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The Boogens (1981)

boogensBLUGrowing up, I was very fortunate to live through part of the VHS boom where frequenting video stores on a Friday night was the norm. Scanning the shelves for that perfect weekend flick was something I was no stranger to, and the only selling point I had was the cover art. If it had a great cover, it caught my eye and whatever information the back was just gravy.

This lead me to rent some real classic horror films as well as some unquestionable stinkers which I may have loved anyway. Regardless, it also may have caused me to avoid certain titles based on cover art that may have not been as eye catching as others. Such as the case with a film like THE BOOGENS which featured a lone cabin with some skeleton hands reaching from below the ground. The cover art was very generic and didn’t do much to entice my young mind, which of course lead me to not have much of an interest in seeing the film throughout a majority of my life.6a00d83451d04569e201538e74db51970b-800wi

That is of course until I discovered the internet and this group of fans who loved the film, begging for a DVD release. Then, I became intrigued in finding a film which was now out of print, highly sought after and expensive to purchase. Thankfully Olive Films came to the rescue with their DVD/Blu Ray release of the film.

In a small town, a new development is re-opening a long closed mine shut down due to a devastating cave in which took the lives of several miners. Upon opening the shaft, a subterranean creature is unleashed which begins a devastating attack feeding on anyone it comes across. Unfortunately for a group of young people staying at a nearby cabin – they are right in the path of the creature and it’s hungry!

6a00d83451d04569e2014e88685348970d-800wiThis Canadian shocker takes the necessary steps to build up to provide the suspense and scares one would go into expecting with a film of this caliber. It does take some conventional approaches and of course has a misstep or two but for all intents and purposes; it does what it needs to do.

One of the biggest conventions usually incorporated in these kinds of films is having a cast of young teens being the monster chow – however, this one incorporates 30-somethings who are working class adults. Ones who dare I say, make mostly smart decisions and are relatable not to mention overall likeable. Such a thing is a rarity in this genre from this period as referenced in many horror films following – this one tends to provide a much more solid and believable cast which you find yourself rooting for; not wishing to be killed off.

One scene in the film features a damsel in distress from the slivering creature – which is never fully shown until the finale – which is something a-typical of course. What this scene does differently is the while the character is being pursued; she does whatever she can to prevent the creature from advancing. In her panicked state including toppling over a dresser potentially covering the only method the creature has of escaping to devour her. Granted, it doesn’t do much but it’s still a much smarter move than the norm of standing there screaming while the creature/killer advances slowly. A scene commonly created to induce suspense now induces groans.

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The other thing that struck me is how competent the cast is with this film. They take the material given to them and utilize it to its fullest extent. The acting overall is solid from pretty much everyone with maybe the occasional flub here and there – but nothing that would set anyone thinking this was a cast of first timers. Heck, even the four legged cast member does a banner job being a character you end up rooting for – another unusual move to give a dog a personality in a film as opposed to the simple yipping and ever faithful whining pooch.

While this film does do more right than wrong, there is the occasional moment where you might wonder what was going through the producer’s mind when incorporating that into the film. The creature design for example is rather laughable, even by early 80’s standards, and there are a few groan inducing scenes which do display those typical character plot devices of doing something idiotic. It happens but thankfully not frequently.

All in all, this is a great slice of one of the most influential decades in the genre. It provides creepy atmosphere, believable characters with their wits about them, a good plot, some genuine scares and a solid cast. Olive Films has resurrected this gem on DVD and Blu Ray with only a commentary with the director which is welcoming but disappointing in the same regard. This Blu Ray came out at the beginning of their initial wave of films which were strictly limited to featuring only commentaries and maybe a trailer. As of recent, Olive seems to be including features whether retro or newly commissioned – this is one I feel like they should revisit in favor of that kind of treatment. It’s well deserving of a special edition and it’d be nice to hear how some of the cast/crew feels about the film today.

If you’re an 80’s fan, this one is a no brainer.

Directed by: James L. Conway
Starring: Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, John Crawford

THE BOOGENS is currently available to purchase on Amazon on DVD & Blu Ray.

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