The Boogeyman (3 Stars)

Today I was rushing to the bank to withdraw money before going to the cinema. There was a line of men in the street, and they asked me if I wanted a hug. I probably looked like I needed it, judging by how fast I was walking in the hot weather. There were six of them in a row. Pictured above are Huggers #1 to #3.

Here are Huggers #4 to #6. First I hugged the man on the left, Hugger #1. A warm affectionate hug. Then the second man held his arms out, so I hugged him as well. After that I hurried off, but Hugger #6 (the man in orange) asked me if I wanted to hug him as well. I wasn't sure, because I was in a hurry, but why not? I hugged him, then all the others from right to left. The only one who shrank away was Hugger #3 in the top picture. Maybe I was scaring him because I was so enthusiastic about the hugs. But he quickly gave in and hugged me.

This was a wonderful experience. These are the first people I've seen offering free hugs since the pandemic.

After this I ran to the bank and withdrew money. I passed them again on the way to the cinema and gave them my card, not telling them why. I hope they'll read this post and comment on it.

I saw frequent trailers for "The Boogeyman" at the Stuttgart Nights Festival in April. At first I didn't want to see it, but a friend of mine liked it, so I thought I'd give it a chance.

Will Harper is a widowed therapist with two daughters. One day a man visits his house unannounced, asking for help. Normally Will doesn't accept walk ins, but he has a free hour and the man is obviously disturbed. The man, Lester Billings, say that all three of his children died, shortly after one another. The police suspect he's the murderer, but he says that there was a monster in his house. Will is scared by Lester, so he rings the police. When he comes back, Lester is dead, hanging in a closet. The police say it's suicide, but Will's older daughter says she heard a fight.

Whatever it was that killed Lester's family is now in Will's house. The girls both see it, but Will doesn't.

Therapists don't treat their own family, so Will sends his girls to a female therapist called Dr. Weller. Whatever is he thinking? Her face is so creepy, I'd be more scared of her than the monster in my house.

I found the film disappointing. The plot is too complex. There's a lot of talk about the recent death of Will's wife, but it's not relevant to the story. Will's older daughter has problems at school. She smokes marijuana for the first time. All irrelevant. The film relies on jump scares for suspense. I have nothing against jump scares, but they're no replacement for a good story.

After the film the huggers were gone. That's a shame. I would have enjoyed a hug after the film more than before it.