Retro Horror Flick #2 - The Boogeyman (1980)

Today's retro horror flick is the 1980 slasher film, "The Boogeyman". This retro gem ended up collecting dust on VHS racks throughout video stores from 1981 until the demise of video stores themselves.

At the time, every horror movie film was trying to replicate the success and utter terror of "Halloween", the 1978 film that captivated the nation and became an enormous box office success. Indeed, "The Boogeyman" holds many of the same qualities of Halloween. A white painted house in  rural America, a little kid holding a butcher knife, and then some.

Look familiar? Everyone was trying to be "Halloween"

The plot outline is simple.

In 1960, a young brother and sister become disturbed as their floozy mother decides to remove her stockings and put them on the head of her mean, angry drunken boyfriend. I'm not joking.

These stockings don't go well with this outfit...

...let me put them on your face so you look like a slasher.

Seeing that the boy notices the two of them about to do the horizontal pokey, the angry boyfriend, with the drunken harlot mother's acceptance, ties the poor boy up on his bed. Later that night, the brother ends up grabbing a butcher knife and finishing the boyfriend off. The sister sees the reflection of this in a mirror.

MICHAEL MYERS...oh wait...wrong movie.

It's been 20 years and now the mirror has broken

Just 20 years later, it's 1980. The brother and sister live on a farm and while the brother is a mute, the sister is a babe married to some blond-haired cop.

Picturesque 1980 middle American family

Everything seems fine until a letter from their estranged mother shows up at their home. After that, a series of strange events regarding mirrors and death begin occurring. Basically, the mirror is shattered, freeing the dead drunken boyfriend's evil spirit, which seeks revenge for his death.

Recurring nightmares

 Overall, a watchable film to cuddle up with someone and laugh about. An example of how a little money could pull in a couple of million dollars, and make the film a profit. Another example as well of how the slasher genre of the 1980s was beginning to take off.

Local farm girl has the hots for the mute brother

 Again, save this one for a boring night inside.

SCARY!!!