The Boogeyman Early Buzz: The New Stephen King Movie Could Be This Year's Smile

The next time something goes bump in the night and you feel the temptation to dismiss it as nothing ... maybe consider the possibility that you're stuck in a terrifying Stephen King short story, instead. The acclaimed horror author has been able to enjoy a resurgence of adaptations of his work in recent years on both the big and small screen, from the immensely successful "It" movies to the supposedly "un-filmable" production of "Dark Tower." (Okay, admittedly, everyone would agree that the latter probably should've remained un-filmed.) But unlike most other high-profile translations of King's full-length novels, the upcoming "The Boogeyman" is instead taking its cues from one minor work out of a collection of short stories featured in 1978's "Night Shift."

With a name like Rob Savage attached to direct from a script credited to Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman, there's nothing "minor" about this next movie. Once initially destined for an unceremonious, straight-to-streaming release on Hulu, one pivotal test screening and an intervention by King himself changed everything and now horror fans can look forward to seeing the adaptation hit theaters later this year. But some incredibly fortunate viewers were able to catch an exclusive screening of "The Boogeyman" months ahead of release, thanks to 20th Century Studios' show of confidence by debuting the film during this week's ongoing CinemaCon event in Las Vegas.

The movie follows a pair of sisters (played by Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair), grief-stricken over the loss of their mother, and their distant therapist father Will (Chris Messina). After one particularly unnerving patient makes an unexpected house call, the broken family realizes that he may have left behind something far more sinister that haunts their every step. Check out the early reactions to "The Boogeyman" below!

Don't look now, but "The Boogeyman" might just be this year's version of "Smile," the horror phenomenon that came out of nowhere last year to become the biggest original horror movie of 2022. Will this Stephen King adaptation follow a similar road to box office glory? That remains to be seen, but for now it seems audiences can expect the cast to run away with this film in an otherwise familiar story. Here's what those in attendance had to say about "The Boogeyman."

In a tweet posted by /Film's Ben Pearson, he describes the film as a "totally sturdy, highly effective movie. Could be this year's 'Smile.' Doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't need to. Sophie Thatcher has big Mary Elizabeth Winstead energy in this one, and it's always nice to see Chris Messina." The more middling reaction to the actual story of the movie doesn't come as a total surprise, given how ubiquitous the traditional folklore surrounding the boogeyman has been in pop culture for years beyond count. But as with the best King adaptations, the cast of characters tend to stand out as surefire highlights.

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo/io9, meanwhile, had an even more strongly positive response. The critic was effusive in his praise, saying that the film "freaking rules. Beautifully shot, super creepy, [and] excellent lead performances by Sophie Thatcher [and] Lil Leia herself, Vivien Lyra Blair." But in a surprising twist for some who may have expected a moody and low-energy, creeping sense of horror, Lussier notes that "Most surprisingly though is the action! There's some amazing horror action in it."

Screen Rant's Rob Keyes, meanwhile, echoes many of the same praises and criticisms listed above. In his tweet, he described the film as an "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." It certainly sounds like this reaction justifies the decision to bring the movie to theaters, as opposed to another "Prey" situation where it appears that Disney left significant money on the table by shying away from a theatrical release.

Elsewhere, Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend teased that Stephen King fans will walk away "very happy." He further reinforces the consensus from the screening, saying that "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."

Daniel Howat, a critic for Next Big Picture, also heaped plaudits upon the cast. In his view, "Sophie Thatcher is incredible" and "grounds the movie with her grief and fear." But while other reactions took note of the unexpected amount of action in the movie, Howat goes out of his way to say that "The movie is a slow-burn sort of horror movie, but with plenty of big scares." As if to underline that point, he goes on to tease that "It'll definitely make you afraid of the dark."

All told, the early reactions all seem united in the belief that "The Boogeyman" proves that even "lesser" Stephen King works can lead to excellent horror films. The movie comes to theaters on June 2, 2023.