Movies
[SFF ’15 Review] ‘The Boy’ Is a Great Argument for Birth Control
The Stanley Film Festival really had it in for kids this year, man. From the rabid hordes of youngsters in Cooties to the haunting memory of a dead child in The Invitation and even more killer kids awaiting in Goodnight Mommy (which I unfortunately didn’t get to see), the 2015 Stanley made a strong argument for birth control. The Boy was the most profound reason to wrap it up that I saw, as it depicts a kid’s growing fascination with death set against a backdrop of isolation and subversive terror.
This is one of those suckers that even if you don’t realize it at the time, truly gets under the skin and festers. It can feel arduous at times, almost aimless, but by the time the climax kicks in, the deliberate pace and disconnect from backstory fully reveal the terrifying impact of mommy’s little monster.
The Boy is about a (you guessed it) named Ted. He lives in a dusty roadside motel that his alcoholic father manages. Guests are sparse, so Ted spends his free time collecting road kill and selling it to his old man for change. When there is a guest, young Ted has difficulty interacting with them – human interaction isn’t really his bag (I feel you, bro).
[Related Posts] Read All Stanley Film Festival Reviews Right Here!
The first truly frightening moment happens when it’s revealed that Ted isn’t just collecting road kill, he’s actually baiting animals out on to a sharp curve in the road to be killed. The slow realization that Ted is incredibly more intelligent and sinister than he initially seems is where The Boy draws a lot of its horror. It’s a slow, slow burn that actually delivers on the unsettling suspense and intrigue it accumulates. And the payoff? It’s a disturbingly celebratory sequence where we know we shouldn’t be feeling such a great degree of catharsis flooding over us. It certainly is satisfying, but for (maybe?) morally the wrong reasons.
Yes, after viewing The Boy, your moral compass may be a bit fucked.
Child actor Jared Breeze, besides having a kick ass name, delivers an impressively expressionistic performance. In the Q&A following the screening, he explained that he used two faces: stone and sour. From these two seemingly simple expressions, Breeze simply nails it. There’s a natural depth to the kid that on screen, making you want to stay the hell away from him one second and then high five him the next.
Rainn Wilson (The Office, Cooties) shows a deeply menacing side as a suspected arsonist hiding out at the motel. Him and Ted develop an unusual friendship that drives much of the core plot as the film moves towards its chilling climax. It’s a conclusion that you may see coming, or hell, you may have been anticipating since the first frame. Either way, the dark heart that propels The Boy is the impossibly assured direction of Craig William Macneill and the willingness of the film to take its time letting you know that Ted is fucking dangerous. It’s a frightening thing to witness: Ted’s psychopathy maturing before your eyes.
We’ve seen killer kid films before. But maybe not one as psychologically ratcheting as The Boy. During its 100 minute running time, we literally witness the blossoming of a child’s urge to kill.
And with that, I’m gonna go hug my dog.
Ghostface is back on the big screen this weekend… well, sort of… with the release of Scary Movie, which marks the Wayans brothers’ return to the horror spoof franchise for the first time since Scary Movie 2 back in the day. It’s likely to be the talk of the horror community for the weekend, but don’t overlook the other six genre movies that were freshly unleashed today.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The horror spoof franchise is back with Scary Movie now playing in theaters!
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite for the new Scary Movie, with the cast also including Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe…
Scary Movie will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t. A whole lot has changed in the horror genre since the Wayans Brothers were in charge of the franchise; their involvement ended with Scary Movie 2 back in 2001!
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs Scary Movie 6 from a script written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
From IFC, shark attack movie Chum is now available on Digital.
Alice Eve (Haunting of Queen Mary) stars in shark attack movie alongside Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond, Lisa Yaro, Johnny Gaffney, and Sarah Siadat.
This one sounds very similar to last year’s Dangerous Animals…
Here’s the plot: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst-transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
Jonathan Zuck directs Chum, from a script by Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) come together in Carolina Caroline, a sexy crime thriller now playing in theaters.
It’s not a horror movie, mind you, but it’s worth a mention here all the same.
Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Jon Gries also star in the romantic crime thriller.
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s film stars Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.
Adam Rehmeier previously directed the films Dinner in America and Snack Shack.
Tom Dean wrote the screenplay for Carolina Caroline.
Similar to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big screen blockbuster Disclosure Day, Signal One explores humankind’s enduring question: what if we aren’t alone in the universe?
The sci-fi thriller is now available on Digital.
Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Raoul Bhaneja (Possessor), Emma Ho (“The Expanse”), and Dennis Quaid (The Substance) star in Signal One from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal).
When tech billionaire Sam Houston (Quaid) hires the brilliant computer scientist Annika (Fuhrman), she ventures to an isolated facility run by the brilliant, nihilistic creator of LITTLEMOUTH, a machine which can communicate with alien intelligence.
Annika soon learns some humanity-altering facts: that we are not alone in the universe, that alien intelligences are communicating around us at every moment, and that we are likely too primitive to even remotely understand what they are trying to tell us.
When the goal of the endeavor shifts from listening to talking back, the project rapidly devolves into chaos. With contact comes consequences, and soon Annika and the team must work to ensure the very survival of our species.
A schoolyard dare becomes an urban legend in the creepypasta-inspired horror anthology The Summoning. The indie film is now available on Digital from Brainstorm Media.
“A babysitting gig becomes a nightmare of urban legend when three teens summon Baby Blue. Survival depends on uncovering the past to escape a mother’s wrath from beyond the grave.”
Felipe Vargas (Rosario, Hive), Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Piskorik, Corey Benson Powers, and Brian Sepanzyk direct the segments. Valeria San Martín, Justina Ceballos, Daniela Flombaum, Nannu Spannauss, Agustín Olcese, and Giovanni Onetti star.
The Summoning is written by Camilo Zaffora.
Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now available on Digital at home.
In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“
Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s latest dark fairy tale, The Ice Tower, loosely reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s fable “The Snow Queen,” and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“
Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star in The Ice Tower, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.
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