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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
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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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Ale C I think this is a very underrated film. The plotwist is INSANE and i would have never expect it. Its so fun because even after the movie you will always think this could happen in real life and you wonder thats why your milk is half empty when you bought it the same day. I do recommend it Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/25 Full Review Tyler M This movie is so underrated, I love the story and the background of the doll. The twist at the end in my opinion was refreshing from the rest of the “haunted doll” genre of movies. Would highly recommend giving it a watch. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/25 Full Review kyle I loved it back in high school it was a grate date night movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review John W At the beginning, a bit slowly paced and not really all that exciting. But the twist at the end was good, and the film was definitely a bit creepy and had some jump scares. I also liked the acting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/10/25 Full Review Soul S The Boy.' Overall, I found it to be a decent watch. The storyline was engaging enough to keep my interest, and I would rate it as above average. Lauren Cohan's performance stood out to me; she did a commendable job bringing her character to life. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to watch the entire movie without losing focus, which is not something I can say for many films I've seen lately. I would score this a respectable 4/5 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/08/25 Full Review Waniya S Saw some edits on tiktok of the boy, so I wanted to check it out for myself. I was completely biased watching the movie. I am all in for Brahms. Let me start off by things I did not like. Malcolm, his whole character. The flirting was slap-worthy. I would have spit my gum in his hands. He had the keys BUT chose to not come in the house when it was very much needed. It was very clear what he wanted from Greta, and that was not her in the long run. Greta you knew darling, Brahms wouldn't hurt you. Like What did Brahms ever do to you. Get rid of your toxic ex? Like you should have thanked Brahms. Brahms. Loved him. Like I was upset that the masked version of him was only for the last couple minutes of the movie BUT I am not complaining cuz the last minutes ATE. I would happily become the nanny for him. YEAH. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/20/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Boy

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Cast & Crew

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William Brent Bell

Director

Lauren Cohan

Greta Evans

Rupert Evans

Malcolm

Jim Norton

Mr. Heelshire

Diana Hardcastle

Mrs. Heelshire

Ben Robson

Cole

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The Boy

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The Boy

Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." (L-R) Jim Norton as Mr. Heelshire and Diana Hardcastle as Mrs. Heelshire in "The Boy." (L-R) Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans, Diana Hardcastle as Mrs. Heelshire and Jim Norton as Mr. Heelshire in "The Boy." A scene from"The Boy." Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." Lauren Cohan as Greta Evans in "The Boy." View more photos

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
Vertigo, STX Entertainment, Lakeshore 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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