Only this time, he’s not fighting for himself, but for his family
Narrative
When a dark threat from his childhood comes back to haunt him, a father desperately battles his deepest inner fear. This is the first PG-13 horror film since Opsjednuta (2012) to feature the Lionsgate Red Gears logo. Patrick McKee: Ever since we moved back, I’ve been excited about Jake being kidnapped.
Bagman is basically the definition of a generic horror film
Almost everything it tries has been done before, and audiences are sick of those cliches. An evil entity tries to lure a young child away from parents who are too clueless to do anything about it. There are cheap thrills, weak shock moments, silly characters, and a child who sounds eerily similar to Gage Creed from Pet Sematary (1989).
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is the parents’ irrational behavior
If your child seems to be in danger and there are multiple break-ins into your house, you would make sure to stay close to your child. However, these parents do a remarkable job of ignoring their child or keeping a considerable distance, allowing the creature to enter the house undisturbed. There’s also the typical barrage of exposition and one of the most generic modern horror plots imaginable.
While there were some moments I appreciated, overall it’s far from good
Honestly, though, I kind of liked the creature and I think there was potential to make a decent horror film with it as the antagonist. Unfortunately, the film fails to stand out from all the subpar horror films being released today, so it’s hard to imagine many people will like it. [5.2/10]