| The Paperboy/The Paper Boy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Douglas Jackson |
| Produced by | Tom Berry/Franco Battista Stefan Wodoslawsky(co-producer) Pierre David/Henry Seggerman(executive producer) |
| Written by | David E. Peckinpah (written by) (as David Peckinpah) |
| Starring | Marc marut, Alexandra Paul, William Katt, Karyn Dwyer, Krista Errickson, Frances Bay, |
| Music by | Milan Kymlicka |
| Cinematography | Rodney Gibbons |
| Editing by | Yves Langlois |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures Home Video |
| Release date(s) | 1994 |
| Running time | 97 min |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Cast | |
| Actor/Actress | Role |
| Marc marut | Johnny McFarley |
| Alexandra Paul | Melissa Thorpe |
| William Katt | Brian |
| Karyn Dwyer | Brenda |
| Krista Errickson | Diana |
| Frances Bay | Mrs. Rosemont |
| Brigid Tierney | Cammie Thorpe |
| Barry Flatman | Mr. McFarley |
| Derek Johnston | Brenda's Boyfriend |
| Claire Riley | Jeanne Stalcup |
| Bobo Vian | Dora |
| James Rae | Travis |
| Sam Stone (uncredited) | Police Sergeant |
The Paperboy is a 1994 Canadian horror film starring Alexandra Paul & William Katt.
The Paperboy opens with Johnny McFarley, a local paperboy, as he sets out to deliver a newspaper to the elderly Mrs. Thorpe. Upon arrival to Mrs. Thorpe's home, Johnny uses a key to gain entry and subsequently smothers the woman with a plastic bag, inducing a heart attack. Once the evil deed is complete, he removes the bag off of Mrs. Thorpe's head and continues on his route.
The movie then cuts to Melissa, a teacher making concluding remarks to her 7th grade English class just before their summer vacation commences. When Melissa and her 10 year old daughter Cammie return home, Melissa receives a phone call from her friend with the unfortunate news that Melissa's mother, Mrs. Thorpe, has died. Soon thereafter, Melissa, along with her daughter, travels back to her hometown for her mother's funeral. Once Melissa and Cammie arrive at the late Mrs. Thorpe's home, they are greeted by Johnny who kindly offers to take their luggage inside. Johnny asks if he could join them at the funeral because he was very close with Mrs. Thorpe. He suggests that had he been the one to perish, Mrs. Thorpe would visit him, also. Given the approval to accompany Melissa and her daughter, all three of them head to the funeral in a limo ride where Johnny reveals that his mother is dead and that his father, a sales representative, is rarely around due to the nature of his job.
After the wake, and after he made Cammie promise not to tell her mother, Johnny takes Cammie to play in a room full of empty coffins. After the funeral, Johnny sneaks into Melissa's house and places a baby monitor in the vent so he can eavesdrop on Melissa's conversations. Later, Melissa invites Johnny to a barbecue that she and Cammie are having in which Johnny accepts under the condition that he is allowed to cook. Johnny video tapes the BBQ while he waits for Melissa, only to discover that she is going on a date with her boyfriend Brian. Meanwhile, babysitter Brenda, a person whose relationship with Johnny is mutually hateful, watches Cammie for the night. Johnny reacts violently by smashing a barbecue plate and then retreats to his home.
Later that night, Johnny walks back to Melissa's house with a letter of apology only to stumble upon Brenda making-out with her boyfriend. Brenda catches him and, the next morning, tells Melissa that Johnny has been spying on her. Johnny seeks revenge by tampering with the antenna that Brenda uses to sneak into her bedroom window. Successful in his scheme, Brenda falls and injures herself. Johnny later explains to Melissa that Brenda is now paraplegic.
As the plot thickens, Cammie sneaks up on Johnny while he is making a shrine out of photos he stole from the house. Johnny, initially upset at Cammie for witnessing what just happened, says he is making a surprise present for her and her mother. Shortly after, Johny takes Cammie along to collect money from his paper route and tells her that one of his customers, Mrs. Rosemont, is a witch. Once at Mrs. Rosemont's home, the woman tells Johnny that his money is in the mailbox. When Johnny walks away from Cammie to retrieve his money, Mrs. Rosemont warns Cammie that Johnny has the Mark of Cain and that she should stay away from him. Later, Cammie tells her mother what was revealed to her when she was with Johnny collecting money. Concerned, Melissa soon confronts Mrs. Rosemont.
The scene cuts to Brian as he invites Melissa and her daughter to a pizza dinner. When Melissa and Cammie arrive home, they see Johnny in the kitchen peeling apples with the expectation that Melissa would make an apple pie. Melissa was shocked to learn that not only did Johnny have a key to the house, but also the ability to have snuck in at any time. After Melissa insists that he should leave, Johnny holds the same knife used for peeling the apple in a threatening manner and stabs it into the counter before storming out. Later that night, Johnny, along with his father, apologizes for his actions. Melissa tells Johnny that he cannot come to the house unless he is invited. She then tells his father that he should spend more time with him. Johnny's father gives his son a set of golf clubs as an apology for not being there for him, and tells Johnny that they will be spending much more time together in California because of a recent promotion. Fearing that he will not see, what he considers to be, "his family" again, Johnny kills his father with a fold-out putter.
Soon, Melissa goes to Mrs. Rosemont where it is explained that Johnny was abused by his mother and that he murdered her. Melissa walks out in disbelief. Later, Johnny confronts Melissa about Mrs. Rosemont and tells her that everything she said was fictitious. Soon thereafter, while spying on Melissa's conversation through the baby monitor, Johnny hears that Melissa is calling child welfare and that, with proof and a statement from Mrs. Rosemont, Johnny will be placed in foster care. Johnny grows angry, snatches up his bat and rides to Mrs. Rosemont's house, where he lures her dog, Peaches, out into the open with a hot dog and confronts Mrs. Rosemont. Johnny cuts the phone line and steals her inhaler, knowing she can't breathe without it. Johnny takes the dog, much to her horror, and walks out of the room, returning with his bat and a white pillow case supposedly containing Peaches. Johnny beats the pillowcase with the bat, causing Mrs. Rosemont to die of an asthma attack. Johnny opens the bag to reveal two broken bottles of ketchup and ribs, revealing that he didn't kill Peaches after all.
Johnny then goes to Brian's workplace, knocks him out, and sets it on fire. Brian manages to regain consciousness fast enough to escape. Johnny then calls Melissa and tells her to come to his house. Melissa denies Johnny's request until she hears Cammie calling her name. Melissa quickly goes to Johnny's house, where Johnny is now completely maniacal to the point where he is calling her "mom." Johnny's true intentions are finally unveiled when he reveals that he killed Melissa's mother to lure them to the house in hopes of starting a new family. Melissa frantically searches Johnny's house wherever she hears Cammie's voice only to find that the sound has been coming from Johnny's home movie and the baby monitor in the basement. As Melissa incessantly refuses to be Johnny's mother, an angry Johnny then tries to bury Melissa in a hole created for his father, only to have her escape through the window.
Armed with a pickaxe, Johnny pursues Melissa, who is carrying Cammie as she is running. Melissa soon wears out and tells Cammie to run. Johnny tries to strike Cammie with the pickaxe and misses, breaking the handle off. Melissa manages to get a hold of the broken handle and just before she could hit him, she is stopped by the police. Johnny tries to use this to his advantage, frantically lying, saying Melissa is crazy and trying to kill him. Johnny then sees Brian step out of the squad car, saying that it's over. The cops take a hysterical Johnny away as he is begging for Melissa to tell them he is all innocent.
On September 15, 2011 Frances Bay passed away from Pneumonia. This would be her final role.