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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "BOOGEYMAN" (2005) (Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Extreme *Extreme None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Extreme Extreme None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Moderate Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Horror: Following his mother's death, a young man returns to his childhood home where his fear of closets and the boogeyman inside them was formed. PLOT: Associate magazine editor Tim Jensen (BARRY WATSON) has always been afraid of the dark, especially concerning what may lurk under a bed or in any closet. That all stems from an experience when he was eight-years-old and saw his father yanked into his bedroom closet, never to be seen again. While spending Thanksgiving with his girlfriend Jessica (TORY MUSSETT) and her family, Tim gets a call from his Uncle Mike (PHILLIP GORDON) that his long-suffering mother, Mary (LUCY LAWLESS), has died. Returning home for the funeral, Tim speaks with his former therapist who thinks it would be a good idea for him to spend one night in the house to exercise what she thinks are just his personal demons. Meeting former childhood friend Kate (EMILY DESCHANEL) and a young girl, Franny (SKYE McCOLE BARTUSIAK), who similarly fears the boogeyman that lurks in most every child's bedroom, Tim sets out to face and conquer his fears. Yet, as the night progresses and various odd, spooky and supernatural events occur, Tim realizes that the boogeyman may indeed be real and coming after him. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into horror films, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense sequences of horror and terror/violence, and some partial nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: BARRY WATSON plays a magazine's associate editor who's never gotten over his childhood fears after seeing his father snatched away into his bedroom closet. Following his mother's death, he returns to his childhood home to face his past and present demons. He also drinks a bit and shares a bed with his girlfriend. EMILY DESCHANEL plays his former childhood friend who ends up caught up in his nightmare. She uses a bit of profanity. SKYE McCOLE BARTUSIAK plays the young girl who befriends Tim and shares the same sort of fears regarding the boogeyman. TORY MUSSETT plays Tim's girlfriend who, for reasons unknown, does not accompany him to his mother's funeral. She drinks some and shares a bed with him. LUCY LAWLESS plays Tim's now dead mother who was concerned about him and his childhood fears in the past. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this horror film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of a handful of minor expletives, while a few colorful phrases are also present. A young woman joins her boyfriend in his bed, but nothing sexual happens between them. She's later seen undressing, there's some partial nudity then, as well as when she's later thrashed about in a bathtub by some supernatural force. That scene and others of its ilk as well as standard, haunted house and "don't look/go in there" type material, many "jump scenes" and some views of a demonic looking boogeyman may be unsettling, suspenseful or downright scary to some viewers. Other characters are thrashed about and presumably killed, but we don't know that for sure and there's not very much related blood. Beyond the monster's bad attitude for hunting and presumably killing people, some other bad attitudes are present, while tense family material includes the death of a parent and a flashback scene where a boy sees his parents arguing and another where he sees his father presumably be killed by the monster. Finally, a few characters drink in a few scenes. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, some of that occurs from time to time in the film. And for those prone to visually induced motion sickness, some rapid camera movement (spinning around, weird angles, etc.) may induce that. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Tim, Jessica and others drink at a party where Tim says it's going to get ugly since they're out of vodka. Tim brings a bottle of wine to Jessica's family home and we then see all of them with wine on the table with dinner. Jessica tells Tim that he can raid the mini-bar in their motel room, and we then see him with two glasses filled with vodka and Red Bull (but the two don't ever drink them). BLOOD/GORE A crow suddenly slams into Tim's windshield, with some blood seen on the glass as well as the bird (including when he uses the windshield wipers to remove it from the glass). Tim slightly cuts his face (with a little blood visible) after panicking inside a closet. We see a little bit of smeared blood on the edge of a bathtub (seen again later). Tim's uncle has a little bit of blood on him from where Tim accidentally cuts him while trying to free him from some tape or plastic that's covering his head. Kate has a tiny bit of blood on her head following an encounter with the boogeyman. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Jessica's father pries a bit too much into Tim's family life. The boogeyman haunts and kills various people. We see a flashback to Tim's father locking a young and scared Tim in the closet (to try to make him overcome his fear of them). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Others may find only some or none of the material that way. The camera slowly makes its way through young Tim's house, focusing on his closet door. We then see young Tim being scared in bed as lightning flashes through the window, making creepy looking shadows. A suspended toy bird suddenly moves and some clothes on his chair seem to grow into a menacing figure in the dark (but there's nothing there when he turns on the light). He hears sounds, something appears to be under his bed, his lamp goes out and he then hears something in the closet, causing him to run, dive into bed and pull the covers over his head. He then sees the shape of a figure approaching him, but it turns out to be his dad who then proceeds to go around his room, proving that nothing is in there. His last stop is the closet into which he steps and then comes back out, stating nothing's there. Something suddenly grabs him, however, and yanks him inside the closet (with the door slamming shut). His body is then thrust out and then thrashed about the door frame before being yanked back inside (all seen by the frightened boy and shown with quick cuts and jumpy camerawork). Tim walks through the dark and foggy park at night, looking nervous (as we hear muted monster sounds on the soundtrack). Tim is nervous in a bedroom at night and closes the partially open closet door (seen from the POV of something inside it). The door then opens on its own. Jessica suddenly turns into Tim's mother in his bed (looking sickly and creepy) and then comes at him in a spooky (and heavily edited) fashion before disappearing (and he then gets a call that she died). A girl in a children's psychiatric ward freaks out and looks over Tim's shoulder as he tries to comfort her in her room. He then looks up and sees a panel in the drop ceiling that's slightly open. A crow suddenly slams into Tim's windshield, causing him to swerve into the path of an approaching truck and barely getting out of the way in time. Tim returns to his creepy looking and somewhat dilapidated childhood home. Inside, plastic sheets blow in the wind and water drips in the kitchen sink as we hear childhood voices and spooky music on the soundtrack. We then see quick POV shots going through various parts of the house. Tim sees a light flickering beneath a closet door. He slowly goes to investigate, but finds it's just a loose light bulb. He's then scared by his sudden mirror reflection, and then especially when the door suddenly closes, the light goes out and he thrashes about in full panic mode. Tim hears noises coming from an old shed at night and slowly goes to investigate (where he finds young Franny hiding). We see a flashback to Tim's father locking a young and scared Tim in the closet (to try to make him overcome his fear of them). We hear voices on the soundtrack in a spooky scene. When Tim lowers a flier, a boy is suddenly standing right there. He then finds himself surrounded by a bunch of kids who are all reaching out toward him. We see various flash images and then all of the kids are gone. Tim discovers that Jessica has disappeared from their motel room and then slowly approaches its lone closet, scared of what he might find or what might be in there. Kate slowly makes her way through Tim's mother's house (where we know he's not there, but that something sinister is). Tim and Kate slowly make their way into a motel room, looking for Jessica who's disappeared (and find a little bit of blood smeared on the edge of the bathtub). After Kate has gone inside her dad's home, Tim (who's outside) sees a shadowy figure suddenly dart about her bedroom. Tim and Franny enter a dilapidated house at night where they find all sorts of psychotic writing all over the walls. We see various flash images of a man who's tied himself to a chair in front of a closet door to face the boogeyman. Tim suddenly realizes that he's been interacting with a ghost. Tim sets up a viewing chair in front of the closet in his bedroom so that he can face the boogeyman. After boarding up and nailing shut all of the closets in his mother's house, a nail suddenly comes out from one board and then all of the boards are ripped or knocked off the door frames (by supernatural forces). Tim goes into his bedroom closet and closes the door, prepared to meet whatever's in there. A bathtub suddenly starts to fill with water that turns from clear to black. A person then suddenly pops up out of that water and is then thrashed about in it by a watery figure that forms. Tim's uncle fires a nail gun in his direction (shooting at something behind him), and hits Tim in the arm with one. Something supernatural then grabs his uncle and thrashes him all about the house (seen in various flash images). Tim then finds his uncle wrapped up in tape or plastic that also covers his face. Tim races to cut off that tape or plastic, but a demonic looking figure (the boogeyman) is suddenly there and yanks away the uncle. The demonic looking boogeyman may be unsettling or scary to some viewers. The demonic looking boogeyman spots Kate and races up the stairs toward her, but Tim knocks her out of the way and into his bedroom just in time. It then yanks her under the bed and Tim tries to pull her out, but is yanked under the bed as well (both then get out). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Shut up," "Freak out," "Jeez," "You scared the crap out of me" and "What the hell /is going on/was that?" The film could inspire some kids to try to scare others by jumping out of closets at them, etc. JUMP SCENES Something suddenly grabs Tim's father and yanks him inside Tim's closet (with the door slamming shut). A suspended toy bird suddenly moves. Tim looks over and suddenly sees that Jessica has turned into his mother in his bed (looking sickly and creepy). Tim views his dead mother in an open casket when she suddenly grabs his hand (in an imagined scene). A crow suddenly slams into Tim's windshield. Various flash images may startle some viewers. Tim suddenly sees his mirror reflection in a closet. A door suddenly flies open (in a flashback). A figure suddenly passes by in the foreground of the camera shot. When Tim lowers a flier, a boy is suddenly standing right there. When Kate opens a closet door, Tim suddenly pops out. Some sudden flash images may startle some viewers. A bathtub suddenly starts to fill with water that turns from clear to black. A person then suddenly pops up out of that water. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful and traditionally scary music plays throughout the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 hells, 1 crap, 1 damn, 3 uses of "Oh God" and 2 uses each of "God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY Jessica playfully tells Tim that she'll sneak into his bedroom (at her parents' place) and "make it up to you." He then playfully replies, "In that case, I'll put on something naughty." The two then briefly kiss. Later, she comes into his room and climbs into bed (we briefly see her in her panties) and the two spoon (nothing else happens, however, as she turns into his mother and he freaks out). Jessica comes on to Tim in a motel, nuzzling his face/ear and telling him she'll start a bath for both of them. We then see that POV of something watching her through a partially open door where we see glimpses of her in the bathroom. We see a view from behind her where she's in her panties and removes her bra (we see her bare back and just a tiny, partial side glimpse of one breast), and then a shot of her getting in the tub (but we just see glimpses of her legs, etc. and nothing explicit). We see split second views (from a distance) of a woman's nude body as she's thrashed about by supernatural forces in a bathtub (it's hard to tell if anything explicit is seen). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Tim gets a call from his uncle that Tim's mother is not doing well. Several days later, he gets a call from him that his mother has died. We then see him viewing her in an open casket and then the actual funeral scene. Jessica tells her family that Tim's father walked out on the family when Tim was 8, but we know that Tim saw his father being yanked into a closet and was then missing forever. Tim sees a flashback of his parents arguing over the boy and his fright issues. We see a flashback to Tim's father locking a young and scared Tim in the closet (to try to make him overcome his fear of them). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Fear of the dark and things that go bump in the night. We see a flashback to Tim's father locking a young and scared Tim in the closet (to try to make him overcome his fear of them). Deaths in the family. VIOLENCE Something suddenly grabs Tim's father and yanks him inside Tim's closet (with the door slamming shut). His body is then thrust out and then thrashed about the door frame before being yanked back inside (all seen by the frightened boy and shown with quick cuts and jumpy camerawork). He is presumably killed, but we don't know that for sure. A crow suddenly slams into Tim's windshield, with some blood seen on the glass as well as the bird. Kate is thrown from her horse and bumps her head on the ground (but is otherwise okay). A woman suddenly pops up out of some filthy bathwater and is then thrashed about by a figure that somewhat forms out of the water and knocks Tim back against a wall (he hits his head) when he tries to intervene. She is presumably killed, but we don't know that for sure. Tim's uncle fires a nail gun in his direction (shooting at something behind him), and hits Tim in the arm with one. Something supernatural then grabs his uncle and thrashes him all about the house (seen in various flash images). Tim then finds his uncle wrapped up in tape or plastic that also covers his face. Tim races to cut off that tape or plastic, but a demonic looking figure (the boogeyman) is suddenly there and yanks away the uncle (who's presumably killed, but we don't know for sure). The demonic looking boogeyman spots Kate and races up the stairs toward her, but Tim knocks her out of the way and into his bedroom just in time. It then yanks her under the bed and Tim tries to pull her out, but is yanked under the bed as well (both then get out). We see various split-second flash images of violence and the demonic looking boogeyman. After Tim tries to hit the boogeyman, he and Kate are thrashed about a room by supernatural forces and must then hold onto furniture to prevent being sucked into his bedroom closet (they become airborne as they hold on). Reviewed February 3, 2005 / Posted February 4, 2005