With The Boogeyman creeping into theaters, one of the worst Stephen King adaptations could finally be redeemed. Stephen King is arguably one of the best horror writers of all time but, unfortunately, not all of his works translate well to screen. In an age where Hollywood wishes to retell, reimagine and remake titles from King’s extensive library of literary releases, an opportunity to revisit lesser-known titles with adaptations that failed to reflect King's talent as a horror writer presents itself.
Included in the Stephen King book Night Shift, “The Boogeyman” was a short story originally published in 1973. Focusing on Lester Billings, a father who blames a supernatural entity known as the Boogeyman for the deaths of his three children, the story was an atmospheric supernatural thriller with a twist ending. In 2018, Fox announced that a full-length Stephen King The Boogeyman adaptation was in the works. With a reimagined premise surrounding a grieving family harassed by a seemingly twisted entity, the film received its first trailer in 2023, with a slated release for June.
The Boogeyman Can Fix The Poorly-Received 1982 Short Film
Although Stephen King was the originator of iconic movies like IT, Creepshow, and Pet Sematary, the 1982 short film The Boogeyman was not as well received. Later included as part of a straight-to-VHS horror anthology, The Night Shift Collection, along with King’s The Woman in the Room, The Boogeyman suffered from a variety of shortcomings that doomed it to obscurity and poor reviews. With The Boogeyman unexpectedly receiving a modern revival in 2023, justice can finally be done to the original story.
"The Boogeyman" has earned a place among the most underrated Stephen King short stories. However, despite being faithful to the source material, The Boogeyman movie’s antecedent did not do it any favors in 1982. Critics cited the short film’s low-budget limitations, unremarkable acting, and questionable editing techniques as bogging The Boogeyman down - beyond its enjoyably campy ending. With talents like David Dastmalchian attached to the modern project and well-received adaptations like the IT remakes still in recent memory, Hollywood can give King's "The Boogeyman" the big screen treatment it needs to find a receptive audience.
Why Stephen King’s The Boogeyman Deserves A Full-Feature Adaptation
The biggest problem with 1982’s The Boogeyman was its limited length. Although a short film seemed ideal, The Boogeyman ultimately lacked enough time to tell Stephen King’s story, develop its characters, and set the atmosphere. The Boogeyman is a terrifying character of folklore, and Stephen King managed to frame an intriguing mystery around the concept with plenty of room to expand. The 2023 The Boogeyman movie has the time needed, as a feature-length production, and is already using that to good effect by exploring themes of grief, negligence, and fear. The original story and 1982 The Boogeyman adaptation had good ideas; a longer runtime can fully realize them.
With an accomplished author like Stephen King, who has over 200 short stories and novels to his name, it is easy for some of their underappreciated writings to get overshadowed by their more famous works. "The Boogeyman" has seen its share of adaptations, but none did the short story justice. Stephen King’s best stories make childhood fears and monsters scary again. Although not as popular as IT yet, The Boogeyman exists in the same vein and, in cinemas, has the potential to inspire just as much terror.
