The Good Son (1993)

A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle and befriends his cousin, a boy of the same age who begins showing increasing signs of violent and psychopathic behavior.

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writer:

Ian McEwan

Stars:

Macaulay Culkin, Elijah Wood, Wendy Crewson

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Macaulay Culkin	...	Henry
Elijah Wood	...	Mark
Wendy Crewson	...	Susan
David Morse	...	Jack
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Wallace
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Alice
Quinn Culkin	...	Connie
Ashley Crow	...	Janice
Guy Strauss	...	Arizona Doctor
Keith Brava	...	Doctor in Blackport
Jerem Goodwin	...	Factory Worker
Andria Hall	...	Woman Reporter
Bobby Huber	...	Axe Man
Mark Stefanich	...	Ice Man
Susan Hopper	...	Woman at Rescue

Storyline

Following his mother's death, Mark is sent to Maine to visit his aunt and uncle while his father goes on a business trip to Tokyo. Mark meets his cousin, Henry, and the two quickly form a friendship. However, Henry begins to show signs of violent behavior that worry Mark.

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Plot Keywords:

psychopath | evil child | killing a dog | fratricide | loss of mother | 

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Taglines:

El mal tiene muchas caras (Evil has many faces) (Spanish DVD)

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for acts of violence and terror involving a disturbed child

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

El ángel malvado

Filming Locations:

2 Boardman Avenue, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$44,594,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,417,219

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Steenburgen was originally cast as Susan, but dropped out when the movie was delayed.

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Goofs

Close-up shot of the Caprice station wagon hitting the snow mobile trailer in the freeway wreck scene clearly shows a completely empty road beyond, even though in every other shot there are multiple vehicles approaching and crashing.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man: [Mark plays soccer with his teammates as they cheer Mark's name] Get the ball!
Mark: Pass it to me!
Boy: Shoot it! Hit it in! Hit it in!
Mark: [Mark scores the goal] Yes! Yes!
Boy: Good goal! Good game.

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Alternate Versions

The 1995 UK video version was cut by 33 secs by the BBFC to edit shots of 2 young boys dropping a lifelike human dummy into a stream of traffic to cause a motorway pile-up, as this was considered a dangerous imitable technique. The cuts were waived for the 2002 version.

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: North (2009)

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Soundtracks

Evil
Music composed by Elmer Bernstein

User Reviews

Not A Bad Little Thriller

I've heard about this movie for years but I have never decided to check it out until this past weekend. I thought it was going to be average 90's crap with not much going for it at all. I was wrong and I'm glad I was. It was actually very creepy and atmospheric with a lot of very intense scenes and fantastic build ups.

Macaulay Culkin is very good as the disturbed son. I thought that Wood was great as well and the rest of the cast was pretty good but some of the parents' roles were a little iffy. I thought the story was well done and interesting and most of all, kept me entertained.

This is a movie that would go good on a rainy afternoon. It's not brilliant but it is interesting and pretty creepy.