Perhaps I was just in an extraordinary good mood or maybe my level of tolerance for low-budget horror movies became a lot more flexible over the years, but I honestly enjoyed "Legend of the Boogeyman" … I also have a strange and inexplicable affiliation for the works of director Jeffery Scott Lando. He's not exactly considered to be a prodigy horror director, but I count his "Savage Island" and "Decoys 2" among my guilty pleasures, and earlier this year I watched his latest movie "Suspension" at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and felt it was terrific (albeit derivative) late- night entertainment! "The Legend of Boogeyman" should also be seen as such… The script is flawed and contains quite a few holes, the acting performances are questionable and the attempts to generate suspense are underwhelming, but the titular creature (actually, never really referred to as the boogeyman) is pretty cool-looking, its background is relatively original and there's a fair amount of lightly digestible gore/bloodshed. There you, three negative aspects and three positive ones! The film tells the familiar tale of a couple of irritating teenagers that break into the ramshackle house of a local weirdo/hermit and accidentally release the hideous creature that was safely locked away in the attic. The monster promptly goes on a murderous rampage, but in fact there's more than meets the eye. He's not just a random brainless monster, but an ancient biblical figure on the lookout for a new brother to protect. He's got his rotten mind set on Jacob, the idiotic teen who released him from his attic jail, while the cute female law enforcer Rebecca senses a strong bloodline connection with the creature. "The Legend of Boogeyman" is unpretentious, never boring and features a large amount of massacres that are gory without ever getting repulsive or shocking. But the best thing about the film is undoubtedly the monster's make-up, as he sort looks like a hybrid between a zombie and a mummy.

Imaginative direction from gifted film maker Jeffrey Scott Lando brings depth and meaning to what is more than just a horror story. Working from a fine script by screenwriter David Reed, Lando's film is a truly terrifying movie while at the same time being a sensitively observed study of a single father trying to raise sons on his own. It's in this aspect of the drama that the film finds its greatest strength and significance. Eddie McClintock is utterly superb in his role as that father, a police officer struggling with his patriarchal mission, a romantic relationship, and his job in law enforcement. With three important duties, he has difficulty as to which deserves the most attention at any one time. Still grieving the death of his wife and attempting to deal with possible PTSD, McClintock does remarkable work with his character. It's certainly one of his finest performances to date. Emma Samms is also excellent as a police chief under extreme pressure to end a horrific killing spree by an unknown entity that even spreads to the confines of her own station. Beautifully made and artistically realized, Boogeyman offers the audience much more than the title implies. Much more indeed.

"Boogeyman" directed by Jeffery Lando was far, far better than expected. Most syfy original movies leave me wondering what has happened to the film industry but this particular movie was very enjoyable.Although the script could have been better, the actors did the best an actor could do with what they were given. The two brothers (played by Gabriel Steele and Danny Horn) shared an excellent chemistry on screen and are definitely ones to watch for the future. For his age, Steele came across relaxed and professional on screen and Horn (who studied at CSSD, after doing a little research) had a fab American accent. Steele and Horn definitely lead the movie excellently.The actual boogeyman monster was fun to watch and the brutal deaths did not come across as scary but were still great fun to watch. The CGI boogey head was very cool too! Some might instantly disregard this movie because of its syfy origin and its genre. But what you have to remember is that it is a fantasy horror and should not be taken seriously. Sit back and enjoy it, if you like the genre. You won't be disappointed! Loved it! :)

Boogeyman (2012) ** (out of 4) Average SyFy production has brothers going into a creepy house and accidentally letting loose the title character, a burned faced monster who can kill with its bare hands. Soon the boy's father (Eddie McClintock), a cop, is investigating while his partner/lover (Amy Bailey) might know more than she's telling. BOOGEYMAN (there's no "the" before the title) is certainly far from the majority of the bad movies that turn up on SyFy but at the same time its not that good either. In reality this turned out to be one of those movies that features some interesting things in it but they never really add up to be a good movie. Everything here from the direction to the performances are good but there's just something missing from the film. I think it would have helped had there not been the entire Biblical thing going on. I'm not a moralist or anything, I don't object to religion being used but I just didn't think it worked here. Another problem is that none of the characters are all that interesting and since we spend a lot of time with them, it certainly would have helped to make them more likable. Again, I thought the performances were rather good and this includes the two leads. They share a nice chemistry together and they certainly overcame their weak characters. I also really enjoyed the look of the monster. The burned, skull-like face was very effective and I thought it was one of the better monster designs I've seen in a while. His killing power was also fun to watch. With that said, BOOGEYMAN is worth watching if you're a major fan of the genre but it's still way short of being a classic or even a good film.