“Your mother, did she date other men?” Define “date.” Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they try to figure out Ulli Lomel’s version of The Boogey Man (1980).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 260 – The Boogey Man (1980)

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A young girl witnesses her brother murder their mom’s boyfriend through a reflection in a mirror. Twenty years later the mirror is shattered, freeing the dead boyfriend’s evil spirit, which seeks revenge for his death.

• Directed by: Ulli Lommel
• Writing Credits: (screenplay by) Ulli Lommel, Suzanna Love, David Herschel; (written by) Ulli Lommel
• Music by: Tim Krog
• Cinematography by: David Sperling, Jochen Breitenstein
• Editing by: Terrell Tannen
• Selected Cast:
  • Suzanna Love as Lacey
  • Ron James as Jake
  • John Carradine as Dr. Warren
  • Nicholas Love as Willy
  • Raymond Boyden as Kevin
  • Felicite Morgan as Aunt Helen
  • Bill Rayburn as Uncle Ernest
  • Llewelyn Thomas as Father Reilly
  • Jay Wright as Young Willy
  • Natasha Schiano as Young Lacey
  • Gillian Gordon as Lacey and Willy’s Mother
  • Howard Grant as The Lover
  • Jane Pratt as Jane
  • Lucinda Ziesing as Susan
  • David Swim as Timmy
  • Katie Casey as Teenager
  • Ernest Meier as Teenager
  • Charles David Richards as Teenager (as Stony Richards)
  • Claudia Porcelli as Teenager
  • Catherine Tambini as Katy

Sporting a title that has burrowed its way into every child’s nightmares, The Boogey Man also borrows from or pays homage to several previous horror films, among them The Exorcist (1973), Halloween (1978), and The Amityville Horror (1979). Helmed by the famous (or is it infamous?) director, Ulli Lommel, this low-budget supernatural slasher is a family affair: Lommel’s wife, Susanna Love, stars; the cast is spotted with her friends and relatives; and it’s even shot on her uncle’s farm. Does the result live up to its chilling title? The 80s Grue-Crew has plenty to say on that subject and many more as they frequently get sidetracked in this episode.

At the time of this writing, The Boogey Man is available to stream from Shudder and Amazon PPV. The movie is available on physical media from Vinegar Syndrome in a 2-disc Blu-ray edition: one 4K Ultra HD disc and one standard format Blu-ray disc.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Chad, will be Mother’s Day (1980), directed by Charles Kauffman. It’s Troma time, just in time for Father’s Day!

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