Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (2024)

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (1)

Jump to:

  • About The Book
  • Release Date
  • Trailer
  • The Cast
  • Other Things We Know

Ever since the blockbuster release of Andy Muschietti’sITin 2017, it feels like it’s rare for more than a few weeks to go by without hearing about a new Stephen King project in the works. The author’s novels and stories have spiked in popularity, and film studios, TV networks, and streaming services have all been getting in on the action. We’ve heard about a number of projects being developed, including adaptations of King’s most recent books, but one of the productions now making the most significant steps forward is a live-action feature based on the short story “The Boogeyman.”

Related: 12 Jordan Peele Movies And TV Shows And Where To Watch Them

So what isThe Boogeymanabout? Who is making it? Who is starring in it? When will it be coming out? And how? If all of those questions are presently swimming around your head, this quick things guide is very much for you, as it’s entirely built around the attempt at answering all those queries. Let’s start by taking a trip back to the 1970s and do a quick recap of the Stephen King source material’s origins…

If You’re Planning To Read The Stephen King Short Story “The Boogeyman” First

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (2)

“The Boogeyman” was first published in the adult magazine Cavalier in 1973, but it is best known for being a part ofNight Shift, Stephen King’s first collection of short stories published in 1978. The story centers on a fragile man named Lester Billings who believes that his three young children have been murdered by a supernatural entity he calls The Boogeyman. He recounts how his offspring died to a psychiatrist named Dr. Harper, with specific focus on the protagonist’s failed efforts to preserve the life of his third baby, and the tale comes to an end with a deadly twist that confirms Lester’s worst fears.

It’s a quick tale of terror, and the film adaptation is set to change quite a lot from the source material. There is still a psychiatrist involved in the story, and Lester is a character (more on them in a bit), but the official plot description has confirmed that the plot is being changed significantly.

The Boogeyman Will Arrive In Theaters On June 2

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (3)

While comedies and dramas have struggled at the box office since the pandemic, no genre is presently doing better in theaters right now than horror – and The Boogeyman looks prepped to wholly take advantage of that situation. The Stephen King adaptation will have some serious opening weekend competition, as June 2 is also the release date for the hotly anticipated Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse from Sony Pictures Animation, but it’s set up to be solid counterprogramming for more mature audiences and could do quite well if it’s able to build up enough positive word of mouth prior to and after release.

The Boogeyman’s First Trailer Is Seriously Scary

The very first trailer for The Boogeyman premiered during the NFL’s NFC Championship game in late January 2023, and it has us more excited than ever for the film. It looks dark and spooky and it looks like it is going to get quite clever with its scares (the light ball rolling under the bed is a great bit). Also, when you look at the footage frame-by-frame, you get to see some pretty wild creature design.

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

The Boogeyman’s Cast Includes Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, And More

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (4)

It was in January 2022 that The Boogeyman started putting together its cast,and while not a great deal has been specifically revealed about the various characters in the story, the ensemble is full of talent.

Chris Messina Plays Will

Since making his feature film debut in 1998’s Rounders, Chris Messina has consistently proven himself to be a fantastic character actor, appearing in projects both for the big and small screens – his filmography including standout titles like Birds Of Prey, Sharp Objects, and The Mindy Project. In The Boogeyman he is playing Will, a psychiatrist who is a recent widower and father of two daughters.

Sophie Thatcher Plays Sadie

Sophie Thatcher’s name earned a great deal of buzz in 2022 thanks to her role on the hit Showtime series Yellowjackets, and she’ll be further adding to her genre credentials with her role in The Boogeyman. She’ll be playing Sadie, one of Will’s two daughters, but not much is known about the character beyond that.

Vivien Lyra Blair Plays Sawyer

Playing Will’s other daughter, Sawyer, in The Boogeyman is Vivien Lyra Blair. The young actor is only 10 years old, but already she has a number of standout titles and roles on her resume – including the 2018 thriller Bird Box, Robert Rodriguez’s We Can Be Heroes, and the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series (on which she played young Leia Organa).

David Dastmalchian Plays Lester

Amidst all of the deviations from Stephen King’s short story, The Boogeyman will at the very least include Lester as a character, and he will be played in the film by David Dastmalchian. We don’t really know much about his role in the movie other than the fact that he is one of Will’s patients and is aware of the titular child-eating monster, but we always expect greatness from the actor, whose recent credits include James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and a recurring role on MacGyver.

Marin Ireland Plays Rita

Only very briefly featured in The Boogeyman trailer, Marin Ireland’s character in the film remains mostly a mystery, but hopefully that just sets us up for some surprises when the movie hits theaters. Ireland recently appeared in two episodes of the 2022 Julia Roberts series Gaslit (which also includes appearances from Chris Messina), and she has had significant roles on shows including The Umbrella Academy and Y: The Last Man. She even has some Stephen King experience under her belt, having recorded the audiobooks for the novels Sleeping Beauties (co-written by Owen King) and Gwendy’s Final Task (co-written by Richard Chizmar).

Rob Savage Is Directing The Boogeyman Based On A Script By Scott Beck, Bryan Woods And Mark Heyman

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (5)

The Boogeymanfirst started making strides back in 2018 whenA Quiet Placescreenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods became attached to write the script. Later in the project’s development, Mark Heyman – best known for penningBlack SwanandThe Skeleton Twins – came aboard to work on a new draft, but evidently he didn’t perform a page one rewrite. Beck and Woods are still receiving both Story By and Screenplay By credits for the movie.

Set to helm the film is Rob Savage, who was first announced as being attached back in November 2021. Savage is best known for his breakout 2020 Shudder exclusiveHost – ascreenlife feature that centers on a group of friends performing a séance over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Production on The Boogeyman began in early 2022.

The Boogeyman Was Supposed To Be A Hulu Original Before Test Screenings Changed Plans

When The Boogeyman first started making real strides towards getting into production, the plan was for the movie to exist as a Hulu exclusive… but that plan changed in January 2023. According to reports, the film performed so well in test screenings that it was decided to move its distribution from streaming to theaters. Hence, the movie will be playing on big screens everywhere starting June 2.

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates onThe Boogeyman. In the meantime, you can check out our wide variety of Stephen King coverage. You can learn about the long history of King movies and television shows with my Adapting Stephen King column, and scope out our rankings of thebest Stephen King films of all time. As for all of the other projects that are currently in the works in addition toThe Boogeyman, you can keep track of them in ourUpcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide.

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (7)

Eric Eisenberg

Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.

More about streaming news

Is Kim Kardashian Trolling Kanye? Her Latest SKIMS Drop Looks Similar To What Bianca Censori Has Been WearingAnd Just Like That Season 3 Rumors Took A Wild Turn Involving Kim Cattrall's Samantha And Carrie Sending Mr. Bean A Nude Pic, But What's Actually Real?

Latest

'You Are A F-----g Rockstar': Jessica Simpson Goes Gaga Over Sister Ashlee Simpson's First Solo Concert In Years
See more latest►

Most Popular
Did Twister's Jonas Miller Deserve To Die? Let's Break Down Cary Elwes' Ill-Fated Character
4 Reasons Why Lady In The Water Is Secretly M. Night Shyamalan's Hidden Gem
Toy Story 5: What We Know About The Pixar Sequel So Far
32 Andy Dwyer Quotes That Prove Chris Pratt Has Hilarious Comedic Timing On Parks And Rec
Heretic: What We Know About The Next A24 Horror Film
Longlegs' Twist Ending Disappointed Me, And That Final Shot Left Me With A Major Question
32 Box Office Bombs From The 1980s That Are Actually Great
Twisters Ending: I Loved The Disaster Flick, But I Have One Big Complaint About How The Movie Wraps
What To Eat At Disneyland: The Best Foods To Try In The Lands, Hotels, And Downtown Disney
32 Movies You Might Not Know Made Over $500 Million At The Box Office
32 Random Thoughts I Had While Watching All 10 Seasons Of The Blacklist
Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation (2024)

FAQs

Stephen King's The Boogeyman Movie: Release Date, Trailer And Other Things We Know About The Upcoming Adaptation? ›

The Boogeyman was theatrically released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on June 2, 2023.

What is the boogeyman Stephen King about? ›

"The Boogeyman" is a horror short story by Stephen King, first published in 1973. The story follows a man named Lester Billings, who visits a psychiatrist to talk about the deaths of his three children. Lester believes that the deaths were caused by a supernatural entity known as the Boogeyman.

What is the Boogeyman movie about? ›

How does Stephen King's boogeyman end? ›

A battle with the Boogeyman ensues, in which it tries to suck the life out of Sadie, but the family fight back and Sadie sets the creature on fire using her mother's lighter and an aerosol can. Eventually, the monster is defeated, and Will, Sadie and Sawyer escape their house, which is now engulfed by flames.

Is The Boogeyman based on a true story? ›

Interestingly, while The Boogeyman isn't based on a true experience, Savage has been influenced by another horror movie and how it used the night as a cover to kill.

Why is The Boogeyman bad? ›

The production design and special effects in The Boogeyman are decent but cannot salvage the movie's overall poor quality. The editing suffers from sloppiness, resulting in disjointed and poorly paced scenes. The dialogue lacks inspiration, with characters frequently delivering exposition and relying on clichéd lines.

Is Boogeyman a ghost? ›

The Boogeyman is a shadowy, amorphous ghost who hides in dark places in order to frighten unsuspecting victims. He's more of a nuisance than a danger, and his power is easily neutralized by bright light.

Is The Boogeyman ok for 13 year olds? ›

The MPAA gave The Boogeyman a PG-13 rating for terror, violent content, teen drug use and some strong language. As with all horror films, there are scary elements. A big part of The Boogeyman's eeriness stems from the terrifying nature of the titular creature.

What gender is The Boogeyman? ›

Bogeymen have no specific appearances and conceptions vary drastically by household and culture, but they are most commonly depicted as masculine or androgynous monsters that punish children for misbehavior.

Who is the killer in boogeyman 2? ›

The Boogeyman is revealed to be Henry; Dr. Allen did lock him in a closet in an attempt to treat his bogyphobia, and the Boogeyman possessed Henry. The chase ends when Laura decapitates the Boogeyman with gardening shears.

What is Boogeyman age? ›

Martin (Marty) Wright (July 15, 1964) is an American professional wrestler known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name The Boogeyman.

Did the Boogeyman survive? ›

The Boogeyman's ending teases that the creature is not actually dead, and that it could come back to attack Sadie and Sawyer. The Boogeyman is relentless in preying on its victims, and there's no way to determine whether the monster is permanently dead or if setting it on fire was just a temporary setback.

How does Stephen King's end of watch end? ›

Hodges gives the dying Brady his old . 38 revolver and allows him to end his own life rather than dying slowly. Several months after Brady's death, Hodges dies of pancreatic cancer, leaving Holly to run their business with help from Hodges's old partner Pete—now retired himself.

Who killed boogeyman? ›

Actually, in the movie it is mentioned that there was another mafia who was called Baba Yaga/The Boogeyman. John Wick was hired to kill him which he obviously did after which he was know as the Boogeyman.

Could The Boogeyman be real? ›

The boogeyman is not real, but most cultures have some version of the boogeyman myth, although they go by many, many different names. The actual "boogeyman" name most likely originated sometime in the 19th century, but the mythology of these kinds of "monsters" have been around for much longer than that.

What happened to the mom in boogeyman? ›

Therapist Will Harper is struggling to overcome the death of his wife, who died suddenly in a car crash. His daughters, Sadie and Sawyer, are likewise struggling to deal with their mother's passing. One day, a disturbed man named Lester Billings visits Will's office.

What is the meaning of the story The Boogeyman? ›

Tales of the bogeyman and various analogues have been used for centuries all across the world to influence children to behave as their parents command and to exercise caution in dangerous situations or areas. The term is also sometimes used more generally to describe any fearsome or dreaded thing.

What is The Boogeyman legend story? ›

In America, Bogeyman urban legends describe him as a scary figure with no consistent shape or form. He hides under the bed, in dark corners, or in a child's closet waiting for his prey. In other countries, he's a man who wears all black with a sack and kidnaps bad children to either keep them or eat them.

What is the theme of The Boogeyman? ›

The theme of fear is central to the short story “The Boogeyman” by Stephen King. The narrative is focused on the fear of Lester and his children. It also aims to scare the reader. The boogeyman is a monster used to scare children into being well-behaved.

What is the meaning of here comes The Boogeyman? ›

It was recorded in 1932 by British band leader Henry Hall and his Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. The song refers to the Bogeyman, a legendary ghost-like monster which has no specific appearance, intended only as an amorphous embodiment of terror, usually among children.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Golda Nolan II

Last Updated:

Views: 5381

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Golda Nolan II

Birthday: 1998-05-14

Address: Suite 369 9754 Roberts Pines, West Benitaburgh, NM 69180-7958

Phone: +522993866487

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Shopping, Quilting, Cooking, Homebrewing, Leather crafting, Pet

Introduction: My name is Golda Nolan II, I am a thoughtful, clever, cute, jolly, brave, powerful, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.