Common Sense Media Review
A bloated 86 minutes of overzealous spookiness.
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Why Age 15+?
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Boogeyman
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 11 kid reviews
Kids say that this movie is mostly not scary and often unintentionally funny, with many calling out its cheesy nature and poor special effects. While a few find it entertaining, the general consensus leans towards disappointment, with many recommending against watching it, especially for younger audiences due to jump scares and sexual innuendo.
- not scary
- cheesy
- unintentionally funny
- recommend against
- jump scares
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Eight-year-old Tim Jenson is scarred for his life before BOOGEYMAN'S title sequence rolls. He went to bed one night jumping at shadows in his rural, gothic home and watched in horror as his closet violently swallowed his father. Fast-forward 15 years and Tim (Barry Watson), now a twitchy lygophobic with a tendency to stand staring at dark closets, returns home for a funeral. He alone sees that all dark places -- under the bed, in the closet, behind the pantry door -- are potential lurking spots for the boogeyman. At the off-hand recommendation of his psychologist and to further the plot, he must face his childhood fears, including that of his supernatural closet.
Is It Any Good?
The storyline is thinner than the protagonist's stereotyped rich girlfriend, and there's enough lead-heavy dialogue to sink a movie of twice the caliber. BOOGEYMAN is a bloated 86 minutes of overzealous spookiness, to be admired primarily by aspiring sound-effects specialists. The movie cuts to the chase quickly but then wallows in atmospherics. Lengthy scenes reveal nothing more than predictable, two-dimensional characters. Ominous portent is constant. The creaking house, unnerving close-ups, quick cuts, and flickering lights might make some viewers seasick and others wish they could TiVo to the final confrontation.
Touches of humor, some genuinely spooky moments, and the occasional flash of decent acting keep this movie a notch above straight-to-video caliber. Watching Tim at the child counseling center offers a hint that this movie could be richer, more interesting fare, but then the next scene -- a possible boogeyman lurking behind a ceiling tile -- tugs us back to the over-the-top forcedness of it all.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the legend of the boogeyman, who appears in many cultures as a warning to misbehaving children. The psychologist discusses how children might turn to supernatural explanations as a coping mechanism for feelings of loss or powerlessness. How do modern stories use scary characters or the supernatural to guide behavior now? Urban legends often have an element of the supernatural, how might they derive from older tales, like those of the boogeyman?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 4, 2005
- On DVD or streaming : May 31, 2005
- Cast : Barry Watson , Emily Deschanel , Skye McCole Bartusiak
- Director : Stephen Kay
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Columbia Tristar
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : intense sequences of horror and terror/violence, and some partial nudity
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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