What Happened at the end of The Boogeyman movie? Okay, so the most recent Stephen King adaption, The Boogeyman, has quietly crept into our lives, and I’m not going to pretend that there’s… some frightening stuff running around here.
I was scared, don’t get me wrong, and the camera movements helped with those frights, whether it be panning to a character to distract us from something else or the Boogeyman lurking in the background of an unsuspecting character.
So, in this article, we’ll break down the latest fright-fest, analyze all the important details, and do a The Boogeyman Ending Explanation. We will contrast between the film and King’s short tale, The Boogeyman’s symbolic meaning, and our take on the movie itself.
Spoilers are on their way, so if you haven’t watched this movie already, I strongly advise you to shut the closet door now!
Here is The Boogeyman Ending Explained:
The Boogeyman Plot
The film The Boogeyman is based on Stephen King’s short fiction story of the same name. In this film, Rob Savage and his team take part in the tales and twist them a little, with the film virtually acting as a prequel to the story. As a sort of chilly open, we see Lester Billings’ daughter being assaulted by the famous Boogeyman, showcasing the severity and some qualities of this believed entity.
The focus of the story then shifts to the Harper family, which consists of Will and two of his daughters, Sawyer and Sadie. It is hinted that their wife/mother passed away in a car accident, and the family struggles to return to normal.
When a shady man unexpectedly shows up at Dr. Harper’s office pleading for a conversation, both daughters go to school, and Will resumes his duties as a stay-at-home therapist. This is Lester Billings from the opening of the film and the main character from Stephen King’s short story, as he establishes his story in front of Dr. Harper.
Lester puts their faith in Dr. Harper and tells him about the death of his infant child from SIDS, which devastated his family, and the subsequent strange deaths of his other two children, which led the general public to believe he and his wife were responsible for the deaths.
On the other hand, Lester believes he and his family are being chased by something strange, showing Harper a drawing of it while being terrified by the slightly open closet in Harper’s office.
Lester then goes upstairs to the Harpers’ house, leading Will to contact the police in response to Lester’s unpredictable behavior.
Sadie left school early after hearing unusual banging and rustling sounds coming from the studio where her late mother had created her artwork. She discovers Lester’s lifeless body swinging from the back of the cupboard door in the studio.
Also Read: Fort Solis Ending Explained: What Package Did Wyatt Sent To Earth?
The Boogeyman Leeching On To Sadie’s Trauma
Now, the most important thing we learn from this is the fact that the Boogeyman is drawn to “wounded victims,” usually those who have experienced loss, grief, or some other type of trauma, and the sense of fear that these victims display works almost as a feeding supply for this mysterious unknown creature.
As Sadie remembers some of her mother’s items in their cellar, she discovers a lighter that was given to her mother. This playing with its food continues with various spooky scenes. She begs her mother to shift the flame of the lighter to the left as a test because she wants to know if her mother’s ghost is keeping an eye on them. The flame doesn’t change, though.
Sadie is forced to investigate Billings’ old house after more attacks, where she discovers Lester’s wife behaving like a crazy old lady and chasing the mysterious creature in a manner similar to the old guy in Jeepers Creepers 2.
Sadie learns about the monster’s behaviors, motivations, and other details from this. This led to a much bigger target being placed on her and her family. Later that night, the little Sawyer is dragged in by the Boogeyman and thrown into the television screen like a 2008 Wii mote gone wild, resulting in her being sent to the hospital.
The Boogeyman Ending Explained
Sadie receives a call from Lester’s wife saying she has discovered a way to put down the monster, but it is all a trap. Sadie is tied up as bait to draw The Boogeyman out of hideouts, but the room is set up like a mature Kevin McCallister contraption, so as soon as the Boogeyman walks on a trip wire, it is rained with dozens of shotgun shells. Like the Dutch constantly say, “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
With this new knowledge, Sadie rushes home to find her dad and sister, almost being used as bait by The Boogeyman to lure her in. Sadie returns to the basement, mimicking Casey Jones, beating off the monster with a hockey stick until she collapses and The Boogeyman begins to slowly consume her soul. I don’t know, dude, but it appeared as though Death Eaters were robbing her of something.
Sadie is then set free by Dr. Harper, who stabs the monster with a broken hockey stick. When she tries to light her mother’s lighter once more, the flame shines brighter than before and moves a little to the left, indicating that her mother’s spirit is now deeply rooted among them.
The family then exits the house while Sadie sets that beach on fire with some spray and fuel, culminating in some crispy fried Boogey.
I’m guessing that a week has passed by the time that we see Dr. Harper, his two children, and them all in therapy, finally facing the pain, sadness, and loss together. The elements that the Boogeyman thrived on have now been healed and united as a family.
The therapist calls Sadie as they are ready to leave, but when she arrives, the room is empty, and the closet door is ajar. Oh my god! The Boogeyman, like the short story, is still around.
Sadie closes the closet as a sign that she has fully recovered, the past is behind her, and she is okay with going on with her life rather than out of fear. Although she will always experience grief, she will no longer be consumed by it or allow it to rule her life, as symbolized by the door being closed both literally and figuratively.
Also Read: Brothers Ending Explained: Why Sam is Angry at His Brother, Tommy?
The Boogeyman Review
The Boogeyman was, in my opinion, a mediocrely successful horror film overall. A lot of people may undoubtedly connect to the real-life metaphorical meanings it deals with, such as loss, despair, grief, and other similar issues, leading some to argue that it is more of an elevated horror movie. However, it also serves as a monster movie, which puts it in an awkward situation as it tries to work overtime.
The camera turning in a specific frame of the youngest Harper searching beneath her bed was the perfect approach to make the scene confusing.
Does everything ultimately work? Not completely. I believe that the acting—in particular, that of Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Blair—really helped immerse us in the world around us and the lore of The Boogeyman, as well as the concept of loss and trauma and how they may profoundly affect people in various ways but ultimately eventually destroy their mental health over time. These, in my opinion, were its strongest features.
Additionally, I believe that the creature’s design actually worked in the movie, linking itself to that loss and suffering I just said, even though it is often hidden in darkness, leaving a lot to our imagination.
The Boogeyman gets a 6.1/10 from me. Simply because it doesn’t always do something new, is very paint-by-numbers predictable, and leaves a lot of The Boogeyman’s lore and gameplay up to our interpretation.
It takes ideas from Darkness Falls, Smile, Relic from 2020, It Follows, and a few more films. Is it teleporting, do they come in groups, were they ever humans, or is it only a Monsters Inc. character looking for work? Man, I’m not sure.
Please share your thoughts about The Boogeyman with us. Was this among the scariest films of 2023, or was it only another horror film going through the motions?
Also Read: The Truman Show Ending Explained: The Dark Hidden Meaning Behind The Movie
