Joshua

R

Released Jul 6, 2007

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

List

62%

99 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga) Cairn have a seemingly picture-perfect life. Brad is a successful stockbroker, their son, Joshua, is a child prodigy, and Abby has just given birth to a baby girl. Ominous cracks soon begin to appear on the surface of this pretty picture. Pets mysteriously die, the baby will not stop crying, and Joshua develops an interest in mummification. The incidents may be coincidental, or Joshua's intelligence masks an extremely evil heart.

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Critics Consensus

Though Joshua is ultimately too formulaic, its intelligence and suspenseful buildup heighten the overall creep factor.

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Audience Member

THE 50 BEST HORROR MOVIES YOU'VE NEVER SEEN tried to sell me JOSHUA and in a state of weakness, I obliged. An obtuse child in a house full of infants (including a constantly crying mother & an oblivious father) wants more attention. Jealousy gives way to predictability and we are left without reward, not caring for a single character nor what happens to them in the future. And I'm sorry, but that final scene/song is one of the CREEPIEST moments I've ever seen two relatives have. And not in a good/horror way.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/06/22

Full Review

robert p

Like the movie "The Bad Seed" with a paranoid schizophrenic girl killer, this movie reminded me of that. The boy was a killer thru and thru, and only slips up at the very end of the movie, when he sings a song about getting rid of all of his relatives so he could be with Uncle. The wife was totally psychotic and fortunately the little girl is saved as well!!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

scott m

Complete rip-off of "The Omen" about an evil devil boy. But so well acted by Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga. There's a wonderful scene in the park where Rockwell's character finally understands the extent of his son's evil, and its really well done. Good movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Underrated. It's as good as Rosemary's Baby. Quite the thriller. It's hard to believe an innocent-looking/acting kid, could be hiding a monster. The real monster, speaking as a mother-in-law, is Vera Farmiga. Her treatment of her husband, Sam Rockwell, is horrendous. Quite the bitch. Small wonder Joshua is disturbed with a mom like that.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Figured this one out from the git go. He was gooood, made it easy to hate him.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I didn’t find it very engaging, especially for being a thriller, slow-burner or not. Dad should’ve been outspoken from the beginning to make it believable. The baby cries in every scene it’s in. Seriously it’s too much. Good performances from the cast though.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/04/20

Full Review

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George Ratliff

Director

Sam Rockwell

Brad Cairn

Vera Farmiga

Abby Cairn

Celia Weston

Hazel Cairn

Dallas Roberts

Ned Davidoff

Michael McKean

Chester Jenkins

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Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

Rated: 3/5

May 13, 2009

Full Review

Mark Bourne

Film.com

...a bewildering extension rather than a retread of this played-out subgenre.

Jan 8, 2008

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

As horror flicks go this is both smart and suspenseful.

Jan 3, 2008

Full Review

Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

And while the Damien Thorns and Rosemary’s babies make many adults nervous, there is something profoundly more upsetting about children like Joshua, whose malevolence has no ready explanation or unnatural origin.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 23, 2023

Full Review

Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

We're finally left holding a handful of air at the end.

Apr 28, 2011

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Easily written off as an "Omen" retread at first glance, this unfairly passed-over piece of slow-burn terror disarmingly chipped away at ideas of parental readiness with mounting dread and gruesome humor. It burrows beneath the skin and stays there.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 23, 2010

Full Review

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Synopsis

Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga) Cairn have a seemingly picture-perfect life. Brad is a successful stockbroker, their son, Joshua, is a child prodigy, and Abby has just given birth to a baby girl. Ominous cracks soon begin to appear on the surface of this pretty picture. Pets mysteriously die, the baby will not stop crying, and Joshua develops an interest in mummification. The incidents may be coincidental, or Joshua's intelligence masks an extremely evil heart.

Director: George Ratliff
Producer: Temple Fennell, Dan O'Meara
Screenwriter: David Gilbert, George Ratliff
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: ATO Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Behavior by a Child)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 6, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $478.5K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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