Host director brings Stephen King’s The Boogeyman to life in terrifying first trailer

The first trailer for The Boogeyman is here – and we already have nightmares.

After the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl named Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and her little sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) find themselves fighting off a terrifying, sadistic presence in their home that seems to only come out at night. The pair must get the attention of their emotionally absent, grieving father (Chris Messina) before it's too late.

The film is directed by Rob Savage (Host, Dashcam) from an adapted screenplay penned by A Quiet Place writing duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and Black Swan scribe Mark Heyman. Stranger Things director Shawn Levy is producing under his 21 Laps Entertainment banner. The cast also includes David Dastmalchian, Marin Ireland, Madison Hu, and LisaGay Hamilton.

The Boogeyman, a short story by Stephen King, was first published in 1973 in the magazine Cavalier before being published again in King's short fiction collection The Night Shift. The story's premise differs quite a bit from Savage's adaptation – but we won't spoil you. It was first adapted into a short film in 1982 by Jeff Schiro (Tales from the Darkside), and no other direct adaptation has been attempted since – though the premise (including the short story's twist ending) has been loosely borrowed by dozens of horror movies throughout the years.

The Boogeyman hits theaters June 2, 2023. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.