John’s Horror Corner: The Boogeyman (2023), an enjoyable PG-13 “family therapy horror” with a shadow demon.

MY CALL: This would be better advertised as a jumpy “monster in the closet” type of “monster movie.” It’s fun, creepy, well-acted, and exciting once the monster is in play. Definitely not the “terrifying” film that was advertised, though. I’d call this a satisfying one-and-done, Friday night popcorn flick.

MORE MOVIES LIKE The Boogeyman: Maybe something like Shadow People (2012) or Cobweb (2023) for mature dread, or more like Mama (2013) or Lights Out (2016) for similar energy.

For more (and more intense) horror films about grief and dysfunctional family, consider Frailty (2001), The Uninvited (2009), The Babadook (2014), Goodnight Mommy (2014, 2022), Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), The Lodge (2019) and Relic (2020).

Our opening introduces us to young characters’ apprehensive of the dark recesses of their closets. Recently bereft of her mother, Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher; Yellowjackets) has a tough time returning to school. As a therapist, her father Will (Chris Messina; Devil, I.S.S.) helps others with their fear, grief and guilt on a daily basis. Yet his greatest challenge is connecting to help his daughters.

An unexpected walk-in appointment to Will’s in-home practice, Lester (David Dastmalchian; Late Night with the Devil, The Belko Experiment) has recently lost his three children to something that he cannot explain very well. It’s something of a ‘shadow monster’ that comes and takes your children “when you’re not paying attention.” Lester comes to a tragic end compounding the trauma of the Harper family. We learn Lester’s monster attaches itself to vulnerable families and claims them one by one.

This “monster in the closet” emerges from the shadows as a very tangible creature to fear. Resembling a gangly-limbed demon of sorts, it swiftly skitters under the bed, hiding in shadows, rattling and slamming doors, even crawling on the ceiling. Sadie’s kid sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair; Bird Box) is stalked by this entity, and it toys with her, knocking on doors and imitating voices.

Yeah, PG-13 horror is generally much less intense than its R counterparts. And yeah, that means I’m usually in no rush to see them. But exceptions rise above. Movies like The Ring (2002), Mama (2013), Lights Out (2016), and now The Boogeyman stand out as solid, jumpy, creepy, tense installments to PG-13 horror—even if Boogeyman ranks below the aforementioned titles. The creature is legitimately off-putting and manifests from the darkness, skittering about to avoid the light. It’s definitely an engaging viewing experience.

The monster is fast, feral, and gives wild chase, making the movie quite energized at times. It lacks the dire dread of The Ring (2002), but it has its brief moments capturing some of the exciting flavor of A Quiet Place (2018). This is more like A Quite Place-LITE. But still fun. I’d say director Rob Savage (Dashcam, Host) is now three for three in the horror genre, even if this may be his lesser work.