Stephen King story The Boogeyman moves from streaming to theaters

Another Stephen King adaptation is scheduled to debut on the big screen this year, though it was originally slated to release on Hulu. That’s exciting news, because it feels like movie theatres have been slow to come back from the low attendance caused by COVID.

The Boogeyman, which is based on a short story from Stephen King’s collection Night Shift, will be hitting theaters on June 2. It was first planned for straight-to-streaming release on Hulu, but the film did so well at a test screening, the powers that be decided it could be a hit in theaters.

That’s pretty much what happened with Evil Dead Rise, which was going to be released to streaming on HBO Max. Wise decision, because it seems like horror fans are super excited to see Evil Dead Rise. The trailer ran before M3GAN, and I thought it looked pretty good.

Night Shift was first released in 1978, and at least 10 of the 20 short stories have been adapted to film. We’re talking about films such as Children of the Corn, Lawnmower Man, The Mangler and Sometimes They Come Back. Maximum Overdrive is an adaptation of the story Trucks.

The Boogeyman is the story of Lester Billings, who is talking to a psychiatrist about the deaths of his three children. He claims all three were killed by a terrifying presence that lived in the nursery closet.

I first discovered Stephen King when I read my mother’s copy of ‘Salem’s Lot, and was immediately a fan. The second of his tomes that I made it a point to find was Night Shift, still a favorite of mine. True story: The Boogeyman is the reason I don’t sleep with my closet door open to this very day.

The Boogeyman is the story of Lester Billings, who is talking to a psychiatrist about the deaths of his three children. He claims all three were killed by a terrifying presence that lived in the nursery closet.

And by the way, two of the short stories in Night Shift have tie-ins with other King novels; Jerusalem’s Lot is set three years after the events that took place in ‘Salem’s Lot, and Night Surf is another story about the catastrophic virus known as “Captain Trips”, which you may remember from The Stand.

The Boogeyman received its first film adaptation in 1982, has also been presented as a play, and in 2010, Irish filmmaker Gerard Lough made it into a short film. The upcoming adaptation was written by Mark Heyman (Black Swan), directed by Rob Savage (Host), and stars Chris Messina (Devil) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets).

From what I can tell, the storyline differs somewhat from King’s original version, but Stephen King himself gave it an enthusiastic review, and I fully trust his judgement.

What are your favorite Stephen King short stories and books? Let us know in the comments section.