‘We’re constantly trying to fight the unknown’

Chris Messina, the star of the new horror movie ‘The Boogeyman’, doesn’t believe in the existence of malevolent beings but said that one has to contend with personal struggles and inner demons on a daily basis.

The Rob Savage directorial is based on celebrated author Stephen King’s 1973 short story of the same title. It was released in Indian theatres on Friday.

Messina, known for films and shows ‘Ruby Sparks’, ‘Birds of Prey’, ‘The Newsroom’ and ‘The Mindy Project’, said that there is a certain fear that people carry within themselves and that’s what the film tries to explore through the horror genre.

“I don’t believe in the Boogeyman, but I believe we all have fears that we carry with us. It has been a part of our lives, where we were born and the circumstances. And so, I believe that we’re constantly up against that and trying to fight through the unknown that I believe in. But I do believe that through the fears and the darkness, there is a great light,” the 48-year-old actor told the top news agency in a virtual interview.

Adapted by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods of ‘A Quiet Place’ fame, ‘The Boogeyman’ focuses on the Harper family, where Will (Messina), a grief-struck therapist, is indifferent to his children, Sadie and Sawyer, in the wake of their mother’s death.

When a desperate patient shows up unexpectedly at their house asking for help, he ends up bringing in a terrifying entity that preys on the family and their grief.

As a father of two, Messina said that he identified with his character’s struggles as a parent.

“I related to those ups and downs of trying to be a good parent. In this situation, this family’s stuck in grief and they don’t know how to move forward. So that was a really interesting thing to tackle as an actor. How come this pretty successful therapist is good at talking to people but can’t talk to his daughters? And I found out from many therapists that they were better suited for other people’s problems and not their own,” the actor added.

‘The Boogeyman’ had a great deal of humanity to it, which is why the actor said that he agreed to be a part of the movie.

“How can these people deal with their griefs and in a sense, their own Boogeyman? Although there’s a really scary monster in this movie, the Boogeyman is really inside of them and what they’re choosing to deal with or not,” the actor said.

For Messina, who has built a filmography that includes titles as varied as ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’, ‘Julia and Julia’, ‘Ruby Sparks’, ‘Argo’, ‘I Care A Lot’ and most recently ‘Air’, the people behind the camera and those he is sharing the screen space with matter a lot.

“The more you trust the people that are involved, the freer you are as an actor. You can prepare it and come do the work every day. And when there are great folks all around, in front of the camera and behind the camera, in both ‘The Boogeyman’ and ‘Air’, they take care of you. You don’t have to worry about it. So, you’re free as an actor with the way they shoot you, the way they edit you and then the actor opposite you. All of that stuff makes you better. So, I try to work with the best people I can if I’m lucky enough,” he said.

‘The Boogeyman’ also stars Sophie Thatcher, Vivien Lyra Blair, Marin Ireland, Madison Hu, LisaGay Hamilton and David Dastmalchian. The movie was released in the country by ‘20th Century Studios India’.