Grief Takes a Turn Into Body Horror in First ‘Booger’ Trailer:

Anyone who’s ever grieved can attest to the fact that there is perhaps no worse feeling in the world. It is a challenging emotion that shakes us to our core and that each individual tends to handle differently. While there seems to be a generally accepted notion that there is no standard way to handle grief, there might be an inappropriate way to approach it, like Booger, an indie horror film directed by Mary Dauterman attempts to portray. Booger made its world premiere last year at the Fantasia Film Festival 2023, and now the rest of the world will get to experience Dauterman’s masterful feature debut as the movie is set to release in select theaters and on VOD this fall. Ahead of that release, an official trailer has been released by its producing studio, Dark Sky Films, the studio that is also behind classics such as Ti West’s (MaXXXine) The House of The Devil and Girl on the Third Floor.

“After her best friend unexpectedly dies in a bike accident, and then her cat escapes, Anna (Grace Glowicki) struggles to put the pieces back together,” Booger’s official plot reads. But don’t be fooled by its simple synopsis as Booger takes on its premise in a bold and unique manner that will thrill as it will impress horror lovers. The unsettling trailer opens with a distressed Anna searching for the missing cat. Her search takes her to a grocery store where the attendant, upon seeing a photo of Booger, describes him as a “spirit cat.” But while we see only very little of this titular furry character, its presence, albeit in absentia, quickly grows, manifesting in a bite he left on Anna right before his disappearance. Anna seems so consumed by grief that she doesn’t notice the bite, but not for long, as we see glimpses of the movie’s darker tone when Anna develops feline traits, slurping cat food, and growing fangs.

Booger was a hit among critics with a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In her glowing review of the film, Collider’s Maggie Lovitt writes that though some of the movie’s success is owed to the script, “the credit truly belongs to Glowicki for making it work.” Lovitt reckons that: “Dauterman’s feature debut is a must-watch for horror connoisseurs who prefer horror films that make them think, despite how unsettling that sort of introspection might be.”

Who Else Appears In ‘Booger’?

Glowicki’s outstanding lead performance is supported by Garrick Bernard (Single Drunk Female) who plays her boyfriend Max, and Sofia Dobrushin as Izzy. Also appearing are Marcia DeBonis (Sometimes I Think About Dying), David Rysdahl (Oppenheimer), and Heather Matarazzo (Scream 3). Booger’s team of executive producers includes Ley Line Entertainment, the makers of Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Booger will claw into select theaters and on VOD on September 13.

View this article at Collider.