The Boogey Man
After a traumatic childhood murder involving a mirror, a woman returns to her past only to unleash a malignant force tied to the shattered glass. The film turns domestic spaces and reflective surfaces into sources of dread, giving the nasty era one of its more eerie occult-inflected stories.
Film details
| Original / alt title | The Boogey Man |
| Year | 1980 |
| Director | Ulli Lommel |
| Country | USA |
| Runtime | Approx. 82 min |
| Main cast | Suzanna Love, Ron James, John Carradine |
UK status
Appeared on the DPP list but was later dropped.
Still a popular talking point in video-nasty discussions and regularly revisited by fans of supernatural early-1980s horror.
Why it caused controversy
UK censorship / Video Nasties history
A quick status check first, followed by the film’s censorship timeline. A DPP prosecution was an obscenity case against a particular video publication — it was not automatically the same thing as a permanent nationwide “ban”.
Detailed censorship timeline & facts
FACTS & TRIVIA
- The film was directed by Ulli Lommel, a prolific cult filmmaker.
- Its mirror-based horror concept helps distinguish it from standard slasher formulas.
- John Carradine's presence gives the cast a connection to classic horror history.
- The glowing cross-and-face sleeve art is iconic to many VHS collectors.
- The film spawned follow-up titles and a small franchise identity.
- It remains one of the best-known supernatural titles linked to the nasty era.
- Collectors often cite it as a personal favourite because of its eerie mood and artwork.
Distributor / VHS label
Archive cover shown is the user-supplied scan. UK distributor / VHS-label attribution varies by edition and is not asserted here without a verified sleeve imprint.
Trailer
Open a search for the original theatrical / VHS-era trailer. This keeps the archive linking to publicly available trailer sources rather than hosting copyrighted film footage.
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