I was not a big fan of the first Boogeyman film, so I was not really looking forward to checking out a direct to DVD sequel of the popular 2005 Ghost House Pictures film. However in terms of idea and plot this film differs from the first film and takes a whole different direction in the boogeyman story.
Boogeyman 2 is about a group of young men and women whom are all checked in at a isolated asylum to help them confront their fears. Laura, whom is one of the patents in the asylum has had a fear of the boogeyman ever since she saw him as a kid kill her parents. However what she and the patents inside the asylum think is a safe place for them to overcome their fears soon turns into a nightmare as the boogeyman has found his way in there and is stopping at nothing to kill everyone locked inside the asylum.
One of the first movies that came to my head while watching Boogeyman 2 was A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. It came off at first like a rip-off of what I believe is one of the best Elm Street films ever made. The film does start off very similar with a group of therapists talking to all the patents about their fears and then it slowly becomes more of a nightmare as each of the individuals are alone when they are killed. But, in this case we learn that the boogeyman seems more like a killer within the asylum and is not invading our dreams or entering the rooms though the closet door. I for one found the script to be very unoriginal, and although the development of the story was there it was nothing that we all haven’t seen before. the character development was alright, the story and dialogue was OK, but it’s just another cliché slasher flick with the same plot we’ve all seen ten times over. Now that’s not to say that the film was boring, because it had some pretty good moments and the script did have an even flow to it.
The acting in the film was just alright, we really don’t get any great overpowering performances worth giving praise too. The cast consists of many familiar television faces as well as a few genre faces as well. Tobin Bell of the Saw films has a small part in the film as a doctor and his performance is pretty much the best one in the film for his supporting role. The rest of the cast includes Danielle Savre of TV’s Heroes and Summerland, David Gallagher of 7th Heaven fame and Renée O’Connor from Xena: Warrior Princess.
The movie’s strong point is in it’s production value. While the set and costume design are pretty basic, the location scouts did film the film a great location for the asylum. The way the place was dressed up and the use of lighting really gave the dark halls and rooms of the asylum a very dark and dreary look. The visuals and make-up effects in this film were also pretty decent. There is plenty of blood and gore to go around here, however it’s done in such a way where it seems more realistic instead of over the top.
Overall, Boogeyman 2 is not a bad film but it’s not a good one either. It has the format of a nineties teen horror flick like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer and applies that format to the boogeyman story. So why we do get a film with a surprise ending, it’s not so surprising as we suspect that there is more to the story than we are lead to believe. I think this movie is more fitting for the young teenage horror/sleepover crowd than it is for the hardcore horror fan. A valiant effort, but it’s nothing we all haven’t seen before.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
