Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.0

The Boogens 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 3, 2024

James Conway's "The Boogens" (1981) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with SPFX artist William Munns; exclusive new audio commentary by actor Jeff Harlan and critic Howard S. Berger; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional Enlgish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Boogens is one of those smart old-school horror films that knew precisely how to turn its greatest weakness into its greatest strength. Its greatest weakness was its modest budget, which meant that it had to do plenty with very little to impress. These types of horror films have been around since the early days of cinema, but not all of them have been able to pull off the trick that I will describe below. Many were fully aware of their limitations and perfectly content to be seen as easily forgettable B and C pictures. Some were fully aware of their limitations, but had such unrealistic ambitions that they turned out quite silly.

The trick that allows The Boogens to be effective is a very, very old one as well. It transfers the responsibility of the camera to produce horror thrills to the viewer’s mind, which has such tremendous advantages in this area that comparing the two is utterly meaningless. After that, The Boogens simply points the viewer’s mind in the right direction and lets it do the hard work. When appropriate, it stimulates it with a decent selection of spooky sounds and noises, too.

As you can probably guess, the trick can be done right only when the director and cinematographer are on the same page. Showing less the right way so that the viewer’s mind feels compelled to do the hard work is not easy. Indeed, unlike a conventional trick, this trick lasts a long time and must produce numerous gotcha moments. It is because of these gotcha moments that the viewer remains engaged in it – if they are not effective, the entire concept behind it falls apart.

The Boogens is set in a small town somewhere in snowy Colorado, whose entire economy was once reliant on a nearby mine that had to be closed. Now, many decades later, veteran miners Brian Deering (John Crawford) and Dan Ostroff (Med Flory), and their two younger assistants, Mark Kinner (Fred McCarren) and Roger Lowrie (Jeff Harlan), arrive in the area to reopen the mine on behalf of a local company. While not a complicated job, the crew expects to be able to finish it in several days. Also approaching the area are Jessica (Anne-Marie Martin), Roger’s girlfriend, and her best friend, Trish (Rebecca Balding), who has found work with a local newspaper. The two girls have rented a large house, very close to the mine, that will become their home until the end of the winter.

The moment where the viewer’s mind is compelled to begin imagining, and by doing so begin producing the crucial horror thrills, comes immediately after the four men enter the mine. A couple of spooky noises reveal the presence of an invisible entity that has bad intentions, which is then reintroduced in various situations that gradually become darker and more sinister. The gotcha moments begin emerging soon after, too, and it is only during the final fifteen or so minutes that the camera finally provides a proper close-up of the previously invisible entity.

Director James Conway and cinematographer Paul Hipp do not reinvent the wheel – the behavior of the camera and the atmosphere it helps create are very familiar. However, the two recognize all opportunities to do something meaningful in the most effective way possible and take full advantage of them. It is why The Boogens frequently mixes horror with light comedy or temporarily prioritizes supernatural material that is not compatible with comedy. As a result, even though it is a small film done with a modest budget, The Boogens does not have the identity of one.

Of course, in the end, the special effects reveal the truth about The Boogens, but instead of hurting it, the truth makes it even easier to like it. In a way, this is the most impressive of its many gotcha moments.

The Boogens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Boogens is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-30 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-39 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces what is supposed to be a new 4K makeover of the film, which can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed the entire film in native 4K with HDR. I also spent quite a bit of time with the 1080p presentation.

The 4K makeover is extremely problematic. In fact, there are such big and consequential anomalies on it that many areas of the film look like poor upscaled material. I am almost tempted to speculate that there was a major mix-up somewhere in the production pipeline and somehow someone did not notice.

The overwhelming majority of the visuals look very soft and smeary, a lot like the ones you will encounter on the 4K makeover of Staying Alive. However, this time, on some visuals, delineation and depth begin to collapse. Darker visuals are usually the most problematic ones because many lack proper shadow definition. Oddly, density levels are quite strong. There are obvious traces of digital filtering that destroys the native dynamic range of the visuals as well. This is the biggest reason a lot of the problematic visuals essentially look like upscale material. Color balance is a mixed bag, too. Some of the darker primaries and supporting nuances are good, but blue and blue nuances are pushed into digital turquoise, plus many ranges of nuances are almost completely destabilized by the filtering anomalies. Blacks, browns, and grays, for instance, often look like digital mush. Image stability is good. The entire film looks clean, too. I tested many areas of the 1080p presentation as well. While still looking quite poor, these areas, and the darker ones in particular, tend to look a bit better. On the native 4K presentation, the HDR further exacerbates many issues in the already very problematic darker areas.

The Boogens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the 2.0 track and did not test the 5.1 track. All exchanges are easy to follow. However, I have to immediately mention that the original soundtrack conveys plenty of minor unevenness and noticeable dynamic fluctuations. I expected this to be the case, but I wanted to mention it because sometimes even clarity can be affected. The very important music score and effects create many interesting but also dated contrasts as well.

The Boogens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director James Conway, writer David O'Malley, and actress Rebecca Balding, and is moderated by Jeff McKay. The commentators recall their collaboration on The Boogens and discuss different aspects of its production, visual style and atmosphere. The commentary was recorded in 2012.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by actor Jeff Harlan and critic Howard S. Berger. The commentators discuss the narrative construction of The Boogens, the affable characters, the shooting process in Utah's Park City, the reasoning behind particular casting choices, the atmosphere of the film, its lasting appeal, etc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director James Conway, writer David O'Malley, and actress Rebecca Balding, and is moderated by Jeff McKay. The commentators recall their collaboration on The Boogens and discuss different aspects of its production, visual style and atmosphere. The commentary was recorded in 2012.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by actor Jeff Harlan and critic Howard S. Berger. The commentators discuss the narrative construction of The Boogens, the affable characters, the shooting process in Utah's Park City, the reasoning behind particular casting choices, the atmosphere of the film, its lasting appeal, etc.

• William Munns: The Man Who Made The Boogens - in this recent phone interview, SPFX artist William Munns discusses his background, the early stages of his career (including the detour he did as a teacher in the very first school to offer classes that trained people to be professional make-up artists), and his contribution to The Boogens. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for The Boogens. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage U.S. TV spots for The Boogens. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Boogens.

The Boogens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If what is on this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack truly is a recent 4K makeover of The Boogens, then something must have gone terribly wrong because it does not look like one. There are all sorts of different issues on it that essentially prevent The Boogens to look like film, even an aged one. This is most unfortunate because while it is a small genre project made with a very modest budget, The Boogens works quite well. The combo pack also features a wonderful new program with SPFX artist William Munns.