32
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonTrendy influence of insidiously creepy Japanese horror pics is felt in almost every frame of Boogeyman. The effectively atmospheric and unusually involving thriller tells the story of a distraught young man's protracted duel of wits with the eponymous evildoer.
- 60Film ThreatFilm ThreatThis film does cause shivers, creeps, scares, and jumps. It may even make you scream a bit.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleAn otherwise passable horror film that delivers more than enough cheap thrills to forgive the plot holes.
- 40Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustHas little to offer in the way of entertainment or originality.
- 38The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen ColeThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen ColeA film willing to cheat whatever way necessary to scare you... The good news is that once you leave the theatre, you'll never think of Boogeyman again.
- 38Philadelphia InquirerPhiladelphia InquirerWhile stylishly filmed and edited, Boogeyman is filled with every imaginable fright cliche... It's like a meal consisting entirely of airy hors d'oeuvres.
- The filmmakers are smart enough to keep the monster out of sight for a long time and then to show only glimpses, but a similar tactic of providing only glimpses of plot and character is disastrous.
- 25New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickThe MPAA's rating explanation for this PG-13-rated snoozer misleadingly claims it contains "intense sequences of terror/violence"; it would be more accurate to state that Boogeyman contains "virtually every horror-movie cliché of the past 30 years."
- 20TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghIf you can't spell "bogeyman," you shouldn't make movies about him.
- 12Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisA horror film whose only scare is that it was made at all... As with so many stupid horror movies in these post-''Scream" times, this one is at such a creative loss that all it can do is make its audience feel duped for having purchased a ticket.