Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Ulli Lommel
Starring: Suzanna Love, Ron James, Nicholas Love, Raymond Boyden, John Carradine
From: The Jerry Gross Organization
By now, many people will know why it is timely to review a movie concerning a haunted mirror. Elsewhere, I laughed that such a motion picture would be inspired by Ulli Lommel’s most famous directorial effort. What a bizarre career in the cinematic industry he had… acting in several Fassbinder movies, then directing off-and-on for many years—somehow resulting in him becoming (according to reliable sources) an atrocious director in the 2000’s, creating ½ star efforts where he never shot more than one take per scene. How that happened is beyond my comprehension.
What an opening to The Boogey Man: the opening synth song (what an interesting soundtrack) combines both Tubular Bells and the Theme to Halloween. A little boy and even more little girl watch Mom make out with her lover outside via window. She puts her stocking on his head & he looks like Francis Dollarhyde during the final act of Manhunter! They get caught, the boy (Willy) is literally tied up, the girl (Lacey) cuts him free, probably not expecting him to kill the stepfather. The rest is 20 years after the murder; Lacey has a family but Willy is a mute.
It's awhile before that mirror shatters and the murders begin; that’s one way to interpret the old canard concerning broken mirrors & bad luck. While trauma & grief in horror now comes off as tiresome, in older movies it usually seems more tolerable. That includes The Boogey Man, believe it or not. The movie takes its time in presenting the characters; both Willy & Lacey are clearly troubled by the past. Many won’t like that Lacey’s husband is the gaslighting type, nor will some like that he’s a police officer.
When the second half occurs, the plot becomes increasingly crazed & irrational. That said, it was still quite entertaining, especially during the bonkers finale which at least had some originality. I laughed at that, along with the random teenage cannon fodder or that even a little boy wasn’t immune to the spirit released from the mirror. Hilarious is that the musical cues were a sign that this would unapologetically rip off both Halloween & The Exorcist… not a coincidence either is that the farmhouse much of the film takes place at suspiciously looks like 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York…
Despite the flaws, I was amused by this claptrap which combined many old ideas & some new ones into a burgoo stew of a supernatural slasher which contained a decent amount of atmosphere. It was also nice seeing John Carradine for a few scenes. A key detail to note: the film was a family affair. Lommel’s then-wife Suzanna Love (to steal a line from a mutual, Not Daisy Edgar-Jones) was the adult Lacey, while her on-screen brother was portrayed by real-life brother Nicholas. She is a DuPont heir and apparently that’s where the money came from to allow Lommel to make some of his movies independently. Besides me giving her flowers for delivering a fine performance here, she co-wrote this and three other movies w/ Ulli divorcing him in ’87.
Wait a minute… is that why (at least judging by IMDb ratings) the quality of his movies went downhill after 1987? Did I crack the code? In any event, I do know of Boogeyman II, a strangely meta sequel which could give me plenty to talk about-such as it apparently using more flashback footage than Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II!-but apparently is atrocious so it’s not a must, especially when there might be other rancid films reviewed in the near-future.
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