Interview with the Boogeyman: A Monster for All Times

By Benjamin S Jeffries

He is every nightmare you've ever had and every fright made flesh. He is the most feared villain in the history of the world, haunting us past childhood, lingering in the background of the darkest recesses of our souls. Now--for the first time ever--meet the infamous Boogeyman as he steps out of the darkness and into the limelight. Written in a clever interview style, this whimsical, funny, informative, and scary biographical history of the world's greatest fiend takes the reader on an escapade into terror that began in the dank world of the Dimmuborgir Lava Fields in Iceland and culminates in the surreal landscape of today's modern monsters. From folklore to contemporary horror, through a series of engaging questions, diary entries, and author research, the evolution of the Boogeyman continues to develop as he takes credit here for the most disturbing and bloodthirsty creatures ever to scare us silly. And if you find the cover of this book glows in the dark, lock your doors and windows--it means the boogeyman is watching.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764353071
• ISBN13: 9780764353079
• Release Date: July 2017
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Fear Personified Makes For Fascinating Reading!

The personification of all that is most feared has been present in the form of the boogeyman for countless generations, ever since cavemen cowered in fear at seeing shadows against the wall from unknown creatures lurking in wait to pounce upon them while they slept. Benjamin S. Jeffries, author of Lost in the Darkness: Life Inside the World’s Most Haunted Prisons, Hospitals and Asylums, Grim Shadows Falling: Haunting Tales from Terrifying Places and Vile: Peeking Under the Skin of Murderers now brings us the riveting drama of Beelzebub incarnate, in a range of distorted forms stretching across the centuries, and first given literary form in the epic saga, Beowulf, in the shape of Grendel and his hideous and unremittingly evil mother. Jeffries shows how, over the ages, the concept of what was originally the Boogg, a medieval creature symbolizing both winter and death, came to be rendered in many different guises, including that of the Pied Piper of Hamlin and of flesh-eating vampires that were nothing like the glamorous Bram Stoker version. Despite the reference to an interview in the title, most of Interview with the Boogeyman: A Monster for all Times is, in fact, written in straightforward narrative form: the interview with Tenebris, the Boogeyman, serving as an introduction to the remainder of the text. The initial interview format is not only contemporary in its approach, but it also leads into a celebration of the fully fleshed out ‘man’ himself. Jeffries’ approach is direct and startling, providing fascinating insights into how the conceptualization of the Boogeyman changed in both adults’ and children’s minds over the years. Although clearly glorying in the dark and forbidding nature of his tale, Jeffries goes far beyond the bounds of mere emotional appeal to explore the rationale behind the various guises assumed by the Boogeyman, seeing them as manifestations of cultural differences across the world. Fear is all-pervasive, even in the modern day, leading to a more technologically sophisticated version of the ancient monster, but one that is, nevertheless, still omnipresent. Interview with the Boogeyman is clearly signposted throughout with insightful chapter titles, and numerous straightforward headings that clearly indicate the nature of the contents to be covered in the following paragraphs, with most being focused on the various apparitions involved (“The Black Annis” and “The Dullahan” being two instances of the same—with the latter being, notably, anything but ‘dull’). The text is well illustrated with black-and-white drawings and facsimiles of paintings, adding, in many cases, to the gruesomeness of the text. Jeffries revels in the written text, and had a vast body of material at his disposal. Undaunted by the need to cover such a wide field, as he delves into the subject from West to East to back again, his logical and carefully structured presentation provides an understandable, and coherent, way into the world of the macabre. Yet there is also levity in the work, as the Boogeyman is seen not only to be a fearsome creature, but one who also has a keen sense of humor, being quite capable of making a wisecrack or two. (He claims, for instance, that Stephen Spielberg owes him royalties for his purloining of the concept of gremlins from him.) Interview with the Boogeyman: A Monster for all Times is fully capable of stirring the imagination, as well as chilling the backbone, of any reader who is drawn to unravelling the impetus behind the darker side of life. Delving into the character of the essentially unknowable and unfathomable provides a springboard for the imagination, so that all who possess a creative instinct would do well to heed the dire implications of this text.