PopHorror Let's Get Scared
NOTE: This interview was conducted before the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist. PopHorror fully supports the WGA and SAG-AFTRA and their efforts.
Earlier this summer, another film adaptation of a Stephen King (It Chapter Two 2019) creation hit the big screen: The Boogeyman. Directed by Rob Savage and written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, the film follows high schooler Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher, Blink 2022 [our review]) and her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair, Obi-Wan Kenobi 2022), who are mourning the death of their mother. However, after a desperate patient of their therapist father Will (Chris Messina, Devil 2010) shows up at the Harpers’ home — and leaves behind an evil entity — the girls have something else to worry about.
Naturally, the latest film adaptation of King’s 1973 short story needs to include a Boogeyman that terrifies the Harpers and audiences alike. Up to the task was FOLKS VFX supervisor Jonathan Piche-Delorme and head of creatures/senior CG supervisor Gabriel Beauvais, who collaborated with producers, executives and the director to create a unique and haunting design.
PopHorror recently conducted an interview via email with Piche-Delorme and Beauvais, who shared details on the intricate process of bringing the Boogeyman to life.
Note: There are mile spoilers in the images below if you haven’t seen the film yet.
PopHorror: Tell me a little about the history/background of FOLKS VFX.
Jonathan Piche-Delorme and Gabriel Beauvais: FOLKS was created in Montreal in 2012 by a group of friends and VFX artists who wanted to establish a human-sized workplace where they could have a real impact on the projects they worked on (Founding Team). With the same vision, FOLKS has since opened studios in Toronto, Bogotá, Saguenay, and Mumbai.
For The Boogeyman, both our Montreal studio, with 180 shots, and our Bogotá studio, with 25 shots, worked to create the creature, the rotten vines (which we called the black rot), and realistic fire effects, in addition to replacing hair, fixing wigs, and ensuring continuity.
PopHorror: How did you come to be involved with The Boogeyman? And what made you want to get involved in the project?
Jonathan Piche-Delorme: [Visual effects producer] Christina and [visual effects supervisor] Paul Graff approached me with an offer to participate in their upcoming project. Given my positive past experiences collaborating with them, it was an easy decision to accept. We checked with the team at FOLKS to see if it was a project that we could handle, and it was a good fit for us.
Gabriel Beauvais: We were fortunate to be involved in the project right from the beginning, which allowed us to take charge of both the design and the final output. When we came on board, a few ideas were already being considered, but the production team wanted to hear more ideas. Initially, I felt a bit anxious when I saw the concepts from artists I deeply admire. However, I transformed that unease into a positive drive, seeing it as an opportunity to rise to the challenge.
PopHorror: What went into creating the design of The Boogeyman?
Jonathan Piche-Delorme and Gabriel Beauvais: As mentioned, when we started the project, there were already several existing concepts, but none of them met the team’s vision. While we understood what didn’t work, we still had to come up with the right concept. We began the design phase by working closely with our art and asset departments. The sculptural process is highly important as it enables us to focus on the creature’s overall shape and size before diving into finer details.
For our creature’s eyes, we drew inspiration from the anatomical structure and shape of a cat’s eye, aiming to achieve a realistic appearance when reflecting the light.
For the animation of the creature, we were fortunate to have access to video files provided by Rob, which served as a valuable source of inspiration for multiple scenes. The Boogeyman exhibited various qualities, such as orangutan-like characteristics, arachnid features, and even elements reminiscent of predatory wolves or human traits. These diverse influences contributed to the unique and dynamic nature of our work.
PopHorror: How would you describe the final design? Did the look of it change/evolve at all throughout the creation process?
Jonathan Piche-Delorme and Gabriel Beauvais: A mummy-like creature, halfway between the human, the animal, and the supernatural form. What would best describe our creature is the creature within the creature.
PopHorror: Can you tell me more about the fight sequence between The Boogeyman and live actors, and what went into creating that?
Jonathan Piche-Delorme and Gabriel Beauvais: One of the most challenging aspects of this project was the big fight scene, specifically the sequence where Sadie is thrown to the ground by The Boogeyman, and the soul string materializes between them. Capturing the essence of that moment proved to be a demanding task.
The close-up shot of The Boogeyman’s true face, revealing a creature within a creature, added another layer of complexity. This specific CFX shot spanned approximately 1,000 frames and required intricate animation work. It involved two characters interacting within two adjacent worlds, presenting significant challenges in animation, composition, and lighting.
PopHorror: There have been several Boogeyman movies over the years. What sets your design apart from the rest?
Jonathan Piche-Delorme and Gabriel Beauvais: What sets our design apart might not be our creature design, but Rob’s concept of The Boogeyman: the creature within the creature. As we mentioned earlier, we can see The Boogeyman in between our dimension and another supernatural dimension, being himself a portal to another creature.
We used the idea of the hands acting as both the teeth of the creature on the outside and the hands of the true face on the inside, opening its jaws to get out. This creates a terrifying result.
PopHorror: Final question since we’re PopHorror.com…what’s your favorite scary movie?
Jonathan Piche-Delorme: I am not a big horror movie fan, so I do not have a long list of references. But, there is a series of three movies, Fear Street (1966, 1978, 1994), that I really liked. I also worked on those three films. Otherwise, Gore Verbinski’s The Ring is one of the few horror films I’ve seen, and I liked it.
Gabriel Beauvais: For my part, I would say House of 1000 Corpses by Rob Zombie. The art direction is very sharp, which makes it a beautiful film to watch.
Thank you, Jonathan and Gabriel, for the interview! The Boogeyman is still playing in select theaters.
