Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for The Boogeyman.After being planned as a Hulu release, Rob Savage’s The Boogeyman impressed Disney executives enough that the studio gave it a theatrical release. Of course, that’s an appropriate release for The Boogeyman, as the adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved short story got the seal of approval of the writer himself. However, while horror fiends looking for well-executed scares will be well-served by The Boogeyman, some people might leave theaters wondering what the movie’s ending means. That’s because, after everything is said and done, there’s still an ambiguous scene teasing the franchise potential of The Boogeyman. So, what is the Boogeyman exactly? And what’s the meaning of that ending?
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What Is the Boogeyman?

Image Via 20th Century Studios

In King’s original story, the Boogeyman is a monster who kills the three infant children of Lester Billings, played by David Dastmalchian in the movie adaptation. While there’s a supernatural force in King’s story, Lester’s conservative comments about his dead children reveal that he didn’t meet their needs. For example, Lester would force their children to sleep in the dark so they wouldn’t become “soft” in the future. So, as with any horror story by King, The Boogeyman is more than a scary tale about things that bump in the dark. The story is about real nightmares, in this case, parental neglect.

Savage’s The Boogeyman changes the story to take the focus off Lester. Instead, the movie is about Dr. Harper (Chris Messina) and his family. Still, the movie echoes King’s original concern about parental neglect. Both in the short story and the film, Dr. Harper is a psychologist Lester uses to dump his farfetched tale about a monster that kills children. Surprisingly, though, the two men have much in common, as their trauma and inability to tend to their children’s needs is what invites the Boogeyman in the first place.

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In the movie, Lester reveals his first child died from natural causes. Unfortunately, the trauma of losing a child led Lester and his wife Rita (Marin Ireland) to pay less attention to the surviving children. That’s what draws the Boogeyman in the first place. As Lester puts it, the Boogeyman is a creature that feeds on human trauma and shows up when parents do not pay enough attention to their children. And that’s precisely why the monster decides to make Dr. Harper’s house his home, as the therapist has failed as a father since his wife’s passing.

When The Boogeyman begins, we learn that Dr. Harper’s wife has died months before Lester rings his doorbell. So now the father has to take care of his two daughters alone. The oldest daughter, Sadie (Sophie Thatcher), struggles to keep friends in high school, as everyone treats her with pity or accuses her of being dramatic. The youngest daughter, Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair), has developed a phobia and can’t sleep with the lights off. While Dr. Harper keeps providing for his daughters, the therapist refuses to discuss the death of their mother with the girls. Instead, he sends them to another therapist, refusing to be part of the sessions. That’s why the Harper family becomes the perfect target for the Boogeyman, as the creature senses their vulnerabilities and decides to explore them, toying with his food by hiding in the shadows and scaring the girls. And it’s only when the Harpers join forces to act as a family that they overcome the creature.

Is the Boogeyman Really Dead?

Image via 20th Century Studios

The Boogeyman’s story unfolds as expected. First, the creature targets Sawyer, knowing the grow-ups won’t believe the girl’s fantastic stories about a monster in the closet. However, as the beast grows hungrier, the Boogeyman also begins to torment Sadie. Then, after the malignant presence can no longer be denied, Sadie does what she can to find out more about the Boogeyman, asking for Rita’s help. The girl then discovers light is the Boogeyman’s only weakness, which is why the creature is constantly breaking lamps.

While Sadie quickly accepts there’s something wrong with Sawyer and does whatever she can to help her younger sister, Dr. Harper takes a while longer to be convinced that the Boogeyman is real. Even after the creature attacks Sawyer, throwing her around the living room, Dr. Harper still prefers to pin everything on a child’s delusions. He also refuses to acknowledge his pain for losing his wife, even after Sadie surprises him crying alone in the hospital.

The turning point of The Boogeyman happens when the creature attacks Dr. Harper, dragging him to the basement. After that, Sadie and Sawyer must join forces to rescue their dad. The final duel against the creature has the whole family using whatever tool they can to produce light and fire to subdue the beast. Finally, after many struggles, Sawyer throws some flammable solvent over the Boogeyman, and Sadie lights the monster on fire with the lighter that belonged to their mother. The beast turns into ashes in front of their eyes. Sadly, the flames also engulf the Harpers’ home.

Image via 20th Century Studios

The last scene of The Boogeyman occurs at the therapist’s office, with Dr. Harper finally agreeing to join his daughters in grief counseling. The family expresses their fears and doubts in the session, growing closer due to their shared trauma. So, it’s not a coincidence the Boogeyman was defeated just as Dr. Harper realized he had to open up to fully support his daughters.

Before the credits roll, the Boogeyman makes one final appearance. When the whole family exits the therapist’s office, Sadie hears the woman calling her back inside. When Sadie returns to check what the therapist wants with her, she finds an empty room. There’s only a closet partially open, from where the voice called Sadie. Since the Boogeyman can mimic other people’s voices, Sadie understands the monster is still alive and reaching out to her. However, when the actual therapist shows up, Sadie faces her fears and closes the closet door.

Since the Boogeyman represents parental neglect, it’s fair that the creature is still around. As the older sister, Sadie was more aware of Dr. Harper’s distance, which might explain why she’s apparently the only one who can still hear the Boogeyman. Even so, by shutting the closet door, Sadie sends a message to the monster. She believes her family is stronger now, and Dr. Harper will keep working to be a good father. As such, they are ready to leave the Boogeyman behind.

The Boogeyman is now in theaters.