★ 6 / 10
**_Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the bloodiest
Wuchak
**_Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the bloodiest of them all?_** In the Chesapeake Bay region, a brother & sister try to overcome their childhood trauma…
**_Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the bloodiest of them all?_**
In the Chesapeake Bay region, a brother & sister try to overcome their childhood trauma living on their aunt & uncle’s ranch. The sister is married with a kid while the brother is mute, working the farm. A missive from their dying mother brings buried memories to the fore while a mysterious old mirror unleashes a deadly… boogey man.
“The Boogey Man” (1980) is a psychological slasher that borrows from “The Exorcist,” “Halloween” and “The Amityville Horror,” although it had the smallest of budgets of these, only costing $300,000 with John Carradine as Dr. Warren being the greatest expense (all of his scenes were shot in a day).
There are similarities to soon-to-come flicks like "Nightmare" (1981) and "Luther the Geek" (1989). If you like those and the tone of, say, "Silent Night, Bloody Night" (1972) and "Don't Go in the House" (1979), check it out. The Chesapeake Bay area is a highlight, as is the realism and mood, but the story is kinda tedious, not to mention a little baffling. It doesn’t help that the female cast is subpar compared to any of the Friday the 13th films.
The film runs 1 hour, 22 minutes, and was shot in Maryland, as follows: Bel Alton (brick house with the well), La Plata (Lacey & Willie’s childhood home), Port Tobacco (cemetery and church) and Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The barn interior scenes were done at Paramount Ranch, Agoura, California.
GRADE: B-
Read full review
★ 6 / 10
Has to Be Viewed in Context
thalassafischer
Ulli Lommel was an arthouse director who at one point was affiliated with Andy Warhol and The Factory. I could tell something was going on because this wasn't…
Ulli Lommel was an arthouse director who at one point was affiliated with Andy Warhol and The Factory. I could tell something was going on because this wasn't your run-of-the-mill B movie. I've noticeably taken a shine to weird horror flicks connected to Warhol like Blood for Dracula and Silent Night, Bloody Night.Ulli Lommel has almost a....a...Werner Herzog quality about him. I say this because in the middle of this film I just thought to myself "bless this man for having the vision to capture 1980 exactly like this without any commercialism and frills." Lommel was German, and that European sense of capturing a moment in a place in time is evident.Unfortunately, somewhere near the end it takes a hard turn towards absolutely terrible horror. While uneven, The Boogey Man is worth seeing, if you view it in the right context.This film is definitely not for everybody.
Read full review
★ 5 / 10
For the fans of the genre...
markovd111
While it isn't a masterpiece, this movie really doesn't deserve such a low rating. It's clearly made with love and style and even has some passable acting and…
While it isn't a masterpiece, this movie really doesn't deserve such a low rating. It's clearly made with love and style and even has some passable acting and effects for it's low budget. Sadly, it's nothing groundbreaking and would be quickly discarded by casuals, so that's the reason I recommend it to horror movie fans. Don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a low budget passion work that clearly has it's flaws, but can serve as a nice afternoon entertainment. 5.8/10!
Read full review