23rd Mar2015

‘The Bogey Man’ Blu-ray Review (88 Films)

by Paul Metcalf

Stars: Suzanna Love, Nicholas Love, Ron James, John Carradine, Raymond Boyden, Felicite Morgan, Bill Rayburn, Llewelyn Thomas | Written by Ulli Lommel, Suzanna Love, David Herschel | Directed by Ulli Lommel

Bogeyman

88 Films have really been treating horror fans well lately with their recent titles and they are keeping that trend going with their latest release in their Slasher Classics Collection, The Bogey Man.  A film that actually made it onto the Video Nasty list, Ulli Lommel’s horror film isn’t what you would call a conventional slasher but it’s a good one none the less.

When Lacey (Suzanna Love) witnesses her brother Willy (Nicholas Love) kill a man through the reflection of a mirror they are both haunted by the memory and leaving them with a fear of mirrors and Willy unable to speak ever since.  Twenty years later when the mirror is shattered the man’s evil spirit is released sending it on a bloody and vengeance murder spree.

After you’ve watched The Bogey Man you may end up wondering just why it was put on the Video Nasty list in the first place.  The fact is though many that fell victim to the draconian measures taken on video releases at the time didn’t deserve it in the first place.  With The Bogey Man there is a sleazy feel to some of the scenes, and while these are quite tame scenes compared to some things we see nowadays, it may have been a little too much for the innocent souls of the eighties who needed to be protected from viewing such things.  Some of the murders could add to the reasons too, but really this is just guess work on my part.

Now that The Bogey Man is released on Blu-ray we can see it with good picture quality and enjoy it as it was meant to be seen.  With a more inventive style that steals from other horror movies such as The Amityville Horror it is admirable that The Bogey Man actually doesn’t feel like a typical slasher, but neither does it feel like a film about a haunted house, or even a haunted mirror.  The mirror may be the way that the spirit finds its victims, but the spirit just doesn’t really have that feel of being a ghost.

I will admit when I first started watching the movie my first thought would be that the brother and sister were the murderers, and the characters played by real life siblings Suzanna Love and Nicholas Love do play push their characters to that levels of.  This is where convention is not followed though and the movie takes a turn for the better and more surreal.  Some of the acting doesn’t exactly help the movie promote this inventiveness but it isn’t bad enough to detract from what is actually an enjoyable film.  Add to the fact that actors such as John Carradine and Scream Queen Suzanna Love are in the cast and that goes someway to redeeming any of the other actors performances at times.

The offbeat feel to The Bogey Man does make it an interesting watch and unlike a lot of horror movies of the time it is a memorable experience.  With its Video Nasty history The Bogey Man has a certain controversial feel about it, and with a good quality release it should fit in the horror collection of any fan with a taste for the more unique style of slasher.

**** 4/5

The Bogey Man is out now on Blu-ray from 88 Films.

Review originally posted on PissedOffGeek
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