With a name like The Boogens, I think it's reasonable to expect that our antagonists would be impish little monsters that cause havoc/kill people, a la Gremlins/Ghoulies/etc. But that's not the case here. In fact, if you're expecting a lot of monster action, you'll be pretty disappointed - we're maybe an hour into things before we see our first full Boogen. But while it doesn't deliver in that department, it is a just plain fun and uncynical early 80's horror flick. The Boogens has really likable characters (including the dog Tiger, who may be my new favorite cinematic canine), a straightforward story, and fun special effects.
Oh, and there is a legitimate "Oh Hi Mark!" 25 years before its time. If you know my love for The Room, you know this just tickles me pink.
It starts off with a series of old-tymey, sepia toned newspaper articles telling us the history of a town in Colorado - I believe it was called Silver City, but I could be wrong. Basically, an abundant silver (or some desirable mineral) mine was found there and the rush was on. The town was prosperous for a while, then disaster struck - many of the miners disappeared in a mysterious tragedy! The case officially remained unsolved, and the mines were intentionally caved in by the government and stayed that way for nearly 100 years. Until now! A mining company is attempting to reopen the old mines to see if there is anything of value left in them. Refreshingly, the mining company is not portrayed as evil. There isn't some corporate asshole saying "I don't give a damn about their safety! Just FIND MY SILVER" or some such nonsense.
Anyways, it's at one of these mine reopenings where we meet two of our main characters, Roger (Jeff Harlan) and Mark (Fred McCarren). They are both lackeys for the mining company, and are clearly old buddies. Roger's main characteristics are that he is really horny and jokes around a lot, while Mark is more of the straight man. Roger has just purchased an old home in town, and his girlfriend Jessica (Anne-Marie Martin) is coming from across the country to move in with him. Jessica is bringing her friend Trish (Rebecca Balding) to help with the move. Since Roger is planning on spending the weekend having sex, he recruits Mark for a weekend long blind date with Trish.
Meanwhile, the excavations at the old mines *may* have awakened an ancient and evil terror, at least if the big pile of human bones is any indication. There is also a creepy old man that just sort of pops up every once and a while, who *just might* have an idea about what lurks in the mine. Can our good friends escape the wrath of The Boogens? Will Mark and Trish hit it off? What kind of crazy antics will Tiger the dog get into next? Tune in to find out!
My favorite thing about The Boogens was the characters... you hear a lot about horror movies where no one is likable. Here, everyone is! There isn't really any human antagonist to speak of. The closest we get is Roger's boss, who delays his sex-filled weekend by making him drive out of town for a map of one of the mines. But even he's pretty reasonable. All four of our main characters seem like real people - and cool people to boot. They are a bit awkward, but funny - kind of stupid sometimes, but not overly so. It a refreshingly earnest portrayal of normal people, at least for a horror movie. The actors are all charismatic and fun to watch, if you can stomach a little bit of corniness.
The main part of the Boogen itself (or Boogens, it's unclear if there is more than one) is kept offscreen for most of the time, but it works. The monster design is okay, but seems like it may have fallen apart under scrutiny anyways. The main way they attack is with their long tentacles, and they make this rad whipping sound when they zip towards their victim. They either cut you (I guess the end of the tentacle is clawed) or drag you away to your doom. What they do with you is never explained. Actually, not that much of their existence is explained. In fact, I don't know if the term "Boogen" is mentioned even once. Anyhow, the gore is passable, but isn't really enough to be offensive.
And I have to talk about Tiger - he's this super smart, obviously well trained dog... but he's also quite the rascal! He hides in crazy places only to scare you at inopportune times, does the exact opposite of what his owners ask, and runs away frequently, only to return wackily. To wit:
 |
| Tiger |
Name: Tiger
Breed: Standard Poodle
Function: To be awesome and super entertaining! And to provide jump scares. And comic relief.
Fate: Presumed dead, dragged underground by the (a?) Boogen.
I can see The Boogens being a little too old-fashioned or corny for some people's tastes. And probably a little too slow to get to the monster action. But I kind of appreciated its easygoing pace, probably because I really enjoyed spending time with the characters (and the dog). Ultimately, it's a solid piece of early 80's horror. Looking back, it could be tainted a bit by my personal nostalgia for the era (this was made just after I was born), but it's still fun to see horror from the early 80's that's not totally influenced by the big slasher boom of the time. I'm hoping to get the Blu-Ray for Christmas (hint hint), and think it should get into the regular rotation. They mention Black Friday in it - although I assume they are referring to the day when all of the miners died, not the day people go maul each other at WalMart for a cheap TV. So maybe it will be my annual antidote to my Black Friday blues?
I would highly recommend this film.
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