STX has dropped the first trailer for The Bye Bye Man, a new horror flick due out June 3.
As a lot of these low-budget creepshows have boasted lately, this one is "based on true events." Three Wisconsin college students have to face down the titular boogeyman, who infiltrates the minds of the weak and encourages them to commit violence. That's been the premise of lots of great spine tinglers, notably The Shining and A Nightmare on Elm Street. This one offers up the added bonus of being rooted somewhat in reality.
The film is based on a short story with a much better title ("The Bridge to Body Island") and hails from Academy Award nominee Stacy Title. And though they aren't featured much in the trailer, the cast also includes Carrie-Anne Moss (Daredevil) and Faye Dunaway (Network). Hopefully they can overcome that title to deliver a truly terrifying experience.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
