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Poster for The Boy

The Boy

Evil Always Begins Somewhere.

2015 · 1h 50m · NOT RATED Drama, Horror, Thriller
Directed by Craig William Macneill

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Overview

An intimate portrait of a 9 year old sociopath as he discovers his taste for killing.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
Fresh

Mr. Macneill and his co-screenwriter, Clay McLeod Chapman, have developed a feature stunning to behold if somewhat unpersuasive in narrative.

Andy Webster, New York Times
Rotten

The film feels overly long, and while lingering shots of the mountain scenery do help convey the isolation of the deserted motel, too many of them feel repetitive.

Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly
Rotten

While the score goes out of its way to make his every action feel sinister, the picture doesn't fulfill its horrific potential until the third act.

Sherilyn Connelly, Village Voice
Rotten

While it's admirable that director Macneill and his co-scripter Clay McLeod Chapman opted to emphasize mood and psychology over the story's more exploitable elements, it nonetheless results in a listless tedium.

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Fresh

The scariest aspect of "The Boy" is the extent to which Macneill makes it possible to sympathize with the troubled protagonist -- even as its haunting final shot hints at the horrors yet to come.

Eric Kohn, indieWIRE

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