You've got to hand it to director Stephen T Kay. Boogeyman is sloppily written, makes no sense, never convinces that its New Zealand locations are rural Pennsylvania, and ends in a confusing glut of CGI special effects. But it still manages to scare up a fair amount of shivers and jolts, thanks to Kay's well-oiled if clichéd style - all extreme close-ups on twisting doorknobs, dizzying races through cobwebby corridors and moody flashbacks. In an excessively generic story, Barry Watson returns to his childhood home to confront his greatest fear, the monster that he believes dwells in his bedroom closet and that snatched his father when he was eight years old. There are gaping plot holes here, but also enough cheap thrills to paper over them, so you'll jump as often as you ask "What is going on?".

Every culture has one – the horrible monster fueling young children's nightmares. But for Tim, the Boogeyman still lives in his memories as a creature that devoured his father 16 years ago. Is the Boogeyman real, or did Tim make it up to explain why his father abandoned his family?