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The Boy

Play trailer 1:01 Poster for The Boy PG-13 Released Jan 22, 2016 1h 37m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
31% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A young American named Greta (Lauren Cohan) takes a job as a nanny for an 8-year-old boy in a remote English village. To her surprise, Greta learns that the child of her new employers is a life-size doll. They care for the doll as if it was human, which helps the couple to cope with the death of their own son 20 years earlier. When Greta violates a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring her worst fears to life, leading her to believe that the doll is alive.
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The Boy

The Boy

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Critics Consensus

The Boy could have gone in any number of scary or interesting directions, but instead settles for usual jump scares scattered throughout a pedestrian plot.

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Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com While I can't say what transpires ends up making The Boy a bad film, it does have the unfortunate effect of making it a less interesting one. Rated: 2/4 Aug 16, 2016 Full Review Scott Tobias Uproxx With a little more courage and a lot more craft, Brahms could have been the next Chucky or Annabelle. Instead the little creep is as harmless as a rag doll. Aug 16, 2016 Full Review Roxana Hadadi Chesapeake Family Magazine The doldrums of January horror continue with The Boy, another subpar genre offering. Rated: 1/5 Aug 2, 2016 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Forgettable in a way that many PG-13 horror movies are, but just weird enough to set it apart from the crowd. Rated: 3/5 May 12, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review In an age where Hollywood is obsessed with demonic spirit possessions, poltergeists, and other ghostly hauntings, The Boy is a refreshing change of pace with fine acting and an effective production. Rated: 3/4 Apr 22, 2022 Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine While The Boy has a nicely creepy atmosphere and tone, it rarely undertakes anything that has not been done before. Rated: 5/10 Feb 1, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Josman H It's not awful, but it's not great either. Some dumb moments but you can enjoy it tho Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/24 Full Review Yuri M Another fun horror movie Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/16/24 Full Review Eye C As a horror movie is interesting but only for the twist at the end, the problem is that for a long part of the movie this one more of the bunch, of movies about a possessed doll. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/09/24 Full Review Null S Honestly, I’ve got no clue why people have rated this movie so low. It’s the good ole fashioned horror, with some great plot. Wish there was the tiniest bit more, but this movie does it all for me. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/24 Full Review Iamwhoi M Messy movie, with not much reason for the things that happen. I can't say much more without ruining the "surprise," which you can guess VERY early in the movie. Let's just say, it's been done better MANY times before. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/17/24 Full Review Indigo O I thought it was a little boring, but the plot twist at the end was HUGELY unexpected for me! Not a bad horror movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/16/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Boy

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A young American named Greta (Lauren Cohan) takes a job as a nanny for an 8-year-old boy in a remote English village. To her surprise, Greta learns that the child of her new employers is a life-size doll. They care for the doll as if it was human, which helps the couple to cope with the death of their own son 20 years earlier. When Greta violates a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring her worst fears to life, leading her to believe that the doll is alive.
Director
William Brent Bell
Producer
Jim Wedaa, Roy Lee, Matt Berenson, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright
Screenwriter
Stacey Menear
Distributor
STX Entertainment
Production Co
Lakeshore Entertainment, Vertigo, STX Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Violence and Terror|Some Thematic Material)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 22, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$35.8M
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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