Back in the early Eighties, an old-fashioned "B"-monster movie appeared long before Tremors (1989) brought back the good-old Fifties feeling to horror film fare. It disappeared quickly--it's not even listed in at least one major horror film guide--but many horror fans remember it fondly. Well, warm up the VCR, boils and ghouls, because...

By FALLON MOORE

(Fallon Moore is a 28-year-old aspiring horror film screenwriter who is also a fan of horror and monster films, both classic and curent. He now shows his gifts as a horror film critic. This is his first (but surely not his last) review for HORROR-WOOD.)

I must first say what a pleasure it is, to finally have a chance to see The Boogens (1982) again after all these years (16 to be exact). I thought it was going to be impossible--a miracle in fact--to be able to view what I believe was the most scary, frightening and fun-to-watch horror movie that had been released in a long time (not counting Friday the 13th).

After its initial release in the theaters, The Boogens had a brief run on HBO and then basically disappeared off the face of the earth. No proper video release or anything. There were rumors of bootleg copies floating around, and I did hear of a company called World Beyond Video who supposedly released it, but they obviously did a lousy job because neither I or any of the horror fans that wrote hundreds of letters to various horror magazines could ever find it--it just didn't exist. Of course, if you ask those who have a bootleg copy, they will tell you that finding it was no small task. A few video stores on the web carry it now, but that doesn't tell you exactly when it was released. If you want my opinion, all horror movies, no matter how insignificant they may seem should be allowed a proper video release. It is the HORROR LAW.

Anyway...it was as obtainable as a pair of floor tickets to a Bulls game. But now, after all these years, Republic Pictures Entertainment has become our savior. Finally releasing the film to video, the way a film should be released to video, Republic Pictures has allowed this film to find an audience once again. The Boogens are back!

What is The Boogens, you ask? And why am I so excited about it? Well, for those of you who already know, you can still read on if you'd like. For those who don't know, I can only say read on and ENJOY!

When I first saw The Boogens I was merely a child. A young, naive, impressionable little kid who loved going to the movies on the weekend, and who loved chomping down on popcorn while being scared to death by the most current of horror flicks that happened to be playing at the theater that week. Let's face it, I was hooked. Horror was my life. I was looking for anything and everything that dealt with horror. If it was scary, I was there. Watching...waiting for something to jump out of the darkness. And while some films were scary--others were not. I can honestly say that The Boogens was definitely one of the 'scary' ones.

It was 1982. I had planned on visiting my favorite theater to feed my horror hunger, and believe me, it was 'feeding time'. Being so long ago, I can't exactly recall what was playing that week, but I do know that I was there to see this particular flick called The Boogens. Having seen the poster displayed inside the previous week (with the words STARTS FRIDAY underneath), I couldn't help but get excited. The artwork alone gave me goosebumps, so I figured this might be the film to see. And, boy, was I right! This movie had everything--scares, chills, thrills, and most importantly, a reason to not go down into 'any dark basement' unless you absolutely, positively have to.

The plot is quite simple, but original.

In the late 1800's, a great silver strike attracts thousands of prospectors to the mines of Colorado, in search of riches. The fortunes continue up into the early 1900's, until a mysterious series of cave-ins begin to cast a dark cloud over the tiny silver-mining city, prompting an investigation.

After a successful inspection, the mine is re-opened. It isn't too long before another series of cave-ins occur, this time with more serious consequences. A number of miners become trapped and those who were fortunate enough to have survived report being attacked while in the mine. Attacked by what? Nobody really seems to know. Or at least those who do know are kept quiet. The disaster becomes too difficult for the city to overcome, and at last the mine is closed. For almost 70 years it remains boarded up until several engineers decide to go exploring, in the hopes of re-opening it. They break the chain and venture inside, exploring the tunnels and inspecting the beams as they go along. Two of the miners happen to be new in town, renting out a nearby house and sharing it with two lovely ladies. Got to have a little romance.

Using dynamite, the miners blow a tunnel that is covered over with rocks, and unknowingly manage to release The Boogens. Now, without giving away too much information, The Boogens happen to be scaly turtle-like creatures who maneuver with ease through the tunnels, using their long tentacle arms and attacking anything that gets in their way. Because the tunnels lead to several houses within the area, these creatures manage to gain access through the basements, therefore terrorizing the unlucky soul who happens to be home. It's all pretty basic, really. But what separates this movie from all the rest is that this particular movie happens to be very well made and surprisingly well acted.

Playing one of the young miners is Fred McCarren, whom some might remember as the loser in the classic National Lampoon's Class Reunion, a semi-successful attempt at combining horror and comedy. Not too popular with the critics, but all in all, still one of my favorites. His buddy is played by Jeff Harlan. A nobody basically, so let's move on. The two ladies sharing the house are Rebecca Balding, someone who is no stranger to the horror genre (Silent Scream) and Anne-Marie Martin (Prom Night/Halloween II), whom I'm sure most of you will recognize as playing Gwen Davies on the long-running and very popular soap opera Days of Our Lives. I personally enjoyed watching her in the short-lived TV series Sledge Hammer. Yes, that was her.

Rounding out the cast is a couple of familiar faces, I'm sure you all remember. John Crawford (The Waltons, Swiss Family Robinson) and Med Flory (The Night of the Grizzly, The Gumball Rally). They play the two engineers who have the great task of opening the mine. No small chore of course, as they soon find out. And, of course, what scary movie would be complete without the mysterious old man lurking in the shadows? This being of course John ("Where's my cake, Bedelia!") Lormer from Creepshow. Another classic!

As soon as The Boogens are released, all hell breaks loose. Trish (Balding) and Jessica (Martin) arrive at the house expecting to meet the woman who is renting them the house, but to their surprise they find no one. What happened to the woman? Well… They unpack anyway, settle in, and wait for their 'room-mates' to join them. Roger (Harlan), is hooked up with Jessica, and Mark (McCarren) is basically on a 'blind date'. Trish and Mark are left to fend for themselves, and we all know what is supposed to happen next. Kind of predictable, but we don't mind. Because we know that somewhere, close-by, The Boogens are going to strike. And strike they do.

Through out the course of the film, we learn a few things--important information. Why the old man (Lormer) takes it upon himself to keep the engineers out of the mine? Why does he continuously spy on them, and why doesn't he warn them sooner of the creatures lurking inside? He is an interesting character, what we see of him. And we actually do become curious about his sudden appearance, and we are suspicious of his motives. After all, he seems to know something the others don't. All this is interesting enough to keep us hanging on, while we anticipate the scares. The creatures themselves aren't exactly the result of top-notch special effects, which is why we don't see them until the very end, but because of the effectiveness of the first hour or so we aren't disappointed. After all, the scares are there and so is the suspense. We get wrapped up in the story itself, and that makes the rest of the elements of the film all the more enjoyable.

One particular thing I liked about The Boogens was the stylish opening. It’s a montage of old newspaper clippings describing the cave-ins and the attacks, along with an eerie score. The direction, by James L. Conway (Incredible Rocky Mountain Race, In Search of Noah's Ark), is sharp, suspenseful, and it gets right to the point by avoiding lame sub-plots that only drag a film down. In a wonderful first-time effort in the horror genre, Conway effectively teases his audience with his slick camera work, by taking advantage of every dark corner within reach. His POV angles are executed perfectly, and never overdone. Watch for the spooky basement scenes--they are definitely the stuff of true horror movies.

With most of his work (as Producer/Director) coming from television movies and action series (MacGyver, Tour of Duty), Conway surprisingly shows us that he can pull off such a film, even if it is his first horror outing. And with Charles E. Sellier Jr. (The Life And Times Of Grizzly Adams) nearby to serve as producer, it could only be handled with the utmost professionalism. Sellier and Conway have worked closely together on many television projects, so it is safe to say that this team effort wasn't a first.

By the end of the film, you will be as amazed as I was by the quality of the effects even though it was done on a low budget. Of course nothing substitutes for real scares and real suspense. No need to worry, this film has it all.

All in all, I can honestly say that The Boogens will always rank up there with the best of the 'cheesy horror' flicks. Yes it is cheesy, and yes it is campy, but after all is said and done, there’s nothing quite like The Boogens on a Saturday night.

(If you would like to obtain a copy of The Boogens, you can try Mediaplay or any other discount video store. The price is cheap, but the scares aren’t.)

Article (c) Fallon Moore.

Many thanks, Fallon! As your review proves, The Boogens will get you if you don't watch out...

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