Story: Sarah (Erin Cahill) is shaken by the sudden death of her roommate, who seemingly killed herself right in front of Sarah, no less. But her friend has spoken about some diaries left behind by her father, then shortly after that revelation, she dies under some unusual circumstances. Sarah decides to read the diaries and soon enough, she has awoken a dark spirit and unleashed it into her world. Now she understands what happened to her roommate, as horrific things begin to happen around her and to the people she is close with. As she tries to warn her friends, but gets brushed off, can Sarah save her friends in time or will she be unable to even save herself?

Entertainment Value: The best compliment I can give Boogeyman 3 is that it is at least better than the first movie, but that isn’t even close to high praise. That’s a shame, because Boogeyman 2 was a solid slasher and I hoped that trend would continue, but instead we have a considerable step backwards. The narrative veers off the slasher track and returns to the supernatural roots of the original, which includes a slower pace and less violence. I think that was a mistake, as the creative, frequent kills and faster pace of the second movie are what helped it surpass the original. I was pleased that while the pace has been scaled back, this is still a little brisker than the original and there is less filler. I still think the pace lags and the movie needs more horror shocks, but at least it stays a little ahead of the first picture. There are some memorable kills here, plus there’s a wild scene where a washing machine starts flooding blood like the elevators in The Shining. But instead of being creepy and shocking, this blood is awful CGI that looks like a giant cherry slushie spilled over. I did have a little fun with Boogeyman 3, but the fun isn’t that frequent and in the end, this one is hard to recommend.

The performances are mostly passable, though no one really shines in their roles or steals the show. Even so, the consistent efforts help make the material work a little more, so that’s a plus. Erin Cahill is our lead and she performs well, proving herself to be a more than capable lead. I think her best moments are when she can play off her costars, as she seems to excel in those kind of scenes. She handles the horror side of things well enough, she dials up her turn somewhat, but is still believable and she projects fear with great skill. I think if she had been given better material, she could have given a standout performance here. The cast also includes Charles Hittinger, Nikki Sanderson, and Mimi Michaels.

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