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The Boogeyman
(Psycho\Slasher) 5*****skulls
*Blood* *Violent* * No Strong Language* *Brief Nudity* *Sexual Situations*
1980/Color/90 Min./Magnum Entertainment Inc. & Artista Films/Rated R
Director..............Ulli Lommel (Brainwaves, The Devonsville Terror)
Screenplay.........Ulli Lommel
Music.................Time Krog
Producer............Wolf Schmidt (Hollywood Strangler meets Skid Row Slash)
Executive Producer.....
Special Effects by Craig Harris
Dramatis Personae
Lacey............Suzanna Love (Boogeyman II, Brainwaves, Demonsville Terror)
Willy.............Nicholas Love
Jake.............Ron James
Dr. Warren....John Carradine (House of the Long Shadows, The Howling)
Father Riley..Llewelyn Thomas
Helen...........Felicite Morgan
Kevin...........Raymond Boyden
Young Willy...Jay Wright
Katy.............Catherine Tambini
Ernest........Bill Rayburn
Kame .........Jane Pratt
Young Lacey ..Natasha Schiano
Mother........Gillian Gordon
Critique: The mute Willy might have been a good source of horror as his rage at the sexual advances of a young girl who's been observing him at church are dashed in a brutish way. But this film just never takes advantage of any opportunity, thus he remains an inexplicably extraneous character. The mirror mechanism likewise flirted with scaryness and indeed could have been pretty frightening, but again the opportunity for generating anything of interest was missed. We know all along what the bogeyman is so there's not much suspense there. The film cuts in this piece are as crude as the acting and therefore must be considered an accomplishment of sorts. The pace is pretty good for a while but the last scenes drag hopelessly. They say breaking a mirror is bad luck. Director Ulli Lommel (The Devonsville Terror) has proven he can do better.
Plot Summary: Lacey is still haunted twenty years later by the night her brother Willy murdered their mother's kinky lover in his bed with a carving knife as she watched in the mirror. Willy has been mute since that night. Lacy receives a missive from mother who they haven't seen in all this time and is now in failing health. This sets terrible consequences into motion as Lacey's husband Jake can't stand Lacey's recurrent dreams concerning those events and insists that they visit the old house. Pretending to be prospective buyers, Jake and Lacey visit the house. Unfortunately, when Lacey sees the mirror, she thinks she sees the stocking-headed murdered lover in it. She smashes the mirror much to Jake's disgust. Jake takes the mirror with them to prove to her that there's nothing to it. The attempt is made to drum up some horror film legitimation as it is commented that grandma used to say when you break a mirror you free everything it's seen. In any case, Jake left a shard, and soon the current house holders are subject to its nasty pranks. Her psychologist announces that breaking the mirror broke the hold it had on her. It was worth a shot anyway. Soon Jake's error at bringing the mirror home is manifested as the family and a few by-standing teens are terrorized by the mirror-dweller.
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