The Film Fix … Streaming Edition

with Jonathan W. Hickman

Capsule Reviews … New Rating System - A “Fix" is recommended with a rating between 6 and 10! a “No Fix” with ratings of 1 to 5 isn’t. http://dailyfilmfix.com/

Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting http://filmproductionlaw.com/

In Theaters:

The Boogeyman 3 (June 2) – l NO Fix Rating 5/10 — The generically named “The Boogeyman” has its moments early but, ultimately, devolves into a run-of-the-mill creeper.

The movie is overt and unengaging as a rumination on grief and recovery. The silliness of the underdeveloped narrative and characterizations undercut what jump scares exist.

When a recently widowed psychiatrist named Will Harper (Chris Messina) is visited in his home office by a strange man named Lester Billings (David Dasmalchian), he becomes concerned and calls the cops. Lester tells a story about the mysterious death of his three children. But as Will makes the 911 call, Lester goes upstairs and appears to hang himself in the closet of Will’s deceased wife’s art studio.

Will’s teen daughter Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) discovers the man’s lifeless body but not before hearing strange sounds coming from the closest. Did Lester kill himself, or was there something insidious in the closet that carried out a murder?

“The Boogeyman” is familiar and frustrating. An adaptation of a Stephen King short story by the same name, the film struggles to sustain interest over its one-hour and thirty-eight-minute running time. The film’s trailer has spoiled the best sequences, including a counseling session by Dr. Weller (LisaGay Hamilton) and a pulsating red light.

Performances are strong, especially by Thatcher and the young Vivien Lyra Blair, who plays Sadie’s younger sibling.