20th Century Studios and Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment banner have just dropped a second official trailer and new artwork for Rob Savage‘s nightmarish shocker The Boogeyman, based on Stephen King’s eponymous short story which first published in the March 1973 issue of the magazine Cavalier, and was later collected in King’s 1978 collection “Night Shift.”
Directed by Savage (Host/Dashcam), from a screenplay written by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) and Mark Heyman (Black Swan), and a screen story by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, The Boogeyman stars stars Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Chris Messina (Birds of Prey), Vivien Lyra Blair (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”), Marin Ireland (“The Umbrella Academy”), Madison Hu (“Bizaardvark”), LisaGay Hamilton (Vice), and David Dastmalchian (Dune).
According to the official plot synopsis:
High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister Sawyer are reeling from the recent death of their mother and aren’t getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims.
Commenting on his latest project, Savage said, “The Boogeyman is a classic horror movie in the mold of Poltergeist that has scares and heart in equal measure … I vividly remember the terror I felt reading King’s short story as a kid, and it’s this feeling of childhood fear that I wanted to inspire in cinema audiences around the world. This film was made in collaboration with an incredibly talented team of creatives, and is anchored by wonderful, soulful performances from our incredible cast – I’m in awe of them, truly. We’re incredibly proud of this movie and can’t wait to give you all a reason to fear the dark again on June 2nd.”
The film is produced by Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), Dan Levine (Arrival), and Dan Cohen (The Adam Project), with John H. Starke (Sicario), Emily Morris (“Rosaline”), Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Ryan Cunningham, Adam Kolbrenner (“The Tomorrow War”), and Robin Meisinger serving as executive producers.
Prior to this new vision of the King’s source material, “It”The Boogeyman” was adapted into a short film by Jeff C. Schiro in 1982. It has also been performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a full length theatrical play, directed by television actor David Oakes. In 2010, Irish film-maker Gerard Lough adapted it into a 27-minute movie.
The Boogeyman is slated for an exclusive theatrical release this coming June 2, 2023, and in the meanwhile we’ll leave you with the terrifying first look at what promises to be one of the horror films of the year.
