THE BYE BYE MAN

Director Stacy Title’s The Bye Bye Man centers on a group of possessed college students who try their best not to spread their knowledge of a name that brings hallucinations, fear and even death when spoken. (GEP: 3/5)

Review by Social Media Manager Georgiana E. Presecky

The frightening pull of the titular Bye Bye Man is staved off by the film’s repeated phrase, “don’t say it, don’t think it,” which, funnily enough, will be my reaction if anyone brings this film up to me in the future. Please, just don’t say it.

College student Elliot (Douglas Smith) moves into a creepy off-campus house with his girlfriend and best friend in the film’s long exposition, which involves the usual tropes – creaking doors, flickering lights, mysterious noises and dusty, dark basements. Say it with me now: “What could possibly go wrong?”

This slow beginning takes an intriguing turn when Elliot discovers scribbled writing in the drawer of the home’s old nightstand, reading “don’t say it, don’t think it” on crinkled old shelf paper. When he pushes the paper aside, he reads the name that propels the story forward – “the bye bye man. “ And guess what?!?! He thinks it and says it. (Screenwriter Johnathan Penner never mentions what Elliot’s major is, and we never actually see him go to class…I’m just saying.) He even types the cursed name into a search engine, and I personally think Penner should’ve changed the tagline to “don’t say it, don’t think it and definitely don’t Google it.”

Elliot and his three friends now know the name, which doesn’t immediately appear to be harmful – until it slowly takes over their consciousness, causing them to hallucinate and live in fear of the murderous man who is “coming for them.”

The group quickly realizes that they can’t share this information with anyone, because the simple act of knowing this name means a lifetime of hallucinations and being hunted. This leads to a messy, murderous web of lies they can’t explain their way out of, creating an interesting plot device that actually makes up for the so-so first hour. They can’t tell the police, they can’t tell their families – if they do, they put them in life-threatening danger. The more they try to keep it to themselves, the closer and more terrifying the Bye Bye Man and the paranoia he brings become. (If you think and say the very thing the cryptic old writing tells you not to think and say, you’re also bound to follow the weird noises, go into the dark basement and open the ominous door. Elliot definitely missed the whole “follow directions” lesson in kindergarten.)

We eventually do meet the Bye Bye Man himself – a poor man’s Lord Voldemort (but at least Tom Riddle had some decent one-liners, am I right?). He’s scary enough, but the dialogue is what keeps this film from meeting its potential. (In one scene, Elliot hits his roommate with a baseball bat in a hallucinatory fog. He proceeds to say, “I almost killed you with a bat!” And I thought the name of the movie was redundant.)

The idea of a name causing so much terror and trauma is a pretty decent metaphor for human nature – the idea of having an important secret, but being unable to share it to spare others from harm. It’s a nightmare, actually – the thought of something ruining your life, but being unable to tell people about it. Another intrinsic theme is truth – once you say something, you can’t take it back. What you say changes things. It’s a good moral if you’re willing to look for it, and it actually makes The Bye Bye Man at least somewhat memorable.

The most important thing I learned from Title and Penner’s feature: if you have a baggy ominous black robe hanging from a hook on your wall that occasionally looks like a murderer lurking in the corner, maybe take down the robe. Come on, Elliot.

© Georgiana E. Presecky FF2 Media (1/15/17)

Top Photo: The name that catapults Elliot and co. into terrifying chaos.

Middle Photo: Elliot is “seeing things that aren’t there and not seeing things that are.”

Bottom Photo: Every teen horror film needs a first-act seance. Every one.

Photo credits: STX Entertainment

Q: Does The Bye Bye Man pass the Bechdel-Wallace test?

No, and even worse than that, it totally wastes Carrie-Ann Moss as the skeptical Detective Shaw.

168 comments

  1. I love what you guys are up too. This sort of clever work
    and exposure! Keep up the awesome works guys I’ve
    included you guys to my own blogroll.

  2. Simply desire to say your article is as amazing. The clarity in your post is
    simply excellent and i could assume you are an expert on this subject.
    Well with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post.
    Thanks a million and please keep up the enjoyable work.

  3. Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you
    knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment
    form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and
    I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot!

  4. After I originally left a comment I seem to
    have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added
    I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you can remove me from that service?

    Thank you!

  5. Your record is incredibly extremely good. If you require
    data relating to lottery, a lot more my web log. Amidst
    internet casino the avid gamers in Indonesian this type of game is referred to as
    judi togel online. We have a plenty of information about the situs togel.

  6. My spouse and I stumbled over here coming from a different
    web page and thought I might as well check things out. I like
    what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to finding out about your
    web page again.

  7. certainly like your web-site however you have to test
    the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many
    of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very
    troublesome to tell the reality on the other hand I will definitely come back again.

  8. Thanks for the marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it,
    you are a great author. I will make sure to bookmark your blog and will come back in the future.
    I want to encourage continue your great work, have a nice morning!

  9. you are in point of fact a excellent webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing.
    It seems that you’re doing any unique trick.
    Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve performed a great process on this topic!

  10. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up anything new from right here.
    I did however expertise some technical points using this website, since I experienced to reload the web site
    lots of times previous to I could get it to load properly.
    I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I am complaining, but slow loading instances times will often affect your placement in google
    and could damage your high quality score if ads and marketing with
    Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my email and could look out for much more of your respective intriguing content.
    Make sure you update this again soon.

  11. I’m not sure exactly why but this blog is loading incredibly slow for me.
    Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end?
    I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

  12. Admiring the time and effort you put into your website and
    detailed information you present. It’s nice to come across a blog every
    once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.

    Excellent read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds
    to my Google account.

  13. I just like the helpful info you supply for your articles.

    I’ll bookmark your weblog and test once more here
    frequently. I’m slightly certain I’ll be informed many new stuff
    right right here! Good luck for the next!

  14. Hello There. I found your blog the use of msn. That
    is a really smartly written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark
    it and return to learn more of your useful information. Thanks for the post.
    I’ll definitely comeback.

  15. Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog web site?

    The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had
    been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered
    bright clear concept

  16. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article.
    I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post.
    I will certainly comeback.

  17. I seriously love your website.. Pleasant colors &
    theme. Did you create this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m
    hoping to create my own personal blog and want to
    learn where you got this from or what the theme is named.

    Appreciate it!

  18. Just desire to say your article is as amazing. The clearness to your put up is just spectacular and i can suppose you’re a professional on this subject.
    Well with your permission allow me to seize your RSS feed to keep
    up to date with imminent post. Thanks a million and please carry on the rewarding work.

  19. That is really attention-grabbing, You’re an overly
    professional blogger. I’ve joined your feed and stay up for in search of more of your great post.
    Also, I have shared your site in my social networks

  20. My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on a variety of websites
    for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform.
    I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import
    all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!

  21. This design is incredible! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused.
    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved
    to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really enjoyed
    what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

  22. Howdy! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a
    quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading your
    articles. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same topics?
    Thanks!

  23. Hi there would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using?
    I’m looking to start my own blog soon but I’m having a difficult time making
    a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and
    Drupal. The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking
    for something unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but
    I had to ask!

  24. I just like the valuable info you provide to your
    articles. I will bookmark your weblog and test again here frequently.
    I am slightly sure I will be informed lots of new stuff right right here!
    Good luck for the next!

  25. Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account
    your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement
    you access consistently fast.

  26. Hi my loved one! I want to say that this post is awesome, nice
    written and come with almost all important infos.
    I’d like to see extra posts like this .

  27. Hello there, I found your website by the use of Google even as looking
    for a related matter, your website came up, it seems great.
    I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hi there, just changed into aware of your weblog through Google,
    and located that it’s truly informative. I am gonna watch out
    for brussels. I’ll appreciate in case you
    proceed this in future. A lot of people shall be benefited out
    of your writing. Cheers!

  28. Great goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely excellent.
    I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying
    and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care
    for to keep it wise. I can’t wait to read far more from you.

    This is really a tremendous site.

  29. Fantastic items from you, man. I have be aware your stuff previous to and you’re just
    too great. I actually like what you’ve obtained right here, certainly like what you’re stating and the way in which in which
    you are saying it. You’re making it entertaining and you
    continue to take care of to keep it sensible. I cant wait
    to learn much more from you. This is actually a wonderful web site.

  30. Superb blog you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any forums that cover the same
    topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part
    of online community where I can get suggestions from other experienced individuals that share the same interest.
    If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
    Kudos!

  31. Your style is unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff
    from. Thank you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this web
    site.

  32. Howdy! I realize this is kind of off-topic however I needed
    to ask. Does operating a well-established blog such as yours
    require a large amount of work? I am completely new to writing a blog but I do write in my journal daily.
    I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my own experience and thoughts online.
    Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for
    brand new aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!

  33. I do not know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else experiencing issues
    with your blog. It appears as if some of the text on your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else please
    comment and let me know if this is happening to them too?
    This might be a issue with my internet browser
    because I’ve had this happen previously. Appreciate it

  34. Great post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I’m impressed!
    Extremely useful info specifically the remaining section 🙂 I
    take care of such info a lot. I used to be seeking this particular information for
    a long time. Thank you and best of luck.

  35. Howdy very nice blog!! Guy .. Beautiful ..
    Wonderful .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds also?
    I am happy to search out so many useful information right here
    within the post, we want develop extra strategies on this
    regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

  36. Hello, i believe that i saw you visited my site thus i came
    to go back the favor?.I’m attempting to to find things to improve my site!I guess its good enough to use some of your ideas!!

  37. Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed
    to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of.
    I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly don’t
    know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out
    the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal.
    Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

  38. Hi there I am so excited I found your blog, I really found you by error, while I was looking on Google for something else, Nonetheless I
    am here now and would just like to say kudos for a remarkable post
    and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I
    don’t have time to read it all at the moment but I have saved it and also added
    in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb work.

  39. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this superb blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking
    and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates
    and will share this website with my Facebook group.
    Chat soon!

  40. This design is wicked! You most certainly know how to keep a reader amused.
    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start
    my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
    I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how
    you presented it. Too cool!

  41. Hey there would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using?
    I’m going to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a tough time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
    The reason I ask is because your design seems different
    then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique.

    P.S Apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

  42. Hi there, You’ve done an excellent job. I will definitely digg
    it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.

  43. Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just your articles?
    I mean, what you say is important and all. Nevertheless think of if you
    added some great photos or video clips to give your posts more,
    “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this blog could definitely
    be one of the greatest in its field. Fantastic blog!

  44. We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
    Your website offered us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our entire
    community will be grateful to you.

  45. Greate post. Keep posting such kind of info on your site.
    Im really impressed by your site.
    Hello there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll definitely digg it and individually recommend to my friends.
    I’m confident they will be benefited from this website.

  46. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as
    though you relied on the video to make your point.
    You clearly know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something
    informative to read?

  47. Greetings I am so thrilled I found your website, I really found you by error,
    while I was searching on Aol for something else, Anyways
    I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a tremendous
    post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design),
    I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute but
    I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds,
    so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more,
    Please do keep up the great work.

  48. Howdy very cool web site!! Guy .. Excellent ..
    Wonderful .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also?
    I’m happy to seek out so many useful info right here within the post, we need develop more strategies on this regard,
    thanks for sharing. . . . . .

  49. It’s great that you are getting ideas from this piece of
    writing as well as from our discussion made at this place.

  50. Can I simply say what a comfort to discover a person that really knows what they’re discussing over the
    internet. You actually realize how to bring a problem to
    light and make it important. More people should check this out and understand this side of
    your story. It’s surprising you aren’t more
    popular given that you most certainly have the gift.

  51. Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board
    and I find It really useful & it helped me out a lot.
    I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.

  52. Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and
    you are just extremely magnificent. I really like what you have acquired here, really like
    what you are stating and the way in which you say it.
    You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it sensible.
    I cant wait to read much more from you. This is really a great web
    site.

  53. Howdy very nice blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your web site and take the
    feeds additionally? I’m glad to search out numerous helpful info right here in the
    post, we want work out more strategies in this regard,
    thank you for sharing. . . . . .

  54. Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after
    I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr…
    well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say fantastic blog!

  55. I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your website.
    It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much
    more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you
    hire out a developer to create your theme? Fantastic work!

  56. This is the perfect website for everyone who would like to understand this topic.

    You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would
    want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a subject which has
    been written about for a long time. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!

  57. Howdy I am so happy I found your web site, I really found you
    by mistake, while I was searching on Bing for something
    else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a tremendous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but I have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I
    will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the superb work.

  58. Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good
    results. If you know of any please share. Thanks!

  59. certainly like your website but you need to test the spelling on quite a
    few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it
    very troublesome to tell the reality then again I will surely come again again.

  60. My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.

    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on a number of websites for about a
    year and am anxious about switching to another platform.
    I have heard great things about blogengine.net. Is there a
    way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

  61. I got this website from my pal who shared with me concerning this web page and now
    this time I am browsing this web site and reading
    very informative content at this place.

  62. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this
    post was great. I don’t know who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!

  63. Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective.
    A lot of times it’s very hard to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and appearance.
    I must say you’ve done a very good job with this.
    Also, the blog loads extremely fast for me on Chrome.
    Outstanding Blog!

  64. I think what you typed made a ton of sense. However, consider this, suppose you added a little information? I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, but suppose you added a headline to maybe get people’s attention? I mean THE BYE
    BYE MAN – FF2 Media is a little vanilla. You could glance at Yahoo’s front page and
    watch how they write article headlines to grab viewers to open the links.

    You might add a video or a related picture or two to get people excited about what you’ve written. Just my opinion,
    it would bring your posts a little livelier.

  65. This design is incredible! You most certainly know how to keep a reader amused.
    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to
    start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
    I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

  66. My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on several
    websites for about a year and am concerned about switching
    to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net.
    Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

  67. Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and
    you’re just extremely excellent. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way in which you
    say it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it smart.
    I cant wait to read much more from you. This is actually a great site.

  68. I am not sure where you’re getting your information, but great topic.
    I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding
    more. Thanks for fantastic information I was looking for this information for my
    mission.

  69. An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that
    you ought to write more on this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but typically people do
    not speak about these subjects. To the next!
    Best wishes!!

  70. Howdy! I understand this is sort of off-topic but I had to ask.
    Does building a well-established blog like yours take a lot of work?
    I am brand new to running a blog however I do write in my diary daily.
    I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my own experience and
    thoughts online. Please let me know if you have
    any kind of suggestions or tips for new aspiring blog
    owners. Thankyou!

  71. Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the easiest thing to be
    aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people
    think about worries that they just do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined
    out the whole thing without having side-effects
    , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get
    more. Thanks

Leave a Reply to http://samefo.ge/index.php?subaction=userinfo&user=weaselbail1 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *