X
  • 2016
  • PG-13
  • STX Entertainment
  • 1 h 37 m
  • 2016
  • PG-13
  • STX Entertainment
  • 1 h 37 m

Summary 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 i...

Directed By: William Brent Bell

Written By: Stacey Menear

  • 2016
  • PG-13
  • STX Entertainment
  • 1 h 37 m
  • 2016
  • PG-13
  • STX Entertainment
  • 1 h 37 m

The Boy

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 10 Critic Reviews
42
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 299 User Ratings
7.2
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary 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 i...

Directed By: William Brent Bell

Written By: Stacey Menear

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 10 Critic Reviews
42
10% Positive
1 Review
60% Mixed
6 Reviews
30% Negative
3 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 10 Critic Reviews
42
10% Positive
1 Review
60% Mixed
6 Reviews
30% Negative
3 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
70
Jan 22, 2016
Nearly free of gore, the film taps into the deep and always welcome vein of the opulently bizarre things that rich, emotionally stunted people get into when they’ve got too much money. Stacey Menear’s script is careful and clever about revealing what Brahms really is, for he’s certainly got a mind and will of his own.
By Inkoo Kang FULL REVIEW
50
Jan 23, 2016
It still has enough scary moments to satisfy horror fans, but you’re left wondering whether it might have been more disturbing had it stayed on its original path.
By Neil Genzlinger FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 299 User Ratings
7.2
59% Positive
177 Ratings
30% Mixed
89 Ratings
11% Negative
33 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 299 User Ratings
7.2
59% Positive
177 Ratings
30% Mixed
89 Ratings
11% Negative
33 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
Troubledkid97
Oct 5, 2018
One of the best horror movies I've seen. It's one of a few movies where everything will make sense in the end and will keep you satisfied.
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10
sybhassen
Jun 19, 2016
Excellent movie and thriller from beginning to end. I tend to rely on critics ratings and they dropped the ball on this one underrating it and I don't appreciate that. Glad I didn't miss this movie.
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50
Jan 22, 2016
Stacey Menear's screenplay doesn't manage to sustain its clever premise, with the final act featuring a banal and formulaic revelation that unfortunately takes what had been a spooky haunted house tale into familiar slasher movie territory.
By Frank Scheck FULL REVIEW
40
Jan 27, 2016
The Boy’s overriding concern is telegraphed enough in advance that fans of Gothic suspense will almost certainly have guessed it 45 minutes in.
By Marc Savlov FULL REVIEW
40
Jan 21, 2016
Despite the assiduous grinding of plot mechanics by William Brent Bell (“The Devil Inside”) and scripter Stacey Menear, the movie never fully distracts its audience from the inherent silliness of its premise...and, as a result, is more likely to elicit laughs and rude remarks rather than screams and rooting interest.
By Joe Leydon FULL REVIEW
30
Jan 22, 2016
If only writer Stacey Menear and director William Brent Bell took the very real horrors of domestic abuse as seriously as they do the virtual horror of paranormal activity.
By Martin Tsai FULL REVIEW
25
Jan 27, 2016
Is it a spoiler to refer to the coda of thriller The Boy as the clumsiest cop out in recent horror history?
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
See All 10 Critic Reviews
10
MoviesForever
Apr 5, 2016
Exceptional and well-acted, The Boy is intense, terrifying and surprisingly sad. It might not be the scary movie you'd want it to be but it is all worth the wait for the twist.
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6
Rcavey92212
Feb 28, 2020
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
6
bartcbem
Aug 9, 2019
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
3
badgerryan19
May 19, 2017
There were some genuine scares here but it falters in a lot of areas. Lot to be desired. I had some type of enjoyment in the first half but it fell apart in the second. And that ending. UGH!
Report
3
InglouriousAndy
May 18, 2016
I really loved Lauren Cohan in this, she was engaging and pretty damn beautiful. The movie is just a joke. It's lazy and dull, and it has the dumbest plot twist maybe ever.
Report
See All 47 User Reviews

Details

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Production Company Lakeshore Entertainment, STX Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Media, Vertigo Entertainment
Release Date Jan 22, 2016
Duration 1 h 37 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Tagline Every child needs to feel loved.
Website https://www.facebook.com/TheBoyMovie/
View All Details

Awards

BloodGuts UK Horror Awards
• 2 Nominations
Golden Trailer Awards
• 2 Nominations
World Soundtrack Awards
• 1 Nomination

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