Foreshadowing in literature is the warning of, or prior reference to, an event that will occur later in the work. The most prominent instance of foreshadowing in “The Boogeyman” occurs close to the beginning of the story, when Lester pauses to regard Dr. Harper’s closed closet door. He demands that the therapist should open it and let him see what is inside. Dr. Harper does, and Lester sees that the closet contains a coat, a pair of galoshes, and a newspaper—nothing more. This foreshadows not only the open closet in his children’s bedroom at the time of each of their deaths (the telltale sign of the Boogeyman) but also the appearance of the Boogeyman himself at the end of the story. When the Boogeyman reveals himself in Dr. Harper’s office, it is by emerging from the same closet that Lester saw empty at the beginning of the story. Along with repetition, King uses foreshadowing to create a sense of building dread in “The Boogeyman.”

Repetition of words and phrases is used throughout literature of all genres to emphasize important details and lead readers to specific conclusions.