Savage explained that King eventually read a revised version of the script that had been contributed by “Black Swan” screenwriter Mark Heyman. That’s the draft that the writer fell in love with, and he was open about loving it. It was that expressed love that helped Savage, along with the rest of the cast and crew, get through production.
“He read Mark’s draft of the script and really liked it. He was on a press tour. [for] his new book, and every now and then he would mention how much he loved the script for “The Boogeyman.” We were having a particularly rough day, and I would get a buzz on my phone that Stephen King had been raving about our script. I would read it to our crew, and that would give us a second chance to finish the week.”
King’s love for the finished film also helped. They rented King’s favorite theater in Maine to screen the finished product for him. “He went in there with a bucket of popcorn and said the movie was terrifying and popped it several times. It was such a relief,” Savage said. The author’s praise for “The Boogeyman” even helped secure a theatrical release.along with great reactions from test audiences, rather than being dumped directly onto Hulu.
The studio’s trust was rewarded. The film grossed a whopping $82.3 million at the worldwide box office.turning it into a decent little horror hit. That’s a lot more than it would have done on Hulu alone. King’s kind words had a pretty big impact on that.
“The Boogeyman” is now streaming on Hulu.
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