My Boyfriend the Boogeyman possesses a charm that carries it through its short runtime. The mixture of humor and apprehension helps create a balanced tone for the film. There’s always a certain caution when addressing the boogeyman.

For example, there is a greatly edited sequence where the unseen boogeyman devours a plate of food that utilizes a stop motion editing technique. We see a closeup of the plate, followed by a series of brief cuts that show the food disappear, chomp by chomp. This is accompanied by humorous sound effects.

The film also plays with the role of silence to not only create suspense but also build the relationship between the main character and the boogeyman.

In one scene, someone knocks at the door asking the main character if he wants to go grab drinks. He stalls, looks at his bed, pauses, and then replies that he can’t. It is easily believable that the boogeyman is replying to him, albeit unheard by the audience.

Jealousy and attraction play heavily in the film. From the first frames, it is established that the two have a relationship of sorts, which psychologically gains traction as the film advances to its interesting conclusion (I won’t spoil it). The scope of the relationship can be open to interpretation, but the one that seems most apparent is that of a romantic connection. Given director Nikhail Asnani’s use of actors or characters who represent gender and sexual identities not commonly represented in horror, it can be easily believed that the characters are of the same gender or sexual persuasion; this is also evident in the film’s title. This interpretation heightens the scene previously mentioned, where the boogeyman may appear jealous of anyone sharing time with the person of its affection.

Lastly, as in Asnani’s avant-garde film Hello, My Boyfriend the Boogeyman effectively uses one location for the production. While narrative momentum could have been improved by introducing a few more characters or other locations, this is a small quibble that doesn’t affect the overall tone of the film.

Overall, My Boyfriend the Boogeyman is an enjoyable short film that shows promise for its young director.