As a boy, Tim had a great fear of the Boogeyman, and I’m pretty sure that it didn’t help when the ugly brute killed his dad right in front of him. Now an adult, Tim is still a wimpy little bitch, and is just as afraid of the Boogeyman as he ever was. What follows is an incoherent plot, as well as a never-ending supply of closet doors opening in slow-motion. Sounds exciting, right?

While by no means a good movie, I was still shocked to find at least some of the right elements for a first-rate horror flick presented. In fact, this movie has exactly what WHITE NOISE didn’t, that being “enough ‘boo’ scares and brainless entertainment to keep you engaged”. I personally didn’t find the movie all that frightening, but the friends I watched it with were screaming at almost every scare, so I’m guessing it’s all a matter of what freaks you out the most (for me it’s a tie between Michael Jackson and French people). In my mind, the idea of a Boogeyman movie sounded like a catch-22, and I was right. It’s the type of horror movie that needs something like gore or extreme violence to keep it intense, yet at the same time can’t go past a PG-13 rating because only younger kids are afraid of “creatures” lurking in their closets. This is also the reason why there are practically no movies about the Boogeyman; he’s just not that great of a horror icon.

The flick starts out on the perfect note with a very slick opening, but steadily declines as it goes. The big problem: the movie never leads anywhere worthwhile (or even anywhere at all). The plot is practically nonexistent, almost nothing is explained, and as far as mindless fun goes, it starts to run out of steam near the middle (but luckily picks up again towards the end). I don’t ask for much in a horror movie, just some good scares, a decent plot, and most of all, to be entertained. Half of that was accomplished, but seeing as how I was expecting less than nothing from this film, I was more than content with what I got. Sure, I became a little bored, plus the flick got pretty tedious, but in terms of style, I was never let down for a second. If it wasn’t for the über-awesome directing/camerawork, I doubt I would’ve lasted more than twenty minutes through this show without falling asleep. The highlight of the film is, without a doubt, the constant stream of wicked shots, slick zooms, wild setting changes, and eerie surroundings. Even past the point when you finally see the ridiculously lame CGI monster (who wears a vest and pants?), style still prevails. So now that you know what to expect, why not take a chance and rent BOOGEYMAN with some of your pals. If you actually like it, then all is well, and if you don’t, you can at least make fun of it (and trust me, you’ll get plenty of opportunities). If that doesn’t convince you, then try this on for size: he gets into a fight with a coat hanger... and loses.

Video: Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, mastered in High Definition. Having a dark setting can be a problem for DVDS, but there are no complaints for this one. The video is exceptionally clear, and there are no distracting problems (such as saturation); the transfer fully flaunts the style of the movie.

Audio: English/French 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. The smooth audio transfer compliments the eerie sounds very nicely. Nothing too amazing, but good nonetheless.

There are a few decent extras, but they are hardly special. Just the basics, no commentary.

The Making of Boogeyman (Parts 1 & 2 - 34:43): For reasons I can’t explain, they separated this lame featurette into 2 sections. Both parts have just the same amount of film clips, interviews, and a slight hint of behind-the-scenes footage (but barely). If you like hearing people say how wonderful their movie is, then check this out.

Deleted Scenes (6 of them - 12:46): These scenes are pretty much on par with the actual movie, some good, and some bad. Nothing really noteworthy though, but worth a look if you enjoyed the movie.

Alternate Ending (5:58): The only thing that makes this even remotely watchable is to see some of the unfinished CGI. That, and maybe for a laugh, because it’s even more insulting to the audiences intelligence than the real ending.

Animatics (3 of them - 9:24): Semi-cool storyboards/animatics, but we’ve seen this all before on better movies.

Visual Effects Progressions (4 of them - 4:30): Pretty neat to observe, but there’s a huge step left out between the green screen and the final product stages. Still worth checking out though.

We also get 9 Previews, but no trailer for BOOGEYMAN.

If you’re at all interested in seeing BOOGEYMAN, then renting wont hurt. It’s a decidedly average way to spend a couple of hours, but in a time where horror movies like WHITE NOISE, DARKNESS FALLS, and THE RING 2 roam the earth, you could do a lot worse.