing Jason Voorhees, that sucked too! Does no one learn from past mistakes? The Boogeyman, just like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, is a character of wonder that serves to both fright and delight. He is not some idiot in a stupid get-up. Please don’t expect me to buy that he is! Right from the start the illusion is ruined.
The storyline plays something like a cross between A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Bad Dreams only without even a tenth of the imagination. Teenage kids with various phobias end up getting knocked off one by one by a masked killer with delusions of grandeur. Color me bored. Not even Saw favorite Tobin Bell can save this one-note fiasco from being anything more than the paint-by-numbers turd that it is. For a much more in-depth look at the storyline, and even more venom, check out Tristan Sinns’ Boogeyman 2 review here. Me? I refuse to rehash this thing for a single second longer.
Lucky thing for us we get not one but two commentaries to enhance our viewing experience. If you can sit through this flick three times just to cover all the bases, you’re not only a bigger man than me but also far more of a glutton for punishment. For the record, however, both commentaries — one with with actors Tobin Bell and Danielle Savre and producers Gary Bryman and Steve Hein and the other with director Jeff Betancourt and screenwriter Brian Sieve — are fairly lively and energetic, but you’re probably not going to care what anyone involved with this crap-fest has to say about it anyway. I cannot imagine who would. Then, as if you didn’t already have enough misery, you can sit through an animated photo gallery that’s chock-full of behind-the-scenes stuff and storyboards. Yay.
The scariest thing about Boogeyman 2? The film is left open-ended for a sequel. Please, if there is anyone out there reading this that can make a difference, don’t let this happen. And if one does come to be, just make sure it’s not a continuation of this stale storyline.
Poor Boogeyman. First the character is exploited in an early Ulli Lommel movie, and now this. Is there no dignity left in this world?
Sigh.
Special Features
2 out of 5
Special Features:
2 1/2 out of 5
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