The Boogeyman’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Stephen King’s Most Important In 16 Years (2024)

The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score is the most important for a Stephen King movie in 16 years after receiving favorable reviews. It took 50 years for Stephen King's short story to make its way to the big screen. The Boogeyman's release in June 2023 left fans of the terrifying story waiting for decades to see a worthy adaptation, with director Rob Savage, writers Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman leading the charge. They are the latest minds to bring a Stephen King movie adaptation to Hollywood, as the horror writer's novels and shorts have long been used as source material for thrilling films.

The good news is that The Boogeyman reviews indicate the movie adaptation was worth the wait. The movie holds a Fresh critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, currently sitting at 67% based on 66 reviews tallied by the review aggregator. The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score might fluctuate higher or lower as more time passes and additional reviews are published online, but a consensus has started to form. The mostly positive reviews are actually a huge deal. A comparison of The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score and other Stephen King movies makes the rating even more important after the last 16 years.

The Boogeyman’s 67% Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Better Than Most Recent Stephen King Movies

The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score of 67% does not come close to the best-reviewed Stephen King movie adaptations, like Carrie (93%), Stand By Me (92%), or The Shawshank Redemption (91%). Comparing it to all-time cinema classics might not work, but it is superior to more recent Stephen King movies. The last three movies based on his works have all received rotten ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: Mr. Harrigan's Phone (45%), Firestarter (11%), and Children of the Corn (10%). The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score is even higher than the 2019 releases It: Chapter Two (62%) and Pet Sematary (56%) or 2017's The Dark Tower (15%).

Over the last decade alone, there have been 14 movies made in Hollywood that are based on Stephen King's books. Some are remakes of older titles or went straight to streaming, while others were first-time adaptations or released in theaters. No matter how they are classified, only four of these movies received Rotten Tomatoes scores higher than The Boogeyman's rating: 1922 (92%), Gerald's Game (91%), It (86%), and Doctor Sleep (78%). This helps put some necessary context around how rare the positive reviews that the 2023 horror movie received have become.

The Boogeyman’s Rotten Tomatoes Is A First For Stephen King Movies Since 2007

There is an important distinction that can be made for The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score: it is the first movie based on a Stephen King story to receive positive reviews and a theatrical release that has not been adapted before as a movie or is not a sequel of some kind since 2007. The year was a big one for Stephen King movies, as both The Mist and 1408 were released in theaters that year. The Mist has held a record for the last 16 years of being the only first-time adaptation of a Stephen King work to get positive reviews, receive a theatrical release, and not be a sequel.

The qualifiers for The Boogeyman's importance are many, but that does not take away from the notoriety of the film's accomplishment. Hollywood has become increasingly reliant on IP audiences now, which is partially why the IT movies were so successful in 2017 and 2019. It even pushed Warner Bros. to make Doctor Sleep as a pseudo-sequel to The Shining almost 40 years later. Whereas those films had connections to characters that audiences already knew in some form, The Boogeyman's positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are a much-needed win for adapting some of his other works after years of failures following The Mist and 1408.

The Boogeyman’s Theatrical Release Makes The Rotten Tomatoes Score A Bigger Deal

Another key to noting the importance of The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score is that the Stephen King movie has a theatrical release. While the movie's 67% critics score is not nearly as high as what Gerald's Game or 1922 received, those films were released exclusively on Netflix. This does not make the critical achievement of either film lesser, but streaming services (especially Netflix) have repeatedly proven that reviews are not quite as indicative of success. Poorly reviewed movies routinely dominate streaming services, whereas it is less common for movies to overcome bad reviews and still perform at the box office.

The critics score The Boogeyman has on Rotten Tomatoes is a big deal then because it helps set the film up for success. Good word of mouth should create positive momentum for the Stephen King movie and help encourage audiences to check it out. The Boogeyman's budget is already low enough to help give it a path to becoming a box office hit, but its long-term potential is much greater thanks to positive reviews. Assuming general audiences respond to the film as favorably, The Boogeyman could also benefit from a high Rotten Tomatoes score from audience ratings.

The Boogeyman’s Rotten Tomatoes Proves Stephen King Movies Can Still Succeed

The Boogeyman's Rotten Tomatoes score is also proof that Stephen King movies can still succeed if they are done correctly. The last few years have been nearly disastrous for King adaptations, raising questions about what the best way to bring his works to life should be. Hollywood has started to shift its focus a bit more toward TV for Stephen King adaptations, such as the upcoming IT prequel show and The Dark Tower series, or more remakes with new The Running Man and Christine movies in development. 2023 also has a new Salem's Lot adaptation and a Pet Sematary prequel likely releasing.

With most of the reviews noting how scary The Boogeyman is as one of the movie's strengths, this Rotten Tomatoes score is another reflection that Stephen King's stories can still terrify audiences if done correctly. The string of poor adaptations does not change the fact that his books and short stories can be quite riveting and make for great source material for new movies. Hopefully, The Boogeyman will help encourage Hollywood to shift its focus a bit to lesser-known works of his or those that have not been adapted yet. There are plenty of potentially great Stephen King movies waiting to be made and earn follow in The Boogeyman's footsteps.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes