Boogeyman 2

Evolution of the killer's mask, dubbed "Boogie Mask", throughout various stages of development. Ranging from concept art (left), to early build (center) and the finished product (right).

Boogeyman 2 was first announced in October 2006 due to the financial success of its predecessor with Jeff Betancourt, film editor of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, When a Stranger Calls and The Grudge 2, making his directorial debut and Brian Sieve attached as writer.[5] The film was slated to start development in January 2007 in Los Angeles, California.[6] It was produced by Ghost House Pictures, a film production company created by Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert which specializes in creating horror films.[7] Betancourt stated that he wanted to avoid usage of CGI as well as present a new take on the Boogeyman rather than rehashing the storyline of the first film; this led to a more grounded version of the creature in the film. As a result, and due to the film's low budget, he focused especially on the atmosphere and writing.[8] Storyboards were used extensively to plan out the film and minimize wasted effort and resources by make-up artists on unused prosthetics; the limited budget meant that most effects could only be filmed once.[9] The former hospital Linda Vista Community Hospital served as the primary filming location for the mental institution.[10]

The first actor to be cast was Renee O'Connor as Dr. Jessica Ryan in December 2006;[11] she filmed her first scenes in February 2007.[12] O'Connor had visited her personal friend and Boogeyman's producer Rob Tapert on the New Zealand set, where she had had a discussion with him about "the differences of having a supernatural demon versus a real person that can come in and be a threat."[13] She concluded the former was scarier. On getting cast in the film and her approach to the character, she stated:

I had a contract with Rob Tapert and I just emailed him and said that I really wanted to play this character. I think she would be interesting because it touches back on some of the things I've played as an actress, and that was it. [...] It was so tight in the dialogue, you just have to play with the relationships and find other things going on with the characters to make it seem like there's more depth to what's going on, that there's more of a history between them.[13]

In mid-January, Danielle Savre was cast as the film's lead Laura Porter.[14] On Savre, Betancourt stated that "[she] has been incredible so far and has been a real trooper. We've [...] had her running up and down these halls screaming, throwing blood on her, throwing vomit on her, throwing guts on her and she's held up so far."[15] Tobin Bell was cast as Dr. Mitchell Allen in February[16] and Matt Cohen as Laura's brother Henry in March.[17] Bell modeled his portrayal after Dick Cheney.[9]

The special effects were handled by Quantum Creation FX, who were involved with the project throughout the entire duration of filming. Ten artisans and technicians were involved in creating severed heads, puppets, prosthetic makeup, and gore gags.[18] The killer's mask was designed by Jerad S. Marantz,[19] and the Boogeyman itself was based on Betancourt's own childhood fears, with "skeletal things and bird corpses" as inspiration for its skin texture.[8]

Boogeyman 2 made at least $2,484,219 from its domestic video sales[3] and a further $1,798,418 from its international releases, bringing the total gross to $4,282,637.[4]

Like the original film, Boogeyman 2 was also panned by critics, with most critics noting its terrible writing, predictable plot, overuse of jumpscares and unlikable characters as its biggest faults. Brandon Ciampaglia of IGN described it as "yet another stupid horror film" and gave it a score of 4/10.[26] Ryan Turek of ComingSoon.net criticized the story, characters, and lack of suspense, but found the film more entertaining than the original, with better acting than it deserved. He added that despite the movie's low budget, "[Betancourt] has hashed together a fine-looking film that’s technically competent."[27] Tristan Sinns of Dread Central awarded it two out of five stars, criticizing it for not featuring the mythological Boogeyman and having unsympathetic characters but praising the death scenes as "rather creative."[28]

Positive reviews praised the film for presenting a more realistic approach to the Boogeyman and eschewing CGI, both of which were considered improvements over its predecessor. Its death scenes were highly praised for being extremely violent and gory. Many reviewers also recognized that the film exceeded their expectations despite its direct-to-video status and low budget. Shawn Lealos of CHUD.com gave the film a score of 6.8 out of ten, stating that it was "a very solid little horror flick that forgoes the ridiculous CGI and hokum supernatural aspects of the first movie, as well as the restraints of PG-13."[29] In a similar review, Matthew Stern of PopMatters praised the film in comparison to its predecessor, giving it eight stars out of ten, with a consensus reading: "A film that bucks the stigma of direct-to-DVD sequels, this unyieldingly dark and bloody feature will surprise you, especially if you were unfortunate enough to catch the first one."[30] David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews also praised Boogeyman 2 over the first film, particularly for its "satisfying kill sequences" and an entertaining supporting cast. While he criticized the middle half as "uneventful," he felt that the film "recovers nicely for a surprisingly enthralling third act" and gave it 2.5/4 stars.[31]