Most of the SyFy movies are either bad or bottom-of-the-barrel. There are a few tolerable ones out there, but they are too far and between. I'll start off to say that Boogeyman is not among SyFy's worst, and I didn't think it was a terrible film. It was one of those films that did have some promise but didn't live up to that. Boogeyman does start off decently, the idea was good and the beginning set a good atmosphere. The film does have a couple of good things beyond that, the monster effects for SyFy are not too bad, they are not great but much improved from most of the SyFy monsters I've seen. Plus, this monster actually is quite menacing, rather than being over or under-utilised and not doing all that much. Visually, it is not so bad either, I was expecting choppy editing and the like, and while there is some stiffness there is definitely much worse around. The scenery is sometimes basic, but does set a foreboding tone and has some authenticity. However, there are a lot of faults still. The acting is better than most SyFy movies, but is not great. The leads have some likability but the younger boy especially is awful. The way the characters are written doesn't help either, nobody stood out as likable, none of them are developed all that convincingly and some in places even had an over-the-top vibe. I was particularly annoyed by the police chief, her constant pep talks and huddle ups are enough to make anybody mad. I also disliked how the boys were made to look like idiots in some parts of the movie. The dialogue is likewise lame, it is very cheesy and little of it rings true. Disappointing also is the story, after a decent start it quickly turns into predictability and utter stupidity with nothing standing out as creepy, suspenseful or convincing. The monster does elevate things, but the aimless exposition and the bland build-ups hamper the scenes with it in from being any more than they actually were. There are a couple of jolts, but little beyond that and I was often thinking "I've seen this all before... and done better". Further spilt by a rushed and rather contrived finale, Boogeyman is better than most SyFy movies and had potential but doesn't live up to it. 4/10 Bethany Cox
