The Boogeyman, a story from the mind of Stephen King, is finally here for audiences to witness on the big screen.
The author is known as the king of horror. His stories have become worldwide phenomenon on many occasions. Some of his most popular tales include It, The Shining, Pet Sematary, and The Mist.
King’s most recent adaptation is currently sitting at a respectable 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics enjoying what the final product offered.
For those wondering who all the cast and characters involved with this story are, look no further.
The Cast of The Boogeyman
Sophie Thatcher - Sadie Harper
Sophie Thatcher, who most likely know from the hit Showtime series Yellowjackets, leads The Boogeyman with a fantastic performance.
She plays Sadie Harper, a high schooler who is having trouble processing the sudden death of her mother, who died in a tragic car accident.
To make the situation harder for her, the dynamic between Sadie and her father is a rough one. Neither are straight-up mean to the other, but Chris Messina’s character struggles with his own communication issues, which creates unintentional distance between him, Sadie, and her sister, Sawyer.
Sadie’s mental state is the perfect breeding ground for The Boogeyman.
Speaking about her character at a virtual press conference for the movie, Thatcher noted that Sadie is “in such a distinct stage of grieving:”
".. she's in such a distinct stage of grieving and just dealing with that and making it feel real and her relationship with her father feel tense and really complicated. And [makes noise] how hard it is that she’s been having to, like, take care of her younger sister.”
Vivien Lyra Blair - Sawyer Harper
Sawyer, played by the talented Vivien Lyra Blair, is the youngest child in the Harper family. Like her father and sister, she, too, is having trouble coping with the loss of her mother.
Additionally, however, she carries a crippling fear of the dark. When The Boogeyman enters her life, he feeds off that primal dread and uses it to terrorize the child even more.
At The Boogeyman’s virtual press conference, Blair talked about how Sawyer is a “really complex character” who also happens to be “one of [her] favorite characters [she’s] ever played:”
“I think Sawyer is this really complex character because you start the movie seeing her as, like, this little girl who's terrified of the dark and is just a little bit of a scaredy cat... And then, as you really get to see how her character grows... Sawyer really gets to come through as this courageous, heroic little girl who goes through so much in this period of, like, a week. And she comes out stronger for it... She's just one of my favorite characters I've ever played.”
Chris Messina - Will Harper
Chris Messin’s character is the father to both Sadie and Sawyer Harper. Will is also a therapist working from his own home.
One day, he experiences a chance encounter with David Dastmalchian’s Lester Billings, which creates a domino effect that plays out over the course of the movie.
Will’s wife passed away in a tragic car accident, leaving him alone to raise two kids. Much like his children, he’s having a very difficult time dealing with her sudden loss.
Messina praised the script as “beautiful” during the virtual press conference for the film, while admiring the leadership of director Rob Savage.
“I think it's a beautiful script and it had so much there for us. But I'm proud of all of us under [Rob Savage’s] leadership, that we never left a day where we didn't comb through how we can make it better, do something different.”
David Dastmalchian - Lester Billings
Lester Billings is one of the two original characters who come from Stephen King’s classic short story that The Boogeyman is based on.
Dastmalchian plays a desperate father drowning in grief after the death of his children—something everyone thinks he had a hand in. No one believes that they died due to the supernatural threat of The Bogeyman itself.
While he isn’t in much of the movie, the actor makes every moment count. Even with a smaller role, the actor felt “an immense amount of pressure” to get it right:
"[I felt] such an immense amount of pressure, definitely, from, you know, the fact that you're bringing a character to life from the imagination of [Stephen King]. But also, because the place that Lester's coming from is just one of those corners of the human experience that nobody really would care to ever spend time in. And so, the challenge of even having the courage to be willing to go there was the first challenge for me."
Marin Ireland - Rita Billings
Rita Billings is the wife of David Dastmalchian’s Lester Billings and is just as haunted by what happened to her family as her husband was.
Rita comes into the story after Sadie Harper’s curiosity starts to dig into the mystery of what her sister claims to be seeing.
Madison Hu - Bethany
Madison Hu portrays Sadie Harper’s best friend at high school.
While the two were once close, there’s been an awkwardness between them ever since Sadie’s mom died.
Maddie Nichols - Natalie
Maddie Nichols' Natalie is basically the high school bully of the story. While she’s not the traditional bully, she’s a downright prick—a mean one at that.
Leeann Ross - Cassidy
Cassidy (Leeann Ross) is another part of Bethany’s posse, and by extension, a friend of Sadie Harper. Though, besides Madison Hu’s character, Sophie Thatcher's leading protagonist is hardly friends with anyone else.
Rio Sarah Machado - Anne
Anne, played by Rio Sarah Machado, is another one of Bethany’s friends. She’s not as mean as Natalie, but Anne never seems too thrilled to be hanging out with Sadie.
LisaGay Hamilton - Dr. Weller
Dr. Weller is brought to life by LisaGay Hamilton.
The character is the therapist who introduces the bright red light cube utilized in the film’s trailer. She is initially seeing both Sadie and Sawyer Harper about the death of their mother.
Dr. Weller is insistent that their father join in on some sessions, but he’s hesitant to do so due to his own inability to communicate his feelings with his family..
Shauna Rappold - Cara Harper
By the time The Boogeyman starts, Cara Harper is already dead. However, Shauna Rappold can be glimpsed as the main character’s mother in brief flashbacks throughout the movie.
The Boogeyman hits theaters on June 2.
