The Bye Bye Man 2017 * * * Stars

Director: Stacy Title
Year: 2017
Rated PG-13
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Carrie-Anne Moss

Low budget horror films like Get Out and Lights Out, have been successful both critically and financially. The Bye Bye Man however, has not quite garnered these accolades. What a shame. "Bye" (my latest review) may not be the pinnacle of epic fright or the echelon of monumental creep shows. Regardless, it's as good if not better than the two flicks just mentioned.

Recently released on DVD and possibly too intense for a PG-13 rating, The Bye Bye Man is a consuming affair. You revert back and jog the ghastly events in your head just as the closing credits come up. Granted, it's no M. Night Shyamalan circa 1999 but heck, what is. This head-jogging notion is similar to the story of "Bye" and at the same time, it's also the opposite. The main characters in The Bye Bye Man aren't supposed to think about their ghostly villain (named The Bye Bye Man naturally) or say his name. They'll either die or become possessed with the intent of harming others.

Three things to consider before viewing "Bye": Don't see this thing alone or in the dark (it's a cliche, I know). Also, try to realize that it's only a movie and that The Bye Bye Man is not in your reality-based vicinity. Finally, know that you'll never look at raincoats, falling coins, or train tracks the same way again.

In terms of direction, well helmer Stacy Title carefully plots the film along. She builds scares to a slow creep, uses minimal gore, and adds decent cameos in the form of Carrie-Anne Moss and Faye Dunaway (where the heck has she been).

In jest, "Bye" is gnawing psychological terror that only suffers from the occasional, layman acting and an abrupt ending that's barely the sum of its parts. Still, "Bye" steadily brings to life the dormant, urban legend of The Bye Bye Man himself (first in 1969 and now in present day). He's hideous, he'll make you hallucinate, and he will feed off of any cancerous attention. Starkly original and worth a look, The Bye Bye Man gets a "hello" and a three star rating from me.

Written by Jesse Burleson