By Guillermo Azabal |
Los Angeles (USA) (EFE).- Popularly known as the bogeyman or bogeyman, the legend of this being that torments children around the world comes to the big screen with “The Boogeyman”, the latest bet of 20th Century Studios, which has the endorsement of the master of the horror genre Stephen King.
In fact, the film is based on the homonymous work that the American writer published in 1978 with great reception from his readers.
“It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real”, reads the disturbing slogan of this film directed by the British Rob Savage (“Host” and “Dashcam”).
It has the actresses Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”) and the very young Vivien Lyra Blair (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”) as protagonists.
“I remember reading the story when I was little, so I knew it could be terrifying for audiences and even more so for Stephen King fans. (…) I wanted this time to be a bloody creature but also to pose a physical threat to fight against,” Savage explained in an interview with EFE.
The story of “The Boogeyman”
The plot tells the story of high school student Sadie Harper (played by Thatcher) and her younger sister Sawyer (Blair) when they lose their mother and do not receive the necessary support from their father (Chris Messina), a therapist dealing with with his own pain.
So, as the small family world collapses, the parent offers psychological help to a desperate patient who shows up at his home stalked by a terrifying supernatural entity that feeds on human suffering.
“I asked real psychologists to better explain how to play this role and what kind of therapy I was supposed to be applying. In addition, it was noted that the director knew the genre very well because he guided me perfectly, ”commented Messina, who also appeared this year in“ Air ”, in statements to EFE.
A position with which Thatcher, also present in the conversation with EFE, agreed, adding that Savage recommended films like “Don’t Look Now” (1973) or “Ordinary People” (1980) to help her better understand her character.
It is then that the coconut, bogeyman or “boogeyman” (in English) appears on the scene, a creature that, depending on the culture, can take on a human appearance or be configured as a kind of monster with an elongated head and fingers that annoys children. and parents.
film release
The film was scheduled to premiere directly on the streaming service Hulu but, after a successful test screening late last year, it was announced that it would go through theaters first.
Its creators wanted to consult Stephen King’s vision of this work in an unusual maneuver that involved renting his favorite cinema in Portland (Maine, USA), the author’s hometown, so that he could see it at home.
“He knows what he doesn’t like and if we had screwed up the story for him, he would have told us. Instead, he sent us a beautiful essay about how much he liked the film, ”said Savage, who added that it was King himself who suggested that the film be released in theaters, publicly weeks ago.
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (“A Quiet Place”), as well as Mark Heyman (“Black Swan”) were in charge of the script for this film that has had a budget of slightly more than 40 million dollars and that you will find in the film “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures) its main contender at the weekend box office.
The rest of the cast of “The Boogeyman” is completed, among others, by Marin Ireland (“The Umbrella Academy”), Madison Hu (“Bizaardvark”), LisaGay Hamilton (“Vice”) and David Dastmalchian (“Boston Strangler”).
It will not be the first time that this legend recently landed in the world of cinema because Universal Studios released last year the movie “The Black Phone” whose main character, played by Ethan Hawke, was also inspired by the coconut or bogeyman.