---
title: "The Boogeyman"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-boogeyman"
fi1m_id: "the-boogeyman"
imdb_id: "tt3427252"
tmdb_id: 532408
wikidata_id: "Q111530175"
fi1m_score: 62
critics_score: 57
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:06.241221+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Boogeyman (2023)

Directed by Rob Savage · 1h 39m · MPA PG-13 · Horror

## Identity

The Boogeyman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-boogeyman
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-boogeyman
- **IMDb ID:** tt3427252
- **TMDB ID:** 532408
- **Wikidata ID:** Q111530175
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3427252/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/532408, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111530175

**Fi1m score: 62** · Critics 57 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* The lamp rolling under the bed is scarier than anything that eventually crawls out from under it

> Rob Savage’s Stephen King adaptation is a tidy, well-acted film that frightens properly whenever the lights are low and loses its nerve when they come up. Sophie Thatcher holds it together; the script gives her little to hold.

## Synopsis

Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher) is a teenager whose mother has just died. Her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) will not sleep without a light on, and their father Will (Chris Messina), a therapist, sees patients in the front room of the house and says almost nothing to his daughters. One afternoon a stranger, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian), arrives at the door without an appointment and tells Will that something in the dark killed his three children, one after another. After his visit the house is no longer safe. Sadie starts to see things at the edge of the light; Sawyer already has. Rob Savage directs, from a Stephen King short story. It runs 99 minutes and carries a 15 certificate.

## Review

Rob Savage has taken a Stephen King short story that fits inside one conversation and stretched it over a house with three grieving people in it. Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher) has lost her mother; her little sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) sleeps with a glowing plastic moon; their father Will (Chris Messina) listens to strangers for a living and cannot manage five minutes with his own children. Then Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian) turns up in Will’s front room, uninvited, and says something took his kids. That is the setup, and it is a good one. What follows is a well-built film that is properly frightening for an hour and then stops being frightening, and the reason is simple: it shows us the thing.

While it keeps the thing in the dark, it is a pleasure. Eli Born lights the house so that the darkness begins about a foot from every lamp, and Jeremy Woodward gives him a house full of half-open doors, a closet that will not stay shut and a basement that nobody has a reason to enter and everybody does. The best scene is built out of a child’s toy. Sawyer rolls her light across the bedroom floor and under the bed, and each time it comes back we are shown a little more than the time before. We were, for about ninety seconds, as frightened as we have been in a cinema for a while, and it was done with a nightlight, a bed and a child who has decided to look.

Thatcher is the reason the rest of it holds. She plays Sadie as a girl who has decided that being angry is easier than being sad, and she does it without a single speech about grief, which is more than the script manages. Blair is unusually good for a child actor at being scared rather than acting scared. Messina has the harder job, a father written as a closed door, and he mostly plays the door. Dastmalchian has one scene and makes a whole life out of it, hunched and apologetic and plainly not right. Marin Ireland, as his wife Rita, appears later and plays her as someone who has not slept in a year.

Savage is patient with his scares. Peter Gvozdas holds a shot a beat longer than we expect and then another beat, so that we are looking at the wrong part of the frame when it happens. Patrick Jonsson’s score stays low, mostly a hum with something under it, and for long stretches Savage does without music altogether and lets the house creak. Kari Perkins dresses Sadie in her dead mother’s clothes, which the film uses once, quietly, and then leaves alone.

The script is where it thins. Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman have made the monster a metaphor for grief and then, in case we missed it, have a therapist (LisaGay Hamilton, as Dr Weller) explain it to Sadie in a consulting room. The school scenes, in which Bethany (Madison Hu) and her friends are cruel to Sadie about her mother, belong to a different and duller film and are cut in as if the editor knew it. Nobody in the house buys a torch, and the film knows we have noticed and has no answer.

The last half hour is the weakest, for reasons we will not go into. It is enough to say that the film becomes a more ordinary horror film than the one it had been for an hour, and that somewhere in it we stopped being frightened. We were watching an effect, and thinking about the nightlight, and wishing the film had trusted itself.

Savage made *Host* (2020) on a laptop screen in a locked-down flat, and it was cleverer than this. Here he has proved he can do the old kind of horror, the dark room and the held breath, and do it well, inside a studio film that wants a creature at the end. Beck and Woods wrote *A Quiet Place* (2018), and this has the same shape: a family, a rule about the dark, and a third act that gives up on the rule.

Watch it with the lights off, because that is the only condition under which its best trick works. Ninety-nine minutes, a 15 certificate, and one scene with a plastic moon that we would set against most of what horror has offered in the last few years. The rest is competent, and it knows it.

*Fi1m score 62, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews split widely on The Boogeyman, from warm to hostile, and settle in the middle. Most critics agree on where the craft is: Rob Savage’s use of light and shadow, with every lamp and glowing screen made a source of fear, and Sophie Thatcher’s lead performance, which several single out as the thing that sells the monster. The jump scares are generally judged effective, at least early on.

The reservations cluster around the script. Many find the grief-and-trauma framing rote and the story thin, borrowed from a current horror fashion rather than earned, and a recurring complaint is that the film loses its nerve once the creature is shown too clearly in the final act. The negative reviews go further: RogerEbert.com calls it emotionally numbing, The New York Times finds the plotting coy and illogical, and Slant judges that mood has been put ahead of substance. The kinder notices, Empire and /Film among them, see a sturdy, traditional ghost story.

## Straight answers

**Is The Boogeyman worth watching?**

*The Boogeyman* is worth watching for anyone who wants a properly frightening hour in a dark house, and we scored it 62. Rob Savage keeps the thing in the shadows and Sophie Thatcher holds the family together, but the script explains its grief metaphor out loud and the last half hour turns into a more ordinary creature film. Watch it with the lights off.

**How long is The Boogeyman, and what is it rated?**

*The Boogeyman* runs 1h 39m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a horror film.

**Where can I watch The Boogeyman in the US?**

*The Boogeyman* is streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. It leaves Hulu on 5 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Boogeyman, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Boogeyman* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and is a horror film built on dread rather than gore: dark rooms, half-open doors and something seen at the edge of the light. One scene with a child's nightlight is among the most frightening we have sat through, so it is not for young children or the easily unsettled, though older teenagers who like being scared should manage.

**How does The Boogeyman compare to The Babadook?**

*The Boogeyman* and [*The Babadook*](https://film.one/film/the-babadook) share a grieving household and a thing in the dark, and *The Babadook* is the better film because it trusts its metaphor to the end. Rob Savage's film is patient and frightening for an hour, then shows its creature and loses its nerve; Jennifer Kent's stays with Essie Davis's exhausted mother, though the pressure can become wearing. Pick *The Babadook* for character and *The Boogeyman* for the tidier evening.

**What should I watch after The Boogeyman?**

After *The Boogeyman*, try [*The Babadook*](https://film.one/film/the-babadook) (2014, Fi1m 86): A grieving household, a thing in the dark, and a film that trusts the metaphor to the end. Then [*Under the Shadow*](https://film.one/film/under-the-shadow) (2016, Fi1m 80): A mother and daughter, a flat in wartime Tehran, and fear that lives in the ceiling; and [*The Orphanage*](https://film.one/film/the-orphanage) (2007, Fi1m 81): Spanish ghost story about a missing child, patient and sad, with one game of knock-knock we still think about.

### Reviews we read (23)

- **Empire**, Kim Newman (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Savage for delivering an involving, ungimmicky ghost story with perfectly constructed menace and mayhem that wrings scares from a basic premise. It shows the director can handle traditional horror effectively while focusing on how kids react to tragedy. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-boogeyman/)
- **The AV Club**, Leigh Monson (B): The critic praises the effective use of light, shadow, and perspective to create genuine scares and tension in the monster-in-the-closet thriller, while noting the film could be tighter and loses impact when the creature is overexposed. The taunting playfulness of the monster and strong horror execution are highlighted positively. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-boogeyman-film-review-2023-stephen-king-1850468225)
- **The Independent** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film well-constructed and well-acted with decent scares and twists that elevate it above most generic horror. It is ultimately conventional but comfortably so, delivering a few frights in a mainstream Stephen King adaptation. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/culture/the-boogeyman-review-movie-b2348902.html)
- **Variety**, Todd Gilchrist (70/100, inferred): This effectively scary but not especially memorable Stephen King adaptation succeeds through style and Sophie Thatcher's bold lead performance amid tropes of trauma and a creature feature. The critic singles out Thatcher's clear-eyed portrayal as selling the reality of the monster while noting the effect doesn't linger. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/boogeyman-review-sophie-thatcher-stephen-king-1235624599/)
- **Little White Lies**, Anton Bitel (3/3/4): Savage abandons his earlier screen-life experimentation for conventional mainstream studio horror but taps effectively into the household’s uncanny interiors. The film is deftly done, with child-focused stakes that are never less than alarming and an ambiguous, closeted ending that rings true. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-boogeyman)
- **Radio Times**, Jeremy Aspinall (3/5): This is watchable, well-edited horror with effective jump-scares from director Rob Savage, who keeps the creature in the dark until the incendiary climax. The biggest puzzle is why no one has a torch to deter a being that thrives in the shadows. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-t8hbq1/the-boogeyman/)
- **The Guardian** (60/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a deftly made but derivative Stephen King adaptation that fits too neatly into current horror trends of grief and trauma. Savage's visual verve and atmospheric skill are praised, while the rote script and lack of originality are singled out for complaint. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/30/the-boogeyman-movie-review-stephen-king)
- **Total Film**, Kevin Harley (3/5): The critic notes solid casting and efficient jump scares but criticizes thin plotting, clichéd elements, and a murky, ill-plotted script that softens the source material. It works fitfully until the monster is shown too much, devolving into something blunter. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-boogeyman-review/)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film's extreme quiet and darkness an effective but ultimately undermined metaphor for grief, praising the stylistic rigor while complaining that generic, underdeveloped characters and a hollow script leave the bleakness feeling empty rather than resonant. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-the-boogeyman-based-on-a-stephen-king-story.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Robert Abele (40/100, inferred): The film is a neatly packaged, PG-13 horror-by-numbers entry relying on shock mechanics, CGI, and simplistic psychology rather than genuine dread or terror. The critic singles out the expansion of the source material as shutting down what could have been truly scary. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-06-01/review-boogeyman-horror-stephen-king-sophie-thatcher-chris-messina)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Nick Allen (30/100, inferred): The film is an emotionally numbing and formulaic PG-13 horror entry that fails to deliver scares or emotional depth despite its focus on grief. The critic singles out Sophie Thatcher's performance as the one strong element holding attention amid dated jump scares and a dour tone. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boogeyman-movie-review-2023)
- **The New York Times**, Jeannette Catsoulis (30/100, inferred): This frustratingly coy horror movie about a bereaved family plagued by a supernatural killer is murky in plot and payoff, demanding total suspension of rationality. The critic complains about the stingy details on the monster and illogical elements that undermine the few scary moments. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/movies/the-boogeyman-review.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Derek Smith (1/4): The critic acknowledges visual ingenuity in the use of light sources for scares but faults the threadbare story, generic trauma narrative, and prioritization of mood over substance or depth. A few evocative sequences provide chills amid the familiarity. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-boogeyman-review-rob-savage/)
- **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland: The review criticizes the adaptation for turning King's story into a blunt jump-scare creature feature that lacks subtlety. The screenwriters' approach and the monster's presentation are highlighted as major flaws. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-boogeyman-film-review-stephen-king-1234866120/)
- **Screen Daily**: Savage brings an innate humanness and playful spirit that lifts this otherwise-rote monster movie, with inventive visuals, excellent performances including from Sophie Thatcher, and crowd-pleasing scares. It is most compelling in its deeply human moments exploring family grief and guilt. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-boogeyman-review/5182706.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: Savage applies resourceful old-school craft and trend-surfing savvy to familiar Stephen King material, preventing it from falling flat. Every light source becomes a locus of fear in set pieces that are small marvels of sustained tension, with Sophie Thatcher delivering a focused, melancholy performance. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/boogeyman-horror-begins-home-this-surprisingly-effective-stephen-king-adaptation)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The critic calls it a minor but effectively nerve-jangling Stephen King adaptation that builds tension through slow-burn atmospherics and well-timed jump scares before becoming a rote creature feature in the final act. Strong performances and visual style are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-boogeyman-review-stephen-king-1235495637/)
- **/Film**, Ben Pearson (8/10): The critic calls it a solid, sturdy Stephen King adaptation that expands the short story while keeping a personal feel, with effective suspense and strong performances, especially from Sophie Thatcher. They praise the director's use of light and shadows to build tension but note it is not the scariest film of the year. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1270038/the-boogeyman-review/)
- **Polygon**, Matt Patches (75/100, inferred): The adaptation effectively blends personal grief with supernatural scares and cosmic horror elements, delivering classically tailored tension centered on the Harper family. Sophie Thatcher's performance stands out as a highlight in an otherwise straightforward but engaging Stephen King story. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23739161/boogeyman-review-stephen-king-dark-tower/)
- **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (B-): The film starts with strong creeping dread and effective use of darkness and sound but grows more conventional and less unsettling as it expands into a mainstream creature feature. It praises the early atmosphere and some performances while criticizing the shift toward spectacle and exposition. [Read](https://collider.com/the-boogeyman-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (45/100, inferred): The film is a competent but by-the-numbers haunted house adaptation that delivers jump scares for younger viewers while playing it safe and feeling predictable for adults. It singles out the strong performances, particularly from the young leads, for praise amid otherwise familiar genre tropes. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-boogeyman-review/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic finds the expansion of King's short story into a grief-focused psychological horror effective overall, with strong performances and atmosphere. They single out the dark lighting and late special effects as the weakest elements, preferring more ambiguity. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/05/the-boogeyman-review-stephen-kings-classic-short-story-full-length-movie-1235383794/)
- **The Wrap**: The critic views the film as a stale translation that only briefly captures the source material's terror before becoming a generic monster-in-the-dark thriller. They single out the mismatch between the grief metaphor and the jump-scare execution as the core problem. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-boogeyman-review-stephen-king/)

## Details

- **Director:** Rob Savage
- **Director:** Rob Savage
- **Screenplay:** Mark Heyman, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
- **Cinematography:** Eli Born
- **Editor:** Peter Gvozdas
- **Music:** Patrick Jonsson
- **Production design:** Jeremy Woodward
- **Costume design:** Kari Perkins
- **Producer:** Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen
- **Cast:** Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper; Vivien Lyra Blair as Sawyer Harper; Chris Messina as Will Harper; David Dastmalchian as Lester Billings; Marin Ireland as Rita Billings; Madison Hu as Bethany; Maddie Nichols as Natalie; Mabel Tyler as Abby
- **Runtime:** 1h 39m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 2 June 2023
- **Genres:** Horror
- **Budget:** $35 million
- **Box office:** $82 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8BDtwMYFa4

## Where to watch in the US

- Hulu: streaming, uhd, leaving 2026-10-05
- Disney+: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $20.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Babadook* (2014), Fi1m 86: A grieving household, a thing in the dark, and a film that trusts the metaphor to the end. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-babadook.md)
- *Under the Shadow* (2016), Fi1m 80: A mother and daughter, a flat in wartime Tehran, and fear that lives in the ceiling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/under-the-shadow.md)
- *The Orphanage* (2007), Fi1m 81: Spanish ghost story about a missing child, patient and sad, with one game of knock-knock we still think about. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-orphanage.md)
- *Lights Out* (2016): The same idea, a monster that exists only where the light is not, done leaner and sillier.
- *Host* (2020): Savage’s earlier film, fifty-six minutes on a video call, and considerably more frightening than this.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-boogeyman