Jeff Reardon This film is astoundingly dull and slow-paced. If you know what filler or padding is, this is what 90% of this movie is. It was obviously made by someone who wanted to make a monster movie but had to work on a tiny budget, so they barely show any scenes of an actual monster, but pad out the film with scenes of people standing around looking scared when they hear noises, or empty dialogue and conversation between characters. They should've called it The Seinfield Movie, because it feels like a movie about nothing.

James Parrish THE BOOGENS A Review by JPWhy is it they don't make horror films anymore that engage the audience to a point that they find themselves shouting at the screen? With the exception of collective gasps & jerks in "Annabelle", the last I saw that fit a "yell-at-the-screen" description was in 1998 and directed by Steve Miner – who directed some ever-present/loved scary flicks from my childhood. But the '98 film and Mr. Miner's credits are different reviews.As for "The Boogens", there was a quote from Stephen King on the cover which read "worth seeing" (the overall impression was worded a bit more eloquently). The only person I recognized from this 1981 feature was the copied & pasted "Prom Night" (1980) version of "Carrie's" nemesis played by Anne-Marie Martin (who did nicely in this as a good guy). She was admittedly a beyotch in "Prom Night" and perhaps one of the only redeeming qualities of that stinker. There was even a stinker remake… *Shudder* But I digress… Sitting back to watch "The Boogens"-which is a single letter exchange away from a laughable title (so it does prompt at least a snicker) – and going in with zero expectations, I was quickly drawn into the simple, popcorn-scary-movie plot: a long-abandoned/collapsed mine is cleared & re-opened – setting loose…"something" deadly. Two couples (2 mine workers & their love interests) lodge at a house in the super-creepy basement of which the mine is attached. And we're off! Moody music & a clear bit of effort in the cinematography department – not to mention a beautiful & ominous location – set the stage for competent, attractive (the leads at least) actors delivering believable, often humorous lines. The annoyingly-arrogant & destructive poodle was surprisingly a better actor than many humans (some on the "A" list). The story never deludes itself to be something it's not. It's proudly a monster-in-the-basement scary flick. I will admit the tension built was much grander than the payoff. Had they kept the monster off-camera for the entire 90 or so minutes, it might have remained as suspenseful—but then it would've been a tease. Having said that, this film was made in the era of practical effects, so even a sock puppet would exude more reality than most CG creations. The scares are still effective. It is not overly-gory or boob-intensive. I gave a crap for the characters, so my attention was held. Though the occasional "must-put-my-hand-in-the-obvious-red-pool" horror cliché is still present (and the "monster" that screams "LOW BUDGET!"), I would still recommend this unfortunately-titled gem to fellow horror aficionados!Grade: Better than most from that era—especially another mine-set (LOL) snooze-fest from that very year (& same distributor): "My Bloody Valentine" …Yes, I know this also has a remake. Also yes: "The Boogens" is better than that version too.

jaguiar313 The Boogens is a 1981 horror flick that has become a bit of a cult classic partially due to it's unavailability for almost 2 decades and partially for it's amusing title. It's just fun to say "Boogens". The film also has sentimental importance to me, as it was one of the horror flicks I saw with friends at the legendary Oritani grind house in Hackensack, N.J. A time when B movies were still released in a theater, where they belong, and a time I now cherish in this direct to DVD and VOD age. Now being given the chance to revisit this low budget chiller, it's time to answer the question of whether it's as fun as I remember or has time and nostalgia created a far better memory then it was a movie. And I'm happy to report it still is a fun flick, although 80s nostalgia does play a part. In a way, "Boogens" is a quintessential horror for the late 70s, early 80s with it's slow burn, creepy old man with ominous warnings, and nubile girls in skimpy bathrobes investigating noises in dark cellars. This is exactly the type of movie Ti West paid homage to in the recent "House Of The Devil". A few months later Evil Dead would arrive and crank horror flicks up to 11 and Jason was just getting started on his body count.This 1981 horror stars Rebecca Balding ("Silent Scream") and takes place in rural Silver City, Colorado, a small mining town where the mines are being reopened for the first time since a supposed cave-in 70 years previous. But, unknown to two college grads (Fred McCarren and Jeff Harlan) working on the re-opening and their two nubile young ladies (Balding and the equally cute, Ann-Marie Martin), the mines were caved in on purpose and unsealing the tunnels unleashes our title creatures and they are quite hungry.Boogens is well directed by James L. Conway who also directed pseudo-documentaries like "Hanger 18" and "In Search Of Noah's Ark" and who went on to direct a lot of genre TV including episodes of all the post-original "Star Trek" series and the current, "Supernatural". He directs with a leisurely pace but, builds some nice suspense and also knows to keep his monsters hidden until the very end. And when we do see them, they are good old fashioned prosthetics, there's something charming about prosthetics that CGI rarely matches. He gets good performances out of his cast and the fact that they are all very likable helps add suspense when they are in danger. There is some nice gore but, it is used sparingly and the body count is low. This movie was made just as the slasher sub-genre started to gain momentum and before body count became crucial to the proceedings.Sure, by today's standards "The Boogens" is tame, slow and cheesy but, it is the type of horror that they made when I was in high school and I will always have a soft spot in my movie geek heart for them. The transfer on blu-ray is absolutely beautiful and it's worth a look for horror fans, especially those who enjoy horror from this era. Welcome back, "Boogens".

Perro-Wolf Believe it or not, my mother dropped me, my brother, and my sister off at a small movie theater to watch a horror double-feature. I guess she had to do some shopping that day. Anyways, I was only 6 when I watched and it and it disturbed me good. That means I loved it! I have been wanting to watch this one again for some time. The other movie was "The Prophecy". If you remember that movie then you'll remember the hairless bear! But I digress, check out Boogens, there are still scenes that I can't forget to this day. Thanks to that movie I still don't like old houses with those metal vents on the floors. (That's how all monsters get you!)Put something over that thing will you!