Sophia Michaels
The new horror film “The Boogeyman” is another in a long line of terrifying movies based on Stephen King’s writing. The original short story was published in 1973 in Cavalier magazine and was included in the short story collection “Night Shift” in 1978. The movie, directed by Rob Savage, follows high schooler Sadie Harper (“Yellowjackets” star Sophie Thatcher) and her little sister, Sawyer (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”‘s Vivien Lyra Blair), as they reel from the death of their mother in a car accident. Their father Will (Chris Messina), a therapist, treats a clearly disturbed man whose children recently died. And though Will doesn’t believe him, those kids (and eventually the man) were killed by the mystical being the Boogeyman, who settles into the Harpers’s home next.
As Sawyer is tormented by the monster, Sadie struggles to understand what’s going on with her sister until she sees the Boogeyman herself. When Sawyer is attacked by it (but survives), Sadie buckles down to try to find out where it came from and defeat it. Eventually, Sadie, Sawyer, and Will end up locked in their dark basement with the Boogeyman on the loose, and they seem like goners until Sawyer uses her lighter to set it on fire. She burns the house down, seemingly killing the Boogeyman, and the family escapes.
But at the end of the movie, the family visit a therapist together, and there’s a hint that the Boogeyman isn’t gone for good. Here’s what it all means.
What Does the Open Door Mean at the End of “The Boogeyman”?
As the family leave the therapist, Sadie hears the therapist call her back. But when she turns back to talk her, the therapist isn’t there. As viewers learned, the Boogeyman can fake anyone’s voice, so it seems the Boogeyman was calling her again. Sadie notices a closet in the office is open. It seems the Boogeyman is inside, waiting to strike again. The real therapist appears, and Sadie shuts the door. The movie ends.
The open door symbolizes how the Boogeyman and all he represents — pain, grief, suffering, loneliness, and fear — will always be with Sadie and her family and can strike at any time. But when Sadie shuts the door, she chooses love and connection instead. Together, they have the tools to defeat the Boogeyman, wherever he may strike. And yes — all of that leaves room for a sequel.
“The Boogeyman” is in theaters now.
