The Bye Bye Man

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The Bye Bye Man

PG-13

2017

1h 36m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

19%

Tomatometer

94 Reviews

22%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

People commit unthinkable acts every day. Time and again, we grapple to understand what drives a person to do such terrible things. But what if all the questions we're asking are wrong? What if the cause of all evil is not a matter of what, but who? When three college friends stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, they discover that there is only one way to avoid his curse: don't think it, don't say it. But once the Bye Bye Man gets inside your head, he takes control.

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Critics Consensus

The Bye Bye Man clumsily mashes together elements from better horror films, adding up to a derivative effort as short on originality as it is on narrative coherency or satisfying scares.

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K. Austin Collins

The Ringer

Aug 10, 2017

There's an art to being bad. The Bye Bye Man hasn't studied that art - but it's good enough to get you going.

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Leah Pickett

Chicago Reader

Jan 19, 2017

The script teems with horror clichs (scribbled drawings, a creepy kid, the skeptical protagonist looking up the demon's origins on a library computer), and everything from the acting to the makeup to the special effects is atrocious.

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Clark Collis

Entertainment Weekly

Jan 14, 2017

C

Maybe all will be explained in the sequel. If so, your writer is happy to remain uneducated.

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 18, 2025

5/10

What can be said about this extremely average film? Maybe you shouldn’t see it or think about it, but in all honesty, if you have some family that likes bad slashers, you should probably see this film on Netflix right now.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 18, 2025

2/10

We knew it would be bad going in, but ugh, it was rough anyway. The major flaw in this movie is that the writers were so enamored with the concept of “Don’t think it, Don’t say it” that they forgot to include an actual plot in the movie.

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Bill Chambers

Film Freak Central

Mar 3, 2022

1/4

Is it possible The Bye Bye Man is actually a genre spoof?

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 3, 2026

The Acting stinks....

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ToppatMann

Sep 27, 2026

I personally think that the opening of the film is the best part. The whole idea of "Don't say it, don't think it" is cool, but I think it could have been executed way better. Some of the writing was definitely lacking in parts, but overall I think the film was enjoyable.

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Dylan B

@RT31213765 Aug 22, 2026

Haven't watched such a terrible movie in a long time. Had good idea, but the acting sucked, characters were so dry and had no demension to them. So many plot holes, things that just didnt make any sense. Plots and key points that were never explained like the coins and train. How they found his name didnt make any sense either!!! Like why would he write it down!!! Flower shop guy being named Mr. DAISY....

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The W

@TheWagners Jul 4, 2026

Oh man where do I begin? So this movie is all about a mythical figure called bye bye man, that alone as the title is laughable. The acting is so bad you would think you're watching a horror movie version of "The Room". The plot goes like this man finds a name, he says name, he kills everyone and tells everyone the name he vowed to keep a secret. The villain also has a ps2 looking dog. Why you may ask yourself. I don't know if there's any rhyme or reason for anything in this movie. I could go on and on and drone about how bad the cinematography is or that they use stock footage and sound constantly. Maybe I could tell you how there's about 74 jump scares total that aren't scary at all. Newsflash directors being loud and obnoxious isn't scary it's annoying. I'm sure there's more I want to say but that's all i got.

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juan F.

@argentivago Feb 22, 2026

Solo voy a decir bye bye man

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Jason W

@Thejasonwatts Dec 28, 2025

Decent flick with some familar horror movie names like Doug Jones (creature actor from numerous box office hits), Leigh Whannell (Saw/Insidious), Jenna Kanell (Terrifier), Michael Trucco (Hush) and Douglas Smith (Santas Slay) in the lead. Not sure why this gets the hate it seems to get, I've definitely seen many, many terrible horror films way below this one. Is it a classic or masterpiece? No, but it's a fun, popcorn flick to throw on. Acting works, production is great, story is fine for what it is.

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Stacy Title

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Elliot

Lucien Laviscount

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Synopsis

People commit unthinkable acts every day. Time and again, we grapple to understand what drives a person to do such terrible things. But what if all the questions we're asking are wrong? What if the cause of all evil is not a matter of what, but who? When three college friends stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, they discover that there is only one way to avoid his curse: don't think it, don't say it. But once the Bye Bye Man gets inside your head, he takes control.

Director: Stacy Title
Producer: Trevor Macy, Jeffrey Soros, Simon Horsman
Screenwriter: Jonathan Penner
Distributor: STX Entertainment
Production Co: Intrepid Pictures, Los Angeles Media Fund, Huayi Brothers
Rating: PG-13 (Terror|Horror Violence|Bloody Images|Teen Drinking|Partial Nudity|Thematic Elements|Sexual Content|Some Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 13, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.4M
Runtime: 1h 36m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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