Could it be too much to say that The Boogeyman is both a great piece of work and a trendsetter? In spite of the fact that it is an above-average horror film, there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it. Oh, actually, there is something! The movie is based on a story by Stephen King. If The Boogeyman had been part of the Insidious or Conjuring franchise from the beginning, there would have been no need for anybody to complain as they left the theater.
The term “derivative” does not, however, describe Evil Dead Rise, which stands apart among the three films from which it is derived for the fact that it does not follow in their footsteps. How so?
Just hearing “Evil Dead” will, of course, remind you of the uproar that greeted the VHS age when movies like Sam Raimi’s horror classic first began to emerge in people’s homes. This is because Evil Dead was one of the first films to be released on home video. There was an effort to revive the franchise in 2013. However, Evil Dead Rise is the first movie to successfully accomplish so. This is despite the fact that there have been multiple earlier attempts to restart the franchise.
Going back to the most recent screenplay based on a tale by Stephen King. The Boogeyman is loaded with many King-world mainstays and relics. Following the death of their mother, we are dealing with a complicated and rather dysfunctional family who are attempting to come to grips with their loss. Given that he is a psychologist by profession, it is somewhat amusing that the patriarch does not appear to be present in his children’s lives. Until a patient shows up to warn him about an evil that has been murdering his family, the father obviously does not heed the warning, and he continues to be clueless until the same monster begins to appear inside his home (oops!).
In contrast to King’s writings, the original Evil Dead is based on a more traditional conception of the horror genre. This harkens back to the writings of such literary geniuses as H.P. Lovecraft or Arthur Machan, who wrote of the revival of old faiths and horrors from the past.
What do you think about The Boogeyman and the Evil Dead? Would you be willing to give them a try?