These days, movie trailers tend to end with the phrase “only in theaters” right before the release date. Grammar aside, the trailer adds that detail because we’ve all become used to seeing trailers for films that will be available in our living rooms within a week or two. How do good movies end up exclusive to home viewing, and how does a movie likeThe Boogeymanescape that fate?
Of all the streaming services out there, Hulu has an interesting relationship with horror films. From their seeminglyendless line of Blumhouse filmsto weird in-house productions likeGrimcutty, the service has a wide selection. Even beloved franchises likePredatorandHellraiserdropped their latest entries on Hulu. It would seem a fitting place for the newest Stephen King adaptation, but the film managed to scare up a wide release.
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The Boogeymanis anadaptation of Stephen King’s1973 short story of the same name. King is one of the most prolific horror writers of all time, cranking out novels and novellas at an absurd rate. Of his many works, a massive percentage has been adapted to the screen in some form or fashion. Someone could make a pretty good anthology series out of his remaining library.The Boogeymancomes across as a traditional paranormal monster movie. It doesn’t look much different fromSinisterorLights Out. Its scares look pretty familiar, its narrative thrust doesn’t seem new, and its effects look far from groundbreaking. The film was initiallyaimed straight at Hulu, but the film was recently granted a wide release in theaters around the world.
It is basically impossible to predict what will and won’t get a wide release these days. Stephen King’s name on the poster likely contributed some credibility to the film, but that doesn’t always guarantee a wide release. The current most recent adaptation of King’s workisMr. Harrigan’s Phone, which dropped straight onto Netflix in October.1922, In the Tall Grass, andGerald’s Gameall did the same. Perhaps even more interesting,The Boogeymanisn’t part of any established franchise.Prey, the long-awaited fifth entry in the widely belovedPredatorfranchise, andHellraiser, the reboot of the franchise of the same name, never saw the inside of a theater. Both ofthose films were great, fans loved them, and newcomers engaged with the franchises for the first time. What putsThe Boogeymanabove them?
Franchise media dominates most genres. Just about every big action movie falls into one of the big series or cinematic universes. Horror behaves a bit differently in this regard. There are a few franchises, but they suffer a quick case of diminishing returns.The Conjuringfilms keep coming out, theParanormal Activityfranchise is still around, andsomeone keeps greenlightingSawmovies, but when a lot of people are talking about a new horror movie, it’s usually a new IP. That’s not to say every new horror film that comes out with a new name is original, most of them are just remixes of existing concepts. Horror franchises exist as easy sequel mills, but they’ll never reclaim the appeal of their first entries. To get people talking, a horror film must break new ground.
By all accounts,The Boogeymanearned its theatrical release after a series of positive test screenings. The film has gone through a lot to be released at all. It was pitched in 2018, but the film was shelved after Disney bought 21st Century Fox the following year. The concept was revived with a new team of writers and a new director, set to premiere on Hulu.Hulu gets so many great horrormovies because its majority owner is Disney. If the mouse has an IP that’s a bit too grown up to live on the same service asDoc McStuffins, it’s headed to Hulu.The Boogeyman, evidently through sheer quality, convinced the good people at 20th Century Studios (also owned by Disney) to put the film in theaters. This suggests several interesting things about the state of Disney’s distribution strategy.
