"The Boogeyman," 20th Century Studios' upcoming horror film based on the short story from Stephen King, almost didn't make it to theaters. The studio had originally planned on debuting the feature exclusively on Hulu (or Disney+ in territories without the service), but the legendary horror writer saw a personal early screening and pushed for a theatrical release. In a move that's indicative of the return of the theatrical experience in a post-pandemic world, "The Boogeyman" will now enjoy a wide release later this year on June 2.

King initially published "The Boogeyman" in 1973 before it appeared in the 1978 short story collection "Night Shift." The tale revolves around a session between the psychiatrist Dr. Harper and his patient Lester Billings as the former recounts the death of his children. The story relies on the pervasiveness of dread as Lester tragically recalls how all of his kids shouted the name of "the Boogeyman!" before their demise. The film adaptation seems to be slightly different than the story, scrapping the frame narrative and focusing on the kids, who in this version are still alive. That seems to be no problem for King, however, as the Master of Horror gave the film his approval and reached out to director Rob Savage in support.

Savage's Switch To Theaters

"The Boogeyman" was actually in pre-production before Disney's acquisition of Fox in 2019 under a script written by "A Quiet Place" and "65" scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (Akela Cooper of "Malignant" is also an uncredited contributor). However, plans for the film were canceled until November 2021, when Deadline announced that Rob Savage would direct a screenplay revised by Mark Heyman ("Black Swan," "The Skeleton Twins"). Savage told Empire that he didn't attend King's screening at a private theater in Bangor, Maine because he "was terrified that he was going to do a 'Shining' on it and absolutely hate it."

The exact opposite happened, however, according to Savage, who reported that King e-mailed him, telling him: "Robert, I'm still thinking about your movie the next morning." Savage went on to explain that King "was pushing for it because he saw it on the big screen and said he couldn't imagine it on a tablet." Ironically, Savage's previous works have been a product of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on virtual communication. "Host," released in 2020, takes place entirely through a Zoom video call, and his 2021 follow-up "Dashcam" was told through a live stream. The director doesn't seem to be making a struggle to transition to the theatrical circuit, however, stating that he had to add 45 seconds during the reveal of the monster because the audience was screaming so loud that it hindered the pacing.

"The Boogeyman" opens in theaters on June 2, 2023, and you can watch the trailer here.

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