X
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Chiller Films
- 1 h 51 m
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Chiller Films
- 1 h 51 m
Summary It’s the summer of 1989. 9-year-old Ted Henley (Jared Breeze) and his father John (David Morse) are the proprietors of The Mt. Vista Motel, a crumbling resort buried in the mountains of the American West. Since Ted's mother left, John has drifted into despondency—leaving Ted to fend for himself. In this isolation, unchecked by the bounds...
Directed By: Craig William Macneill
Written By: Clay McLeod Chapman, Craig William Macneill
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Chiller Films
- 1 h 51 m
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Chiller Films
- 1 h 51 m
The Boy
45
5.6
Where to Watch
Summary It’s the summer of 1989. 9-year-old Ted Henley (Jared Breeze) and his father John (David Morse) are the proprietors of The Mt. Vista Motel, a crumbling resort buried in the mountains of the American West. Since Ted's mother left, John has drifted into despondency—leaving Ted to fend for himself. In this isolation, unchecked by the bounds...
Directed By: Craig William Macneill
Written By: Clay McLeod Chapman, Craig William Macneill
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
45
13% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
75% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
13% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
45
13% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
75% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
13% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
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.
The film’s biggest flaw is that there’s never any doubt about where Ted is going to end up.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 User Ratings
5.6
22% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
56% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
22% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 User Ratings
5.6
22% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
56% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
22% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
A look at a boy's behaviour who was isolated from the society.
The entire setting reminds us the movie 'Psycho'. More or less it could have had made a good prequel to that, like the portrayal of Norman Bates' childhood. As an independent film from any previous narrative, it was quite good actually. Inspired by a novel that tells the story of a 9 year old boy who runs a motel with his father in a nowhere. In a lonely place where the customers are very rare, how the boy develops his behavious without social consciousness is what this movie is.
Trust me, realism means this movie, but there's always flaws in a small budget film like this. If you always scan for logic, you can't enjoy any movie even in small quantity. Empty your thoughts and get into it, then there's a chance you might like it. I'm not saying it'll become your favourite, but the depiction was so good which was quite similar to the recent Austrian movie 'Goodnight Mommy'.
It is not a horror, but a thriller-drama. A terrifying theme, that means terror-horror, thus it called horror. Other than that there's no supernatural or sci-fi things in it. It was a decent movie to me, I felt it was slightly underrated. The turnaround in the storytelling was very good yet predictable stuff. The filmmaker must bring a sequel for it, otherwise I'll be very disappointed.
6/10
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The psychological origin of psycho, although it may be too slow for some.
Growing up without internet or video game is bad enough, but Ted has to live in a remote motel in the middle of nowhere. The premise of a child gradually becoming more bizarre in his nature is executed fairly well, it gives audience a clear view of how the isolation and what little interaction he has shapes his mind. However, with runtime almost two hours and majority of it is uneventful, this slow burner might not appeal to mainstream audience.
Thriller or horror nowadays is leaning towards faster pace developments. For example, Gone Girl delivers twists and turns frequently. The Boy is more of a slow burner, it portrays Ted and his strange mental process. Much of it is by his body language and others' influences. This keeps the audience guessing on his state of mind as the young boy seemingly perceives things awkwardly different than we would.
The better parts of the movie show that Ted might just be the victim of condition or unlucky encounter with wrong people. From his father and guests, all have inherited flaws which Ted may misguidedly follow. The other angle is he’s already disturbed from the beginning and takes advantage of others. He doesn't talk much, and it's probably better that way since the scenes are more effectively when he's silent.
The main concern is the slow pace. Sure, it has good cinematography, but there are many lingering shots. Music is steadily becoming grim, and this is more weird than dreadful since there's barely significant development as the scenes are prolonged more than they need be. It feels as though the movie hypes a dreadful scene only to shift to normal dialogue.
It's eerie at times simply by how isolated and lonely The Boy is portrayed, but it could benefit from faster screenplay, especially in few bland moments that barely contribute to the story.
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The Boy, despite remarkable performances and gorgeous imagery, does not sufficiently flesh out its subject.
The seeds of a sequel sprout in the film’s lasting final shot, but perhaps with a look further into Ted’s future, a narrative to match the mood will emerge as well.
Craig William Macneill's The Boy tries so hard to be ominous that it nearly strains itself in the process.
Featuring long stretches in which little is said or happens, the film never quite burrows into the viewer's skin in the way in which it was obviously intended.
So little happens in The Boy, and so little suspense is effectively built around its central figure, that by the time things finally do heat up the movie has flatlined too completely for us to care.
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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Awards
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 2 Nominations
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
SXSW Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
