The Bye Bye Man (D or .5/4 stars)
"Don't think it! Don't say it". That is the cautionary phrase that dominates 'The Bye Bye Man' (a horror/thriller flick directed by Stacy Title). In a 1969-set prologue {best part of the entire film}, deranged journalist Larry Redman (Leigh Whannel) grabs his shotgun & goes on a shooting rampage; killing 8(!) neighbors along with himself. Action cuts to the present, as 3 University of Wisconsin students – nerdy Elliot (Douglas Smith), his sexy girlfriend Sasha (Cressida Bonas) & his best pal, a jock named John (Lucien Laviscount) – rent a large decrepit house in Madison so they can live off-campus. Then ... strannnnggge things start occurring.
There are mysterious inscriptions in his bedside table {Don't think it. Don't say it --and the name Bye Bye Man is written beneath}. No one knows what that it could mean, but, at a housewarming party, Sasha's psychic friend Kim (Jenna Karnell) conducts a seance which reveals a supernatural, malevolent presence. Elliot connects this to the 'Bye Bye Man' mantra as his paranoia grows & grows. Soon enough, Elliot glimpses a mysterious & ghastly monster (Doug Jones, of Pan’s Labyrinth), which gets inside the 3 friends' heads; he makes them see & believe what he wants - leading to sinister goings-on. Before too long, people start dying in horrific fashion, & poor Elliot starts searching for ways to stop this vicious cycle. Standard horror tropes ensue.
Blahhhh. Most horror flicks are bad ... and this one is no different. Whether the issue was the puzzling script or the production itself, something went very wrong. After an intriguing & terrifying opening sequence (the suburbia one set in 1969), I became thoroughly bored; and the tepid proceedings quickly devolve into a series of scenes in which some not-very-likeable start saying & doing STUPID things that people in ordinary life would never do ... ugh. Character conversations are bizarre & forced; just inflicting pushing plot info upon us audience members. Vet actors like Faye Dunaway & Carrie-Anne Moss can't even save this.
The scary stuff - taken from The Ring, Final Destination et al - is pathetic, despite Doug Jones' portraying the title villain; Doug Jones is typically great in these horror outings. The Bye Bye Man's combo of piss-poor special effects, hackneyed horror techniques, & sketchy make-up designs make this films feel like it was plucked from some dusty old shelf in a movie studio. 'Bad movie' fans might get a chuckle at such things like: watching characters drive a car without EVER looking at the road. But really, this is just a 'bad movie' to skip. The jump-scares are predictable. Tension is lacking. Just say adios to 'The Bye Bye Man' before you even begin.
There are mysterious inscriptions in his bedside table {Don't think it. Don't say it --and the name Bye Bye Man is written beneath}. No one knows what that it could mean, but, at a housewarming party, Sasha's psychic friend Kim (Jenna Karnell) conducts a seance which reveals a supernatural, malevolent presence. Elliot connects this to the 'Bye Bye Man' mantra as his paranoia grows & grows. Soon enough, Elliot glimpses a mysterious & ghastly monster (Doug Jones, of Pan’s Labyrinth), which gets inside the 3 friends' heads; he makes them see & believe what he wants - leading to sinister goings-on. Before too long, people start dying in horrific fashion, & poor Elliot starts searching for ways to stop this vicious cycle. Standard horror tropes ensue.
Blahhhh. Most horror flicks are bad ... and this one is no different. Whether the issue was the puzzling script or the production itself, something went very wrong. After an intriguing & terrifying opening sequence (the suburbia one set in 1969), I became thoroughly bored; and the tepid proceedings quickly devolve into a series of scenes in which some not-very-likeable start saying & doing STUPID things that people in ordinary life would never do ... ugh. Character conversations are bizarre & forced; just inflicting pushing plot info upon us audience members. Vet actors like Faye Dunaway & Carrie-Anne Moss can't even save this.
The scary stuff - taken from The Ring, Final Destination et al - is pathetic, despite Doug Jones' portraying the title villain; Doug Jones is typically great in these horror outings. The Bye Bye Man's combo of piss-poor special effects, hackneyed horror techniques, & sketchy make-up designs make this films feel like it was plucked from some dusty old shelf in a movie studio. 'Bad movie' fans might get a chuckle at such things like: watching characters drive a car without EVER looking at the road. But really, this is just a 'bad movie' to skip. The jump-scares are predictable. Tension is lacking. Just say adios to 'The Bye Bye Man' before you even begin.