Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I've detailed in previous posts my feelings about the current state of children's television. And while the Disney Channel is the main culprit, I do long for 1999 again when Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs) were at their peak. Sure, they were cheesy and full of head-scratching character decisions, but we loved them anyway because the protagonists were just like us.Don't Look Under the Bed follows Frances (Erin Chambers), a teenage girl living in a small town where, one day, strange things start happening. Dogs are on the roof, the high school's pool is filled with gelatin, and the letter "B" is spray painted all over town. Everyone is convinced that it's Frances who's pulling these pranks, but she befriends Larry Houdini (Ty Hodges)--an imaginary person who only she can see--who informs her that the Boogeyman is framing her. So she tries to figure out why he seems to have a bone to pick with her.The film is full of twists and has some fun scenes that actually hold up fairly well considering the age of the movie and the target demographic.Not that it's not without a little schmaltz, but believe it or not, compared to its counterparts, Don't Look Under the Bed isn't terribly cloying at all--possibly due to the fact that it's directed by Kenneth Johnson--the creator of The Bionic Woman and The Incredible Hulk TV series. Whatever the reason, if you saw this movie as a child, chances are it stuck with you.It's Disney Channel's only PG-rated DCOM--and for a good reason. The scenes with the Boogeyman are seriously creepy. They still haunt me to this day. However, they never make the film lose its youthful essence. Rather, it may be more appealing since it fails to insult its young audience. There's a good enough balance between the macabre and the jovial to maintain its fun nature.The issues it deals with may not be the deepest, but it's no Dude, Where's My Car either. The themes include deep-rooted denial and growing up too fast. It gets its point across without feeling overly preachy. And even older audiences will find the intrinsic emotions relatable and may cause them to conjure up fond memories of their own childhood--much in a Toy Story type of way.In the last 15 minutes, the characters venture into Boogeyland, which is a real highlight to this movie. The world that the filmmakers create is so spooky and detailed that we feel like we're there too. We wait throughout the whole story to find out where the Boogeyman goes when he's not creating chaos, and the answer definitely lives up to our expectations.The film's biggest pitfall is its lead actress. She's alright when she's just conversing with other characters, but as soon as she shows any kind of grand emotion, her conviction is nowhere to be found.But the plot holes are scarce and mostly towards the beginning, so we grant it forgiveness during its final act--which may the single greatest ending to any DCOM. In Don't Look Under the Bed the characters have a lot to lose, and while so many others of its kind take the easy way out, this one really works for it.Twizard Rating: 84

This is the BEST Disney channel movie you will ever see. In fact, this is the only Disney channel movie you should watch. Screw High School Musical. This movie has fantastic graphics, acting, it is just wonderful. Seriously, Disney channel should air this every Friday or Saturday night, because it is just an amazing movie. If you are ever lucky enough to catch this movie on t.v. don NOT just flip past it and go to something you think is better because there is a 94 percent chance it isn't. This movie is the PERFECT Halloween film. It has ever vital ingredient to entertain you for more than the hour and a half it is. Anyway, watch Don't Look Under the Bed, C'est super!

Eric Ty Hodges is pretty cool so I thought I'd watch it to see how he was. And it wasn't half bad. The jokes are funny and it's kind of spooky at times. Not like "having-nightmares-for-a-month" scary, but fun-scary. The whole boogey-man thing was a stretch, but the "boogey-goo" thing was hilarious. In the end, (SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!) when they find out that the boogey-man was really a fairy that the girl didn't believe in anymore, the fairy/boogeyman was pretty dang hot. Too bad we didn't get to see more of her. That was probably the best part of the movie. But if you ever see this showing on Disney Channel, it's actually worth watching. So watch it. You'll have fun.

Spoilers herein.What fascinates me about film is how robust it is. There are lots of approaches, and many work.One approach is to center everything on archetypical (often stereotypical) faces. Then the plot and camera are all turned to the service of working the mental links those faces induce. That's the approach with much on TeeVee, and is the case here. One of these faces is so remarkable, I at first wondered whether it had been altered (beyond the makeup that is).Redheaded Erin Chambers has one of those exploitable faces, and that's what motivates this project. She occupies a place on the cute side of Molly Ringwald, less perky than Judy Garland and more Irish than Alicia Witt. She acts well enough to survive in this kind of work.One wonders what is in that head? Such a face drives away from real acting, both in the types of projects it attracts and in the cheap shortcuts it allows. It will be interesting to follow.