The Boogeyman, directed by Rob Savage (Host), is out in theaters this Friday, June 2, 2023. The adaptation of Stephen King’s short story stars Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”) as Sadie Harper, a grieving teen at the center of the supernatural horror.
Sadie begins the story still reeling from her mother’s unexpected passing, compounded by her father’s emotional detachment and her younger sister’s extreme phobia of the dark. All provide fertile ground for terror when the Boogeyman permeates their home.
Ahead of The Boogeyman’s release, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Sophie Thatcher about her first trip into the Stephen King Universe. Above all, it was the character that drew Thatcher to the role. She explains of Sadie, “For me, as an actor at this point in my career, I’m just trying to find roles that I think will be challenging and that are layered and have something to overcome. They always have to have an objective, and that’s what keeps them going.”
Thatcher adds, “[Sadie] had a very clear objective, and it actually changes throughout the movie. In the beginning, you see her just wanting to feel that closeness with her mom, and I think there’s something so devastating about that, and immediately I just felt so much empathy for the character. To have that immediate reaction when you’re reading a script is strong, and it stuck with me, so I was like, this script is really well written.”
Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper in 20th Century Studios’ THE BOOGEYMAN. Photo by Patti Perret. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Sadie gets introduced as a character deep in mourning over her mothe*r, and that grief shapes much of her arc. Thatcher explains, “It was very important to build Sadie, who she was before, because there’s such a drastic shift. I think there’s a shift in the way she dresses, the way she presents herself, the way she talks to her friends because she’s kind of just shut off. I think she’s very, at her core, she’s just a very kind person. The fact that she just naturally takes care of her sister, I think she probably was that for her friends.”
Thatcher continues, “I think music was an outlet. I think she wasn’t outwardly as confident as some of the characters that I’ve played. But I think creating that, maybe a little bit of that lived-in insecurity, but just that kindness, and there’s something pure about her. I mean, it changes because she has to go through so much, but she’s always had a really good heart.”
Thatcher came to the project already a fan of horror, something that only deepened while working with director Rob Savage. The actor tells us, “We immediately bonded over our love for horror movies. Ordinary People is the biggest reference that he brought up. He brought up this movie, Lake Mungo, which is a mockumentary. Because I was just like, ‘What do you think is the scariest movie? You’ve seen everything.’ And he said that. Then I watched it, and it was terrifying. It was like a slow burn but so terrifying. I thought I’d seen everything and thought, ‘I’m not going to feel anything.’ But that movie stuck with me.
“I mean, I feel like for prep for horror movies, you can’t watch a movie and do prep. I feel like we also bonded over Don’t Look Now, which is a movie that I re-watched. I was obsessed with it when I was younger, but then I re-watched it because it also covers motifs of grief and such.”
The Boogeyman will be unleashed in theaters this Friday.
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