Kids are taught almost from the very beginning to be afraid of the Boogeyman. An entity or force of unparalleled evil, no one can clearly define what it is or what it looks like, allowing our own imaginations to run wild with all of our worst fears. Now, imagine putting the thing we are afraid of most in the hands of Stephen King, and you have a good idea why The Boogeyman could be the scariest movie of the summer.

Based on a Stephen King short story, The Boogeyman is directed by Rob Savage, who broke out with the supernatural pandemic horror, Host. Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, and Vivien Lyra Blair star as a grieving family who find themselves under attack by an evil spirit that attacks those already in pain.

This film has been a long time coming. King’s story was published in 1973, and in 2018 a film adaptation led by A Quiet Place screenwriting duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods was launched. However, it was canceled thanks to the Disney acquisition of Fox, as so many projects were.  Mark Heyman took over the screenplay although Beck and Woods retain story credits.

Also in the cast are Marin Ireland, LisaGay Hamilton, Madison Hu, and David Dastmalchian.

The Boogeyman hits theaters on June 2nd.

High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister Sawyer are reeling from the recent death of their mother and aren’t getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims.