Top Cast
Greta is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family's 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta's worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive. Greta learns the horrifying details about the Heelshire family's disturbing past, leading to realize that she wasn't just hired she was chosen.
Critic Consensus
Critical reception for The Boy is largely negative, with most reviewers finding it ineffective as a horror film. The film's early atmospheric setup and the performances of the aged parents received limited praise, though critics felt the movie failed to sustain tension or deliver genuine scares. The twist ending drew the sharpest criticism, with multiple reviewers describing it as illogical, unoriginal, and damaging to whatever goodwill the film had built, with one critic noting it reduced the film to a spoof. The consensus is that The Boy will leave most viewers unaffected and is of interest only to dedicated genre fans.
5 rated reviews · 1 positive · 1 mixed · 3 negative
AI-generated summary of 9 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyCritic Reviews (9)
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“The worst part about The Boy is just when the premise starts to work, thanks in large part to praiseworthy acting by all its main protagonists particularly the boy's aged parents, director Bell loses control.”Read full review ↗
“Horror films are the single most exciting movie genre so it's always disappointing when bad horror films show up in theaters. The Boy, directed by William Brent Bell is the new culprit this week.”Read full review ↗
“The Boy is strange, odd and even awkward but we hope the sequel is truly scary... the real deal. SEE ALSO TRIVIA / GOOFS”Read full review ↗
“The Boy is a movie that, if I were to descri-be, would leave you unimpressed. If you went with an open mind, this would be an engaging horror-drama with some interesting gothic imaginings.”Read full review ↗
“The film just can't live up to the challenge of creating a monster out of a doll and all the tricks thereof seems just that - and too feeble and insipid to give you the chills. You are going to be largely unaffected by this one.”Read full review ↗
“If you're looking to be repeatedly scared and shocked, The Boy isn't for you.”Read full review ↗
“The big twist in the last 30 minutes is almost bizarre. It doesn't add up and nearly undoes the good job its done in parts until then. In a sudden turn of events, it becomes a slasher movie. And as a viewer, who was hoping to see a horror film that rises beyond the generic, we feel cheated.”Read full review ↗
“When the twist ending comes, it is so shoddily executed and so unoriginal that The Boy degrades into a spoof. This is one for genre-fans only.”Read full review ↗
“From the maker of The Devil Inside and Stay Alive comes another horror story, The Boy, which offers a new take on the overused trend of possessed dolls. For all you horror fans out there, this movie may be entertaining but it surely isn't the scariest one you'll see.”Read full review ↗
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Lauren Cohan · Greta
- Rupert Evans · Malcolm
- Jim Norton · MrHeelshire
- Diana Hardcastle · MrsHeelshire
- Ben Robson · James
- Jett Klyne · Young Brahms
- William Brent Bell
- Matt Berenson
- Roy Lee
- Gary Lucchesi
- Tom Rosenberg
- Jim Wedaa
- Stacey Menear
- Bear McCreary
- Daniel Pearl
- Brian Berdan
Director
Writer
Music
Cinematography
Editing
Details
- Release Date
- 29 January 2016
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Language
- English
User Ratings & Reviews
1 rating · 0 with a written review
