The Boy (2015 film)

The Boy is a 2015 American horror film directed by Craig Macneill, written by Macneill and Clay McLeod Chapman, and starring David Morse, Rainn Wilson, and Jared Breeze. It was based on a short film by Macneill and Chapman, Henley, which was in turn loosely inspired by a novel written by Chapman, Miss Corpus. Breeze plays the titular boy, a budding serial killer.

Plot

In 1989, John Henley owns a rural hotel in Colorado. After his wife abandons him, John retreats from his responsibilities into alcoholism. William Colby, a drifter, has a car accident near the hotel and befriends John's nine-year-old son, Ted. Unknown to John, Ted has become morbidly fascinated with death and has been acting out violently. With William's appearance, Ted begins to experiment with his urges to kill.

Cast

• David Morse as John Henley
• Rainn Wilson as William Colby
• Jared Breeze as Ted Henley
• Bill Sage as the Sheriff
• Mike Vogel
• Zuleikha Robinson
• Aiden Lovekamp as Ben
• David Valencia as Marcus

Production

The story has its genesis in a book written by Clay McLeod Chapman, Miss Corpus.^[1] Chapman said that few people read it except for Craig William Macneill, the film's co-writer and director. Fond of one chapter in particular, Macneill suggested they expand it to a short film, which eventually screened at the Sundance Film Festival. SpectreVision took an interest in the short, and it was expanded to feature length. A full trilogy is planned in which the lead character's progress will be examined at the ages of 9, 13, and 18. The trilogy is not based on the book and is original material.^[2] Macneill expects the films to be released in quick succession.^[3] Filming began on February 17, 2014, in Medellin, Colombia.^[4] Columbia was chosen due to its tax incentives and the fact that they could afford to build their own set – something not possible in the United States for their budget. It took six weeks to construct.^[2] Composer Hauschka was announced to have joined in April 2014.^[5] Macneill said that the themes of the film include "the dangerous blend of isolation, neglect and youth". He said that audiences should take from his film a greater interest in the welfare of neighboring children.^[6]

Release

The Boy premiered at South by Southwest on March 14, 2015.^[7]

Reception

Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote, "Though the body count is ultimately higher than in Psycho, seldom has a stay at a homicidal rural motel seemed quite so endless and dull as in The Boy."^[8] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "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 that isn't helped by the overly long running time."^[9] Eric Kohn of Indiewire, rated it B+ and said that the film "maintains a gripping sense of atmospheric dread".^[10] Scott Wampler of Badass Digest wrote, "It's great, it's creepy, it's got a jet-black third act that'll have you squirming in your seat, and just about everything – from the cast and the script to the set design and the cinematography – works."^[11] Ain't It Cool News wrote, "But much like its protagonist, it is a unique little beast, and if you let the dark, broody tone suck you in, both the ride and the payoff should give you your 12 bucks worth."^[12] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle called it "more measured than the usual demon-child fare".^[13] Charlie Schmidlin of Indiewire rated it C− and said that film has "extremely effective" parts, but it plays into negative stereotypes of "slow burn" psychological dramas.^[14] Carson Lund of Slant Magazine wrote, "Even if his talents tip the scales toward overstatement, Macneill has a command for composition and rhythm that belies his skinny résumé, and one can't help but be unnerved by Breeze's relentlessly deer-in-the-headlights performance as the sociopathic Ted."^[15] Dominick Suzanne-Mayer of Consequence of Sound rated it B− and wrote, "If the film itself slips a little too easily into the banality it’s chronicling at times, The Boy is sustained by the measured performances of the handful of wayward souls in its sparse, bleak world."^[16] Drew Tinnin of Dread Central rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "The slow start (and maybe a little of the middle) does pay off, however, with a conclusion that’s shocking even after seeing what Ted’s already been up to."^[17] Samuel Zimmerman of Shock Till You Drop wrote, "Macneill's disinterest in making a traditional slasher, let alone an iconic one, ultimately ends up with one of the most memorable contemporary iterations."^[18]

References

External links

• The Boy at the Internet Movie Database