There are a ton of upcoming Stephen King movies, TV shows and miniseries on the way, but the next one creeping our way is The Boogeyman, about which we know quite a few things. Ahead of the latest adaptation hitting theaters this summer, the movie found its first audiences at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday, and the early buzz sounds like good news for horror fans.
First off, CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg, who is also our site’s Stephen King expert, was among the audience and shared his reaction, via Twitter. Here’s what he thought about The Boogeyman:
Got to see The Boogeyman at #CinemaCon2023, and I am a very happy Stephen King fan right now. Like the short story, it's a simple horror tale, but an effective and freaky one that delivers some great monster-centric scares. Definitely a "see it with a crowd" experience. pic.twitter.com/swUiGIr40IApril 26, 2023
The Boogeyman is based on a 1973 short story from Stephen King of the same name about two sisters and their father who are dealing with the recent death of their mother/his wife when an entity begins haunting their home. As Eisenberg shared in his first reaction, the movie is also a “simple horror tale” but also one that is super effective as a horror movie, between some “monster-centric scares” and its “see it with a crowd” appeal. Check out this reaction coming out of CinemaCon:
I can talk about The Boogeyman now! Easy recommendation for horror fans. Dark intro. It has big jump scares that kill with big sound and big crowd. It's very well shot and creepy as hell but I don't love some of the plot-forced conveniences. The cast is AMAZING. #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/MW5wQFkrsZApril 26, 2023
Another journalist was happy to report there are tons of great scares for fans of the spooky genre to appreciate, especially when enjoying it in a big theater with an audience. Rob Keyes also said it's “very well shot” and “creepy as hell,” but did knock it a bit for some plot choices. The Boogeyman was initially going to go straight to Hulu, but has since moved to theaters thanks to the movie playing “through the roof” in test screenings. That certainly seems to check out given the first reactions.
Sophie Thatcher is incredible in #TheBoogeyman. She grounds the movie with her grief and fear.The movie is a slow-burn sort of horror movie, but with plenty of big scares. It’ll definitely make you afraid of the dark. Enjoyed this a lot. #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/0SrX5ZvIQRApril 26, 2023
Sophie Thatcher in particular is getting a lot of early praise for her role as high school student Sadie Harper, who is the eldest child in the family dealing with the rough loss. Thatcher has found herself a few high-profile roles in the past few years between her role in 2019’s The Tomorrow War, the critically-acclaimed series Yellowjackets and her 2022 guest role on The Book of Boba Fett. The Boogeyman will mark her first leading role in a major studio film. It sounds like she killed it!
Saw #TheBoogeyman at #CinemaCon today and it freaking rules. Beautifully shot, super creepy, & excellent lead performances by Sophie Thatcher & Lil Leia herself, Vivien Lyra Blair.Most surprisingly though is the action! There's some amazing horror action in it. Out June 2. pic.twitter.com/v2Ec8NYlTWApril 26, 2023
There’s also quite a bit of love for Vivien Lyra Blair as well who you might have seen in the 2018 Netflix hit Bird Box and as a young Leia Organa in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Also among the cast is Chris Messina as their father, along with Marin Ireland, Madison Hu, LisaGay Hamilton and David Dastmalchian, the latter of whom previously told CinemaBlend The Boogeyman is “one of the scariest movies” he’d seen in a long time.
#TheBoogeyman is an efficient effective horror movie. You may have a sense of deja vu of other horror movies but it manages to work due to good direction, sound & atmosphere. Last 20 minutes are sweaty palms edge of your seat thriller @CinemaCon #Disney100 pic.twitter.com/7pGNK65UUGApril 26, 2023
The upcoming horror movie is set to hit theaters on June 2. As we wait for its release to have us on the edge of our seats, you can check out The Boogeyman trailer.
