Written by: Ryan Dailey
The Boy Behind the Door’s premise is visceral, terrifying and could be pulled from the headlines of any news source on any given day. Two pre-teen boys are kidnapped in broad daylight, bound and whisked away to a house that lays isolated from the rest of the community.
David Charbonier and Justin Powell deliver a low-budget horror film that really gives its Hollywood big brothers a run for their money. The script is very tight and packed with uncomfortable moments, even if the story does abuse some tropes and asks the audience to really suspend disbelief in places. The direction of the movie is very well done, not “film student” quality in the least. The only downfall, if one can consider it a downfall, is that they dip into the 1980’s The Shining well a little too much towards the end of the second act.
The opening of the movie does an excellent job of establishing the relationship between Bobby and Kevin (Lonnie Chavis and Ezra Dewy) without spending a lot of time on their backstory. We are given just enough story to really care about these kids, without bogging down the story with too much exposition. This technique also helps the viewer feel a fraction of the disorientation the protagonists are experiencing.
The Boy Behind the Door, while it deals with the topics of child abuse, both sexual and physical and child kidnapping, does so without exploitation. The director knew what to show and what not to show. There are enough cringe moments to keep you on edge all the same. The filmmakers basically know when to “hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.” This makes the intense abuse moments even worse, as the audience is forced to fill in the blanks during the most intense scenes of the film.
Every single actor in this piece turns in superb performances. The main characters, despite their ages, really make one believe they are in the middle of this hellish situation. The filmmakers even throw in a twist reveal of who exactly runs this sex-trafficking ring, and the person playing the role ranks up there in the pantheon of despicable movie villains.
The Boy Behind the Door is a very gripping watch, as long as you can stomach the subject matter. If Don’t Breathe is one of the lumps of sugar in your horror tea, this film comes highly recommended.
Boy Behind the Door is available on Shudder, Blu-Ray and DVD.