🎬"The Boogeyman" by Stephen King

"The Boogeyman" by Stephen King, read by Mattie Overall.
From the master of things that go bump in the night, today's tale is about fear, guilt, loss...and what may be hidden in the back of your closet, just waiting to meet you when the lights are out 😱
00:02:22 - Story starts
#TheBoogeyman #StephenKing #MattiesStoryland
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[@jenniferk9242]

I just can't get over how great your storytelling is. Wonderful voice and you really bring me right into the story. Not too animated, just perfect for the words being spoken. You are truly gifted and I wish you much success!

[@MattiesStoryland]

You are very kind, Jennifer. That is such wonderful praise. I certainly hope you continue to enjoy my videos 📺

[@lynnhathaway3755]

This is one of my favorite short stories by Stephen King. This one and Mrs. Todd's Shortcut.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you Lynn, you're fantastic! I'm very sorry to have been so tardy in my response; I have been a little unwell of late and am only now starting to catch up on things. Speaking of which, I now have a few more of your comments to address 😄

[@archiesinclair6252]

Always liked this - and Mrs T S.....and Gramma.

[@juneroberts5305]

As a youngster, this story scared the living daylights out of me. I kept my closet locked for months, and opening it to get something out was an exercise in willpower. 😳 Fantastic reading - now excuse me while I go lock the closet doors...

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you, June. It is indeed a wonderful story, and never fails to give me the willies.

[@swankyspoon]

Me too! Seventh grade teacher read it to us. No book, movie, etc. has ever terrified so much.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Right? King has mastered the art of telling us just enough to let our imaginations complete the picture in the most terrifying manner.

[@danwilliams1920]

Well, Mattie, I just couldn't hold out for it. I listened today at dialysis, and it made at least one half hour fly by. When I got home about an hour ago, I listened again with my wife. She enjoys your narration as well - we listened to _Flowers For Algernon_ together a week ago, and she was instantly taken by you. I want you to know how flattered I am that you did this, clearly weighing the negative of having to speak certain words. I know I'm not the only reason you did it - you clearly love the story yourself. But to know I was a factor in your decision to go ahead with it has me smiling from ear to ear. It really is my favorite King short. Thanks again. And what a fantastic reading, as always. You do a great Lester Billings! 😊

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you Dan, both for the compliment and especially for the original request. Without it, who knows when (if ever) I would have gotten around to this wonderful story. I had a great time reading it, and I have you to thank for that. Very sorry to hear about the dialysis - I hope 2023 is good to you (and of course your wife).

[@aleahlune]

You did AMAZING. I often like to listen as i read and you did such an amazing job! The way you subtly differentiate between voices and express emotion is better than most audiobooks that I have paid for. The fact that I got this for free I'm so impressed. Please do more!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you very much, Aleah. I'm dealing with a few technical issues at the moment, so I'm afraid I can't post as much as I'd wish...but I'll do my best 😀

[@RogerLewis-ey2tt]

Damn, Mattie. You're good. I'm glad I didn't listen to this at night!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks Roger 😀 Mr. King certainly knows his stuff.

[@jakobbeelar]

Only read a couple of Mr King's novels front to back, and a good amount of his shorter works. Honestly don't go out of my way to get to deep into his stuff, but this is by far one of my favorite stories period. Didn't know about it till the movie trailer, found out it was a short, and while looking for an update on the movie, and found this. Absolutely amazing reading voice, and am definitely subscribing

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks Jakob, I'm very glad you enjoyed the reading. I do rather love King's short stories; he is truly a master storyteller. I hope the movie version of "The Boogeyman" turns out well, though from what I have read it is quite different from the source material. There are a few of his novellas that I often find myself rereading too, such as "The Mist", "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and "The Running Man" (very different indeed from the Schwarzenegger movie, and one we'll likely never see a more accurate portrayal of given the ending and the occurrence of two decades past - has it really been that long?). I am often drawn back to a number of his novels as well, like "The Stand", "The Shining" and "The Talisman". In the shorter stories I love the atmosphere King creates, and the twists and terrors; in the longer, I love the characters. At the moment I listen to an audiobook version of his "Dark Tower" series whilst on my walks. I'm about half way through and thoroughly enjoying it. Anyway, thank you both for the comment and for the subscription.

[@tigerfly1000]

My favorite reading of this! Very talented. I instantly subscribed.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you TF, for both the compliment and the subscription. I don't upload frequently I'm afraid, but I hope you enjoy what slowly trickles out.

[@coldmanblues1446]

I left a comment after about 10 minutes of watching this saying that it was good. But now that I've watched the entire thing, I've got to say that I'm totally blown away! This guy is awesome he's a great actor and great story teller. I'm just blown away 😮 I've listened to several different people read this Stephen King short story but this is by far my favorite reading 😁😁👍👍👏👏👏

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you again, CMB. I'm so glad you enjoyed it; it certainly was a lot of fun to make 🙂

[@tylerharding8250]

Very scary! I got so inspired by this story that I’ve started writing a story where this guy kills monsters and the first one was the boogeyman who was heavily inspired by this story!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you Tyler, I'm glad you were inspired 😀 I applaud your decision to write, and wholeheartedly approve of your taking inspiration from Stephen King himself (a true master of storytelling). Best of luck with your story!

[@LeroyLupton]

Great reading! More Stephen King shorts please 🙏🏻

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you Leroy, and I will absolutely read more King (when you say "shorts", I imagine you mean "short stories" and not KZbin Shorts?)

[@mariadelcielocaceresalarco9323]

As an English student I can say that your storytelling is amazing, my mother tongue is Spanish but the way you said the words were pretty easy to understand. I loved this❤.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you María, that is very gratifying to hear. Aprecio mucho tu comentario (I definitely Googled that, and absolutely do NOT speak Spanish 😄).

[@silverscreenpsychopathy]

Excellent read. 👍

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you SSP, it was certainly a pleasure to narrate. I'm very glad you enjoyed it.

[@ChloeScout]

Reccomendations: "The Coffin" by Ray Bradbury "The Late Shift" by Dennis Etchison

[@MattiesStoryland]

Great recommendations! Thank you, Chloe 😀

[@lovepet4565]

I met Mr King at a bookshop in 1977 was 16 I argued with him about the source for the town in Maine Salems lot. I told him Id heard of a town haunted abandoned up in Maine at summer camp. It was funny his reaction to my obnoxious 16 year old fan self

[@MattiesStoryland]

Amazing story 😄 I'm not sure I'd have been able to blurt out much more than a "hello".

[@lovepet4565]

@@MattiesStoryland well, i WAS a very outgoing teen, I ended up majoring in English Lit in college. So, books were my fantasy escape. Plus, living in Maine every summer for camp and hearing every scary story, I assumed I knew something! Also Mr King was a nobody writer then. Not the legend he is today, he was all alone in back of the bookstore, and i felt emboldened!!

[@sanpellegrinolimonata]

Thank you for the wonderful video!!

[@MattiesStoryland]

My pleasure, San P. Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@coldmanblues1446]

Very good reading sir 👍👏👏👏

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you, CMB.

[@Mr.Titanium1911]

Well done, sir.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you, Mr. T 😀

[@blackwidowspider9852]

When I 1st read that my goodness I had to keep the closet door open and the light on I think I was 13 years old Thank you you did a wonderful job the ending you made it scary

[@MattiesStoryland]

A truly tragic and terrifying tale of trauma, tension, torture and torment 😄 Thanks for watching and sharing, BWS.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Oh, man, bravo! This is the second video of yours I listen to, and I must say, you're way better than most audiobook narrators I've heard so far. The only one that even compares to you is Stephen Fry on the Harry Potter audio books. You're in good company indeed. Subscription and bell well deserved. Thank you so much for bringing this story to life. Sounds even better than it does in my head when I read it.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you ETDA, you are very generous with your praise 😄 Stephen Fry is a god amongst men (I am aware of the inherent irony there) and I cannot imagine there is anything that I can do nearly as well as him. I do very much appreciate the compliment, though. I'm glad you subscribed, and hope you enjoy at least a few of my future narrations.

[@glebs-ko8912]

That was awesome! Thank you for this narration

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you very much, G. It was entirely my pleasure 😀

[@sarahbartlett9976]

Subscribed. Thanks for the story. King is one of the best.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you, Sarah. I'm so glad you enjoyed the reading.

[@ObscuredByTime]

Thanks again, Mattie! I'll comment again after we've listened. I mean, I'm honestly saving this for our Family Friday. =)

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks Dan; I would normally say something about hoping you enjoy it, but I see I missed my chance 😄

[@LongdogBookReviews]

Loved this story, and you have a great voice for story-telling. I can't wait to review this on my channel! Are you going to do somw more of his short stories?

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks LBR, that's very nice of you to say. I love King's short stories (and novels, for that matter), and they are some of the most fun to read. I've already done one other of his ("The Man Who Loved Flowers"), and have two more in the planning stages. Unfortunately, getting my videos up is never a quick process (the editing alone is anywhere from 1 to 3 hrs per minute of video) so I can't promise anything soon. But when I can, I will! Thanks again for your compliment and interest.

[@LongdogBookReviews]

@@MattiesStoryland No problem. From the Night Shift Collection, "Trucks" or "Quitters Inc." would be great, if you get around to it! I understand the struggle of editing, haha- mine usually take a couple of days.

[@absalomvane7776]

What a fantastic reading! It reminds me of a movie called "Monster in the Closet" that scared the bajeebers out of me when I was a kid. Thank you!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks AV, lovely to hear from you.

[@BisonMark]

You're GOOD!!!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks Mark, you are very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed the reading.

[@Thetom5000]

really good job, you put so much emotion into this and i loved it, definitely gained a new sub! keep up the amazing work

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you TT (both for the compliment and the subscription), I'm very glad you enjoyed it. I am currently editing a reading of King's "Strawberry Spring" (which will hopefully be up on my channel in the next few days); I hope you enjoy that reading also.

[@tamiobannon]

Great reader! Thank you!!!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you TB, it was absolutely my pleasure 😀

[@tyleigh4309]

Great narration, thanks!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks Ty, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@honeybeeklo83]

Hi Mattie! I'm so glad I found you! Awesome voice!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you, LF. That is very nice of you to say.

[@normadesmond6017]

good voice!

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks, Norma 😀

[@bigt4135]

Love it

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thanks Big T 😀

[@ymynymasa]

Great reading. Got yourself an avid subscriber ✌️🏋️💪

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you very much (both for the comment and the subscription), I'm very glad you enjoyed the reading 🙂

[@evelanpatton]

🛋🚪Yikes! That’s rough! And definitely, SUPER SPOOKY!⏰🧨 🖤🫥👹💀👹💀👹💀👹🫥🖤 I have a request, because I know it’s in your format & you have such an enchanting dramatic aptitude for facial expression that is WONDERFUL to digest with the eyes. If I had little ones, Maybe 5th-12th graders, I would put you on their big TV screen for STORY-TIME for literary, dramatic, & theatrical study. Your channel’s bells & whistles are all within the listeners imagination! It’s a great format! I look forward to having more than likes, subscribing, & commenting to give, but until then I can send you my sincerest thanks for your uploads. And if I might make a suggestion, maybe a selection of short fun & funny POEMS from Shel Silverstein’s WHERE THE SIDE WALK ENDS. I think you would do wonders with “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too”, and the one about Sick Little Sally May (?) & the boy who watched so much T.V…🐰📺🔌… 🎉💛🗣🕰⌛️🏙🌃🌌🍾🥂🎇 🌅Happy Holidays & Make this New Year bring Abundance, Joy, Peace, & Love to you & yours❣️

[@MattiesStoryland]

Hello Evelan. Thank you for the compliment, and also for the requests. I am (as always) far behind with requests, but I am always happy to receive them and love the idea of a few poems on the lighter side.

[@darrellsquires8929]

That was an excellent reading, and it renewed my enjoyment of the story, which I discovered all those years ago in the Night Shift collection. Your reading also helped me appreciate the story's effectiveness as metaphor - for the fears and insecurities about being good enough that most parents experience now and again. But regardless of how you interpret this particular tale, literally or symbolically, it's scary as hell.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you Darrell, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I still own my original much-thumbed paperback edition of "Night Shift" and give it a look from time to time, reading whichever story grabs my fancy at that moment. Every story brings something different to the table...but I must say, "The Boogeyman" might be my favourite, and narrating it was a real treat. I'm actually working on another of its gems as we speak - "Strawberry Spring" - and hope to have it up on my channel in the next couple of weeks (or so). Thank you for taking the time to comment.

[@darrellsquires8929]

@MattiesStoryland I will be tuning in to your channel often. It looks like a real treasure trove, with more treats to come. I appreciate all the hard work that must go into these productions.

[@MattiesStoryland]

@@darrellsquires8929 Thank you very much, Darrell. I hope you enjoy what’s here already and what’s to come in the future.

[@brenda1005]

Wow, he is am Excellent story Teller.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you for watching, Brenda. As for the compliment, if you were referring to Stephen King I wholeheartedly agree; the man is a master. If you were referring to me, that is certainly appreciated. Either way, I'm very glad you enjoyed the story and appreciate your leaving a comment 😀

[@matsujonen]

To this day I always make sure any extra doors in a room I sleep in are closed completely

[@MattiesStoryland]

I know exactly what you mean 😄

[@twistedlittlefables]

Check out, Stephen King's "Gray Matter"

[@MattiesStoryland]

It's already on the list, TLF! Unfortunately, it's a very long list and I'm already very, very far behind (with little hope of catching up, to be honest. I mean, to say I post infrequently would be something of an understatement). But I will get to it 😄 That chilling, apocalyptic ending haunts me to this day.

[@danwilliams1920]

It's been awhile since you posted, Mattie. I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing you well.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you Dan, that is very kind. I am much improved and hope to record a new story soon.

[@danwilliams1920]

@@MattiesStoryland oh, good. Glad to hear it!

[@InvaderGIR98]

Bro how do you read so smoothly while staring into the camera

[@MattiesStoryland]

Ha, well that's mostly due to using a teleprompter (loath as I am to burst the mystique 😄 ). The rest is due to a lot of rehearsal and then editing as cleanly as possible (that last one is definitely the thing that takes the most time).

[@InvaderGIR98]

@@MattiesStoryland That's a lot of work, but worth it.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you. Believe me, it is absolutely my pleasure.

[@ptdunn77]

Glad you didn't censor anything. Had you I wouldn't have stayed to listen. You said it best the offense things build a picture of the character. This is a adult story and if words offend you as a adult maybe you have the issue.

[@evelanpatton]

Post Script I appreciate your thoughtfulness, warning, forthrightness, & choice to keep the work “as is”, taking liberties with historical opportunities for learning/teaching new cultural attitudes does not start by washing what we don’t like from past acceptabilities; ask a Holocaust survivor to deny it ever existed, I don’t think so. We learn by example & the example begins with acknowledging it exists in the human psyche. Personally, when we go so far to culturally washing for universally applied “accept-ability” to the point that we offer a pass to adult pedophiles by renaming it from the abuser’s preferred way of making that behavior ok, & then push that behavior as “a kind of norm”, I draw a HUGE LINE IN THE SAND; words are to define, articulate, separate, & identify by the distinction it is used as a way to represent an idea of a person, place, or thing to communicate, when we begin culturally editing & redefining we loose out on the imbued & embedded meaning from the source; to “wash” the source is to deny the poison exists in the first place. Example: same poisonous product, new name which implies it’s good for you- but is it, & how can we know if we are not given the ACTUAL ingredients to MAKE A DISCERNING CHOICE from ALL of the authentic information. So, I appreciate the way in which you handled this discouraging use of racial identifiers (ie. racial languaging used by persons not of that race [note: as is currently exceptional] to relate a quality, as a true value or a false narrative, as a descriptive in the communication of this character in this story. Personally, I whole heartedly believe in the complete freedom of speech; I also believe in social & communal dialogue & agreed upon law making when it comes to human behavior. I believe in educating the greater whole to the lengthy human being stories that help us to (hopefully) align ALL CITIZENS live in a community with a given amount of certainty for their right to make healthy, happy, joyful choices for their lives, such that others around them are also lifted up & expanded in abundance, health, access, application, production which is BOTH SUSTAINABLE & REGENERATIVE FOR THE CURRENT MEMBERS of the COMMUNITY & ELEVEN GENERATIONS FROM THE NOW. I do not believe words poison inherently, but I think they are INCREDIBLY TELLING of one’s character, culture, & cause. I am not “excited” by the use of the language Mr. King chose to use, but as a THINKING DISCERNING BEING I can separate individual characterization in a story of a certain time & place from some kind of racially charged vulgarity that I would blindly use to confirm negative characteristics of a tribe of people based on their color of skin, SO I am NOT OFFENDED by your choice to edit out random passages for current Political Correction…because is that just what the Nazi’s were horrifically doing on a scale beyond the page?! I think it was & I am NOT aligned to a religion that thinks it is “above the, or should dictate the, law” nor am I aligned with “Nazism” or “racism”. So bring it on, my heart is bigger than small minded words. (Just so this opinion is out there too.)

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you for your thoughtful post, Evelan. Language is indeed an important, imprecise and insightful tool. The more we curtail it, the less we can do with it.

[@coolikep617]

I don’t get the story, first time I heard it, or read it, in the end does he actually find/see the boogeyman? Or is he just a crazy criminal seeing things cos he doesn’t recognize that he is the monster of his family?

[@MattiesStoryland]

That's an interesting take, CIP (I'm guessing "Cool Ike P", but maybe it's "Coo Like P", as in "Coo Like a Pigeon"? or perhaps an Irish/Slavic commanding officer - "CO O'Likep"?). That honestly never occurred to me, and I rather like this notion of the protagonist's mind finally snapping. I always took it literally; The Boogeyman is real, has been stalking Lester Billings and his family for years, and has finally ensnared him. Either there never was a Dr. Harper, or (as I envisioned) The Boogeyman replaced the real Dr. Harper and used his face as a mask to fool Lester. Why go through such a complicated charade? Well, if the Boogeyman is real he could certainly have killed Lester at any time. For this reason, I don't believe the actual killing was the point. Torture was. I always visualized The Boogeyman as an entity that revelled in the creation of terror, and bathed in the intense emotions this terror created in his victims. For the past half a decade, it has been tormenting Lester and feeding off his growing fear, guilt and self-loathing. The purpose then of this final chapter was to enable The Boogeyman to spend an hour with Lester, face to face, provoking these emotions, savouring them, feasting upon them...before feasting on Lester Billings himself. But, you know, that's just, like, my opinion, man.

[@Fumi007]

What a beautiful listen! And I appreciate you leaving the offensive language in. Perhaps it's because I'm desensitized to it, but it does exactly what you said - shows the characters frame of mind.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you DPP, I'm glad you enjoyed it (language and all).

[@patrickmcguire451]

Mile 81 please

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you for the request, Patrick. "Mile 81" might be a bit of a challenge for me; most of my readings are under 30 minutes and this one would be close to 2 hours, and editing time goes up drastically as the readings get longer. I'll give it a ponder, though (well, after I try to catch up on my existing requests of course 😄). But even if I can't get to it (at least for a while), I do appreciate you taking the time to ask.

[@archiesinclair6252]

I'm a keen writer. Would it be OK if I put one up in the comments section?

[@MattiesStoryland]

Certainly, Archie. Feel free.

[@archiesinclair6252]

@@MattiesStoryland thanks Mattie.

[@LordSerpent]

What a heartbreaking tale of loss. I must say I was taken aback by the use of racial epithets, and while I personally don't agree with your choice to use them nonetheless, I still think this is a fantastic story and I thank you for introducing me to it, as well as commend your great storytelling abilities and voice.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Thank you, Tompson. Regarding the epithets, I did rather struggle with this myself, and completely understand your sentiment. At any rate, I am glad you were still able to enjoy the reading.

[@nodrama7264]

He didn’t write the book and even for some unknown reason apologised for it before so why comment?

[@ObscuredByTime]

@@MattiesStoryland Mattie, I still haven't listened, but couldn't help but read through the comments. I understand your struggling with such language, but I'd just like to put it out there that this fan appreciates your resolve to read the material as it was intended _when it was written._ I would hope we are all mature enough to handle such language in its own historical context. Thanks for staying true to the work.

[@PIXloyal]

Is this AI? The face dont look real.

[@MattiesStoryland]

Ha, nope. Nothing artificial. Just little ol' garden variety intelligence me. This is the second time someone has questioned the reality of my existence, though. Maybe I just have one of those faces? Or perhaps I am a singular example of naturally occurring uncanny valley personified in human form? Or proof that the Simulation Hypothesis is actually correct, and the reality we exist in is still in beta testing? Or maybe I just have a bad camera? Who can say? Anyway, thanks for watching, Pix.