The Boogens

The Boogens (1981)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: James L. Conway

Starring: Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, John Crawford

From: Taft International Pictures

I saw this horror film on Monday night. I enjoyed this. Tonight I'll post a review for a horror film I saw last night and I tell you, I did not enjoy that. But for now, I talk about this fun creature feature which does have a silly name-admittedly-yet that shouldn't dissuade you from seeing this:

This is a horror film I've known about for a few years now but last night was the night I finally saw it in full. While it's not the greatest, at least I can say it's “fine”. It has to be said right away that this takes its time in telling its story and thankfully because I thought it had interesting and entertaining characters, I did not complain about it being “slow-burn”, as the kids like to say.

This is set in Colorado (but filmed in Utah) and is about a mining company opening up an old mine closed decades ago after a disaster. Turns out, the disaster was due in part to the titular Boogens; that company unwittingly set loose those creatures to wreak havoc. Mostly, you see either tentacles or POV shots as if it was Bruce the shark from Jaws. At the end their appearance is finally revealed, and... I can understand why some people would scoff or laugh at what they are. While you wouldn't want to scrutinize how they survived in their ecosystem, to me they aren't so unbelievable as real life creatures.

We mainly follow around two couples; the men are young dudes who work at the mine and their ladies do other things, such as work for a nearby newspaper. They aren't revolutionary or outstanding characters, yet they are still entertaining and likable enough to where you enjoy following and getting to know them (and the dog that one of the girls has) & it's not such a big deal that there's a long stretch before any creature attacks or deaths happen. Once that stuff does happen, it's fun; they try their best with an obvious low budget.

I understand why some would be bored with this; personally, I am glad after all these years I was able to check this out. The appealing cast and good filmmaking behind the camera helps make this an pleasant horror diversion, a diverting creature feature.