"The Boogens" focuses on two young mine surveyors in a Colorado town who release a horde of otherworldly monsters from a long-shuttered silver mine. After the arrival of the men's two girlfriends, the group find themselves under siege in their rural cabin by these bloodthirsty creatures.
While the garish (albeit nicely done) poster artwork for "The Boogens" may lead one to imagine the film to be a hokey, tongue-in-cheek monster flick, I was surprised to find this film to be much more of a mood piece than an outright creature feature. The reason for this is that the film is extremely restrained and subtle for the first two-thirds; the "boogens" themselves are never actually shown, aside from a glimpse of a tendril. The film also has a homegrown feel to it with rustic snowbound locations (it was shot on location in Utah) that lend it a chilly and memorable atmosphere, and an elegant and surprisingly ominous musical score only adds to its aura.
For all intents and purposes, "The Boogens" plays like a suspense mystery until its final act, when the creatures rear their ugly heads and finally start engaging in bloodshed. While the wait may be too much for those who want swift gratification, I personally felt that this kept the film more engaging. The creature design we do see in the finale is admittedly hokey, but the special effects overall are nicely executed, especially given the time period and budget restraints. Genre favorites Rebecca Balding ("The Silent Scream") and Anne-Marie Martin ("Prom Night") feature here as the two female leads, with Fred McCarren and Jeff Harlan as their respective male counterparts.
All in all, I enjoyed "The Boogens" much more than I ever expected to, and I think it is precisely because it doesn't operate like most other films in its subgenre. In some ways, it is more of a suspense horror flick disguised as a monster movie, emphasizing mood and tone long before it shows all of its cards. As someone who loves the horror genre but is not a fan of monster movies, "The Boogens" wins my graces. 8/10.
While the garish (albeit nicely done) poster artwork for "The Boogens" may lead one to imagine the film to be a hokey, tongue-in-cheek monster flick, I was surprised to find this film to be much more of a mood piece than an outright creature feature. The reason for this is that the film is extremely restrained and subtle for the first two-thirds; the "boogens" themselves are never actually shown, aside from a glimpse of a tendril. The film also has a homegrown feel to it with rustic snowbound locations (it was shot on location in Utah) that lend it a chilly and memorable atmosphere, and an elegant and surprisingly ominous musical score only adds to its aura.
For all intents and purposes, "The Boogens" plays like a suspense mystery until its final act, when the creatures rear their ugly heads and finally start engaging in bloodshed. While the wait may be too much for those who want swift gratification, I personally felt that this kept the film more engaging. The creature design we do see in the finale is admittedly hokey, but the special effects overall are nicely executed, especially given the time period and budget restraints. Genre favorites Rebecca Balding ("The Silent Scream") and Anne-Marie Martin ("Prom Night") feature here as the two female leads, with Fred McCarren and Jeff Harlan as their respective male counterparts.
All in all, I enjoyed "The Boogens" much more than I ever expected to, and I think it is precisely because it doesn't operate like most other films in its subgenre. In some ways, it is more of a suspense horror flick disguised as a monster movie, emphasizing mood and tone long before it shows all of its cards. As someone who loves the horror genre but is not a fan of monster movies, "The Boogens" wins my graces. 8/10.