Filmmakers blunder the 'Boogeyman'

Leaving the character development of villains a mystery sometimes works in Hollywood. Unfortunately, it doesn't pan out too well with "Boogeyman." The script is oh-too-familiar and the only thing that "Boogeyman" has going for it is its ability to build suspense. \nThe story begins with a scene of Tim (Barry Watson) experiencing a lifetime-traumatizing event where his dad gets taken by the Boogeyman. Fifteen years later, Tim has been through a lot of therapy and lives in the city with a good job and a serious girlfriend (Tory Mussett). Then, at Tim's girlfriend's house, the horror begins again. \nTim returns to his rural home to attend his mother's funeral. He decides he wants to bury the hatchet with his father's disappearance and stay the night at his house to prove there is no Boogeyman. The thing is, in this movie there is a Boogeyman, and he is taking all of Tim's loved ones. While Tim is home he meets up with Kate (Emily Deschanel), a friend from his childhood years who is one of the few remaining in this rural town, leaving the viewer to think that the Boogeyman has taken the rest of this town's folk.\nThis movie can be scary at times, but there is a formula for the scares. Here it is: someone will walk closely to a closet very slowly and then suddenly there is a very loud sound. I imagine this would scare someone once or twice, but after a while it starts to get old. They really need more of a backstory on the Boogeyman rather than relying on the viewers' preconceived expectations of what he is.\nAnother thing that's a bother is the jumping between closets. The space/time continuum is thrown totally out the door in this movie. It's understood that if the Boogeyman is a supernatural being then he would be able to break the boundaries of where he is at a given time. For Tim, that is a bit of an issue and for the writers of this movie it seems not to be.\nI am sure that this flick will scare those of younger age groups. Sadly for those of us who value quality stories in movies, watching "Boogeyman" is a big disappointment. This is definitely not the worst film of the horror genre, but at the same time it's far from being one of the most original.