The Boogens

Director - James L. Conway (Supernatural)
Starring - Rebecca Balding (Charmed), Fred McCarren (The Dukes of Hazzard), and Anne-Marie Martin (Halloween II)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "There is no escape"
Format - BluRay (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in middle school I watched a few movies for the first time during a horror movie marathon on the IFC channel.  I fell in love with all the movies I saw that night but one really stuck out to me.  Those movies I watched were My Bloody Valentine, April Fool's Day, and The Boogens.  The Boogens was the one that stuck out the most to me.  It was a fun creature feature that does not get a lot of attention from the horror community.  Lucky for me, Olive Films released the film last year on blu and I completely missed the announcement.  I let the release slip by me.  I reached out to Olive Films and they were kind enough to shoot me a review copy of the film.  I was extremely excited to finally check out the blu.
     The film follows a mining crew as they reopen an abandoned mine.  They use dynamite to blast it open and when they do they unsuspectingly release a family of small monsters that drag people into their underground tunnels to feast on.  Tossed in the mix is two mining crew members and their girlfriends who live in a house near the mines.  The monsters, boogens, are able to get into the house and attack because every house is connected underground by a series of tunnels.  The boogens travel from home to home eating until an old eccentric steps in.  His father shut the mines up years ago because he discovered the boogens.  Now his son is forced to step in and destroy all the tunnels in order to save the local community.
     I have a fascination with anything from the 80s.  I was born in 86 so when I came to conscience mind the 80s was over and the 90s had begun.  However, I have always found a love for anything from the 80s and an 80s monster movie is the cream of the crop.  When I first saw The Boogens I loved the look and feel of the film but it was very aged even for a t.v. version.  When I found out that the film was being released on blu it blew my mind.  I could not wait to see this film in a whole new light.  The acting in this film is 80s horror stock.  The cast create over the top characters who react to each other over-dramatically.  I love this stereotypical horror acting from the 80s.  This is the same tone that we get from the slashers of that time.  The acting is not that good but it is classic of that age.  The story for this one is one we have seen before in several other films but never done in a monster flick.  Growing up I watched a vampire flick from the late 50s and early 60s about a man who is searching for gold and unearths a vampire.  This story is similar to that but features small monsters that predate Gremlins and Critters.  The story is fun and takes the year of the slasher and tosses in some monster mayhem.  Finally, the film has some decent special effects but not that great of a selection of on screen kills and blood.  The creatures look schlocky but fun which is how I love my monsters.  If you are looking for a realistic beast then you will not be happy with this one.  Now, as for the blu release.  This film is boasting an impressive film transfer that looks crisp and clear.  This is a big improvement over the t.v. cut of the film that I saw all those years ago.  Olive has been hit or miss with me with their releases.  Moontrap did not really impress me but this film looks amazing.  Sadly, the film skips on the special features.  We are only given a commentary track by James L. Conway, David O'Malley, and Rebecca Balding.  I would have loved to see a few more special features on this release.  Overall, The Boogens blu release from Olive is a solid release of a classic monster flick.  The film looks great but it lacks special features.  Worth a pick up but can be easily replaced with another release with more special features.