Back in 2017, a horror film shambled into theatres carrying a name that would haunt you forever — if you could remember it. The Bye Bye Man tried really hard to be the next Candyman or The Ring, but instead became a beautifully weird, disjointed cautionary tale about what happens when your villain is more mysterious than meaningful.
And yet… there’s something kind of unforgettable about it, too. Let’s dive into the foggy madness and ask: what even WAS The Bye Bye Man, and why does it deserve a spot in the Maniverse?
🕴️ What’s the Maniverse?
Glad you asked.
The Maniverse is our totally unofficial, self-made universe of movies that all have one thing in common:
They have “Man” in the title.
No studio deal. No official continuity. Just a shared vibe of cursed dudes, weird rules, supernatural chaos… and usually some seriously questionable decisions.
Think Midnight Man, Bye Bye Man, Slender Man, and their creepy cousins — all tangled in one gloriously confusing cinematic mess.
Welcome to the Maniverse.
Resistance is futile.
You can’t escape. You’re already in it.
🌃 The Bye Bye Man Plot-ish:
It all begins in 1969 when a man goes on a suburban shooting spree, screaming, “Don’t say it, don’t think it.” Fast forward to present day, where three college students — Elliot, Sasha, and John — move into a haunted rental house with serious thrift-store energy. Naturally, they find a nightstand with ominous scrawlings:
Don’t think it. Don’t say it.
Don’t think it. Don’t say it.
Oops, too late.
They say the name. They think the name. And then things go off the rails.
Cue: hallucinations, coins appearing out of nowhere, train-related deaths, and some heavy breathing from a trench coat-wearing entity who seems like he wandered in from a Nine Inch Nails video.
🙇 The Rules (we think):
- If you know his name, he haunts you.
- If someone else hears the name, they get haunted too.
- You can’t stop the spread unless you kill yourself or everyone else who knows.
- Also… the coins? Unexplained. The hell-hound? Questionable CGI. The nightstand? Surprisingly important.
Basically, Bye Bye Man is like a virus, but with more whispering and less logic.
👽 The Man. The Myth. The Hoodie.
Played by Doug Jones (aka every cool monster ever), the Bye Bye Man appears only a couple times and mostly just stands there looking tall. He has a weird, drippy skin texture, a trench coat that screams, “I haunt record stores,” and a pet hell-beast who pops in and out like a glitching DLC character.
He doesn’t kill you directly. He makes you hallucinate until you either hurt yourself or others. Spooky? In theory. Effective? Not really.
🚩 Critical Mass (or Mess):
Critics weren’t kind.
- Rotten Tomatoes: 18%
- Metacritic: 37/100
- CinemaScore: C
Audiences laughed more than they screamed. And yet, The Bye Bye Man made nearly $30 million at the box office. So who’s laughing now? (Probably the Bye Bye Man. Or his dog.)
The Bye Bye Man: A Messy Curse Worth Remembering
If you haven’t heard of The Bye Bye Man — well, honestly, that might be for the best. But if you’re into cursed names, supernatural chaos, and a story that sometimes feels like it got lost on its way to the editing room, this might just be your jam.
The premise? Say his name, think his name, and your brain might just implode. Or you’ll start seeing coins in places they shouldn’t be. Or maybe stab your friends. Basically, it’s like a curse with really bad manners and zero chill.
The film follows Elliot and his crew as they move into a sketchy house near their college. Soon, weird stuff starts happening: mysterious coins keep showing up, cryptic messages scrawl themselves where they definitely shouldn’t, and one séance later — boom — you’re on the curse’s radar. Spoiler: The Bye Bye Man is not here to make friends.
The movie tries to build a spooky mythology, but half the time it feels like it’s desperately holding onto the coattails of better horror films. Characters make baffling choices, the narrative flits around like it’s lost, and the scares? Well, sometimes you laugh more than scream. Which, honestly, isn’t always a bad thing if you’re in the right mood.
Doug Jones as The Bye Bye Man himself is a creepy highlight — his silent, slinking menace is actually pretty effective. And Carrie-Anne Moss shows up to bring some much-needed gravitas as Detective Shaw, even if the script gives her little to work with.
There’s a lot of coin symbolism, some séance chaos, hallucinations, and enough “don’t think it, don’t say it” to make you want to scream the name just to spite it. The ending? It sets up the curse to keep spreading, so if you’re a fan of horror franchises that never quite end, you’re in luck.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it fun to watch with friends who love to roast bad horror movies? Absolutely.
So, if you want a horror flick with a messy but memorable curse, some solid creep-factor moments, and a plot that will have you going “Wait, what just happened?”, The Bye Bye Man might just be your next midnight watch. Just remember: don’t think it, don’t say it… or you might be next.
Meet the (Mostly) Haunted The Bye Bye Man Cast
One of the most baffling joys of The Bye Bye Man is its surprisingly stacked and totally random cast. It’s like someone spun a wheel labeled “90s icons, horror veterans, and people your cousin went to drama school with” — and just rolled with it.
Here’s a peek at the brave souls who tried to survive the curse… or at least made it to the credits.
Douglas Smith as Elliot — The unlucky college guy who thought moving into a creepy rental was a good idea. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
Lucien Laviscount as John — Elliot’s best friend and accidental curse magnet. Definitely not the brightest bulb in the haunted chandelier.
Cressida Bonas as Sasha — The skeptical one who somehow gets dragged into all the madness. She deserves a medal for patience.
Michael Trucco as Virgil — The mysterious figure with a shady past. Thinks he knows more than he does, but honestly, who doesn’t?
Doug Jones as The Bye Bye Man — The tall, spooky, trench coat-wearing nightmare who mostly lurks and looks creepy. Silent but… still kinda terrifying.
Carrie-Anne Moss as Detective Shaw — The calm, serious cop trying to make sense of the chaos while delivering all the lines like a pro.
Faye Dunaway as Widow Redmon — The iconic “been around forever” character who brings some old-school gravitas to the curse party.
Keelin Woodell as Young Widow Redmon — Because every curse needs a backstory… and a younger, slightly less haunted version.
Jenna Kanell as Kim Hines — The “let’s get out of here” voice of reason — often ignored. Rookie mistake.
Erica Tremblay as Alice — Another poor soul caught in the crossfire of bad decisions and worse curses.
Cleo King as Mrs. Watkins — The mysterious neighbor with more secrets than helpful advice.
Leigh Whannell as Larry — Yep, the writer himself sneaks in a cameo. Because why not?
Jonathan Penner as Mr. Daizy — The guy who sounds like he should be in a different movie entirely, but here we are.
🎨 Why The Bye Bye Man Belongs in the Maniverse
Oh, The Bye Bye Man absolutely has to be in the Maniverse.
It’s a chaotic blend of lore-dumping, rules that change mid-film, and editing that feels like it was haunted itself. And yet, it gave us THAT tagline, repeated into oblivion:
Don’t think it. Don’t say it.
Perfect for a mug. Perfect for a late-night horror binge. Perfect for a cursed crossover:
Midnight Man vs. Bye Bye Man: Think It, Say It, Die at Midnight
Tagline: Two men. Zero clarity. All curses.
People Also Asked About The Bye Bye Man (and Honestly, We Get It)
The Bye Bye Man leaves a lot of questions in its wake — not all of them intentional. Whether you’re wondering how this movie got made, what the actual rules are, or if you accidentally cursed yourself by saying the name out loud (uh-oh), you’re not alone.
Here are some of the most-Googled questions about The Bye Bye Man — answered with the respect and chaos this film deserves
Why did The Bye Bye Man flop?
Because it forgot the two key ingredients of a good horror movie: making sense and being scary. It tried to be The Ring meets Candyman, but ended up feeling like a haunted group project with too many ideas and no supervision.
What happens if you say The Bye Bye Man?
Allegedly, you get cursed. Realistically, you get hallucinations, train noises, some ghost coins, and maybe stab a friend or two. Basically, you join the cast of The Bye Bye Mess.
Is The Bye Bye Man a good movie?
Objectively? No. Subjectively? If you enjoy yelling at the screen, questioning logic, and bonding with friends over cursed furniture… it’s kinda great.
Is there a sequel to The Bye Bye Man?
Thankfully, no. The curse might spread, but the franchise did not. The Maniverse, however, is open for crossovers.
Is there a sequel to The Goodbye Man?
We’re 98% sure The Goodbye Man doesn’t exist, but if it ever does, we hope he fights The Bye Bye Man in a cinematic event titled: Man Off. (Also, boring answer: The Goodbye Man is a book by Jeffrey Deaver, the sequel is The Final Twist).
Is the movie The Bye Bye Man based on a true story?
Loosely — very loosely — based on a short story from The President’s Vampire by Robert Damon Schneck. So yes, it has “based on a true story” energy, but with all the realism of a haunted Pinterest board.
🎃 Into Horror? We’ve Got Range.
Whether you’re here for iconic zombie outbreaks like 28 Days Later or chaotic curse-core disasters like The Bye Bye Man, our horror reviews cover the full spectrum — from masterpieces to magnificent messes.
🧟♂️ Thought-provoking horror? Got it.
👻 So-bad-it’s-good chaos? Also got it.
💀 Everything in between? You bet.
👉 Check out all our horror reviews for sharp takes, fun breakdowns, and the occasional cursed mug idea.
And don’t miss our ✍️ Letterboxd review of The Bye Bye Man. It’s got 1.5 stars, 100% sass, and zero regard for trench coat etiquette.
Read it here.
🎶 Final Thoughts
Say what you will about the film (everyone else did), but The Bye Bye Man left a mark. A faint, confused, barely legible mark scratched into a drawer somewhere. But still. A mark.
And in the sacred halls of the Maniverse? He’s there. Probably in the shadows. Probably whispering. Probably just waiting for someone to spill coffee on the nightstand.
Bye bye!