Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.0

The Boogens Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 3, 2024

James Conway's "The Boogens" (1981) arrives on 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-A "locked".

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Boogens arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The The Boogens is supposed to have been fully restored in 4K. This new 4K makeover is also available on 4K Blu-ray here. I viewed the film in native 4K and then spent quite a bit of time examining the 1080p presentation.

If you click on the link above, you will see that the 4K makeover is very problematic. Virtually all of the key areas that we scrutinize in our reviews have serious issues that in most cases create other anomalies. Only image stability is as good as it needs to be. However, as odd as it may seem, the 1080p presentation offers a slightly better technical presentation of the film, which is still very problematic. The difference comes from the absence of the Dolby Vision and HDR grades, which tend to further exacerbate many issues in darker areas on the native 4K presentation. Again, the film still does not have the solid and convincing organic appearance that it needs to have, but at least in 1080p some darker nuances are slightly better reproduced. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Boogens 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 in native 4K and then spent a lot of time examining different parts of the 1080p presentation. The comments below are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray release.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 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 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Boogens is supposed to have been fully restored in 4K, which I find very hard to believe, because as it is presented on this Blu-ray release and this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack, it just does not look like film. This is most unfortunate because while it is a small genre project made with a very modest budget, The Boogens works quite well. This release also features a wonderful new program with SPFX artist William Munns.