The Boogeyman director says streaming release would have been "a travesty"
Rob Savage's new film was set to go straight to Hulu in the US – but that changed thanks to a positive test screening and the input of Stephen King.
A new Stephen King movie arrives on the big screen this weekend, with Host director Rob Savage taking the reigns on an adaptation of the legendary horror writer's iconic short story The Boogeyman.
The film had originally been slated to go straight to streaming – on Hulu in the US – but a theatrical release was decided upon after a positive test screening last December and the input of King himself.
And Savage has affirmed that he always felt that the big screen was the right place for the movie, explaining during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com that "it would be a travesty if this movie had ended up on Hulu."
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He continued: "It was shot and designed... and the performances... they all belong on the big screen. I don't for a second believe that anyone who's making a streaming movie shoots with that in mind, you know.
"The only time I've ever worked that way is with Host, because I knew that people would be watching on a laptop during lockdown, but that was a very specific movie at a very specific time in our lives."
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He added that although he "never told anyone" at the time, he always had a "sneaking suspicion" the film would end up in cinemas thanks to King's name and the impressive cast – which includes Chris Messina and Yellowjackets star Sophie Thatcher.
"[Then] after our first test screening, it was kind of a no-brainer," he said. "And then King said exactly the same thing. We played it to him at his local cinema and he wrote a lovely essay note about how much he loved the movie, but it ended with ‘the studio would be f**king idiots if they didn't put this on the big screen.’ What more can you say?”
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Aside from helping the film secure a theatrical release, King's approval clearly meant a great deal to Savage – who is directing his first major studio film after finding success with both Host and his low-budget follow-up Dashcam.
“It was really the only opinion that I cared about," he said. "Well, maybe that's not true, but it was a huge deal not only that he liked the movie, but he felt that we kind of had understood and added something to the short story in the adaptation.
"I knew that he was a fan of the script because he'd read our draft just before we started shooting and was really enthusiastic about it, and he would even mention it in interviews when he was publicising his new book.
"So I knew that if he didn't like the movie version of it, that was all on me, because it was me directing that script. So it was a real relief when he came back loving it so much!"
The Boogeyman is released in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd June 2023. Visit our Film hub for the latest news and features. If you're looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.
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