‘The Boogeyman’ might be sitting well with critics, but its most ghastly sin is more damaging than you think

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for The Boogeyman.

As the latest installment in the Stephen King adaptation craze, the supernatural spectacle The Boogeyman is currently sitting with both a fair critics’ and audience score over on Rotten Tomatoes. Adding on, a variety of critics have hailed the fresh-faced horror film as “one of the most terrifying” of the year. And while the spine-tingling project emphasizes monsters that go bump in the night, all of the fear hasn’t stopped eagle-eyed viewers from calling out the movie’s most ghastly sin.

Based on the 1973 short story from King, Rob Savage’s film adaptation centers around two sisters, Sadie and Sawyer, who are dealing with the unexpected death of their mother. At the same time, their father Will, a therapist in his own right, is having a difficult time overcoming the loss. As a result, Will is incredibly absent, both physically and mentally, for most of the movie. And of course, Redditors weren’t going to let that slide for one second.

Over on the r/horror subreddit, an official thread was created so that passionate horror fanatics who have already watched the film can chime in with their two cents. And while a fair share of commenters are praising the movie’s performances, character design, and cinematography, a vast majority of horror fans questioned where the girls’ father is during most of the scenes inside the house. With doors slamming and the children screaming, it’s truly a head-scratcher as to why Will never comes running out of his bedroom to help.

When you think about it, the idea of their father being emotionally distant is completely damaging for two daughters who just lost their mother. In the end, the trio does reconcile and attends therapy together, but that’s only after all three of them are nearly slaughtered by the Boogeyman. Yikes.

The Boogeyman is playing in theaters now.