Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Boy Behind the Door’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Boy Behind the Door’ and features discussions revolving around child abduction and abuse, which might be triggering to some individuals.
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Truly, there is no greater fear that a parent harbors in the back of their mind, than their child being kidnapped. Because their baby is their lifeblood, and they know and understand that it is their job to protect them at all costs. So, if by chance, their little one disappeared on their watch, utter fear and a sense of failure would settle in and for proof, then look no further than any press conference where a parent pleads with the public to have their child returned to them. Since you can see the utter terror in their eyes and hear the panic in their voice and that level of pain is so heart wrenching that people are quick to rally around that poor parent or those poor parents and do what they can to bring their baby home.
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For children are in fact… vulnerable and weaker than those that snatched them up and need all the help they can get. But what’s unique about this unfortunate aspect of our world, is that we rarely think about or talk about what the child is going through during this experience and well… it makes sense as to why. After all, we know how fragile they are and the thought of them suffering, or hurting is too much to bear since no innocent child should ever go through that. In fact, those thoughts are so taboo, that even fiction tends to steer clear of this topic. But believe it or not, as the years roll on and we get braver about facing the darkest parts of our world, those conversations and concerns are starting to happen in everyday life and in popular culture, in an effort to raise awareness and hopefully end such matters. To the point where even Shudder is now host to a movie that puts this horrifying scenario on display for productive reasons in The Boy Behind the Door.

Now in this particular horror flick, we are introduced to a pair of best friends named Bobby and Kevin who are dreaming of the future. Where they can be adults and live, in prettier parts of the world, such as California. But sadly, on this fine day… those dreams are yanked away from them and replaced with utter nightmares. For while they are goofing around on their way to a baseball game, a stranger makes the bold move of knocking them out and kidnapping them and when Bobby comes to, he is separated from his bestie and ready to run. That is until he gathers his bearings and comes to discover that Kevin is trapped in a nearby house and that motivates Bobby to stay and do what he can to help his closest friend, a decision that put both of them in grave peril. For the person that snatched these two boys up… has awful plans in store for them and will stop at nothing to bring those plans to life.

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So, it’s best we just go ahead and get it out of the way now… and inform you that this is not a film for the faint hearted. Because this is a dark and bleak and motion picture, one that immediately plunges the viewer into the plight of two boys that aren’t safe in the slightest and could come to great harm if the monster of this household so decides, and that really does make the viewer uncomfortable through and through. For this is a visceral kidnapping and sex slave trade story and everything that happens in this film is horrifying to the Nth degree and the terror is compounded further by the fact, that these kids don’t have the complete foresight or the proper physical skills to handle their captor and others that roam through these halls. And that really does rob the viewer of hope and it leaves one on the edge of their seat with worry that these kids might not make it out of this nightmare alive.
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Which of course, begs the question… how exactly is a horror film that is filled with unnerving moments and homages to The Shining and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, productive or conducive to any kind of discussion revolving around prevention and apprehension and putting an end to such a dark part of our society? Well as it turns out, those harrowing events are designed to raise awareness that this problem is out there, and that it is horrifying and that evil people really have no qualms with ruining the innocence of childhood and having some level of understanding of what this could be like, definitely provides the viewer with empathy and fury. The kind that should motivate us to take more action in our everyday lives to stop this in any capacity. But while there is something to be said about a horror film casting light on such a dark topic, sadly… the film doesn’t offer any solid answers on how we stop this and understandably so.

Because we barely understand predators and why they do what they do and how they operate and well, perhaps raising awareness in this manner is the best way to start moving the needle to keep children safe. But all commentary and thoughtfulness aside, make no mistake about it, this is a horror film through and through. One that genuinely puts the darkest parts of humanity on display since the villains of this story have zero regard for human life and that definitely makes for a chilling motion picture. One that quite frankly stays with you long after the credits have ended since it never lets up when it comes to the terror and the uncertainty and uncomfortable nature that it presents us with. So, if you’re looking for a genuinely terrifying film, one that rattles you in ways you never thought possible, then swing by Shudder and give this extended nightmare a look.

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