Imagine being in the house of a kidnapper. They are on the lookout for you and want to hurt you. You are free, but your friend is trapped. What would you do? Would you run and save yourself, or are you brave enough to go and find him? That is The Boy Behind the Door.

The plot of The Boy Behind the Door revolves around two boys, Bobby (Lonnie Chavis) and Kevin (Ezra Dewey), who get kidnapped. The Creep (Micah Hauptman) and Ms. Burton (Kristin Bauer van Straten) intend to sell the kids for money, but when Bobby escapes, he has to try and find a way to break out his friend. 

The cinematography was very cool. It shot things in such creative angles and kept the setting very dark even during the scenes that took place during the day.  The use of blood and gore was so much more realistic than just piling gore into a film for no reason. The blood gives the audience a reason to cringe and suffer along with the characters. 

The biggest flaw I have with The Boy Behind the Door is the choreography. Throughout the film, some of the movements of the characters didn’t make sense. Furthermore, there are parts where a character is supposed to be hidden, and it is clear that the other person can see them. I would have appreciated more attention to detail on the hiding spots and movements, especially since most of the movie revolves around Bobby trying to move about the house silently. 

Weirdly enough, this movie has a lot of random references to other films, especially The Shining. They don’t necessarily seem out of place, yet they are kind of a copy from other movies. 

I don’t usually love child actors because they can sometimes be ingenuine with their acting. Still, The Boy Behind the Door is an exception. Both main characters were exceptional in their roles. They truly carried this movie with their reactions to everything that was happening to them. Their performances were so powerful that I truly connected to them while watching them create their art. The supporting actors also carry the movie. Within the acting realm of this movie, there was not a lot wrong with it. 

Overall, The Boy Behind the Door is a great thriller and kept me on my toes. I would recommend everyone check out this movie and especially try to catch the random sprinkled references to other films.

7 out of 10