Deadly secrets, mysterious strangers, and violent tendencies all brewing within the confines of a rundown motel? It may sound like an episode of Bates Motel, but those creepy elements also come together in the indie horror, The Boy, which debuted at SXSW earlier this year. With a cast that includes David Morse, Rainn Wilson, Mike Vogel, and young Jared Breeze, the film is set to hit theaters this summer and the first trailer is here.
Directed by Craig William Macneill and based on Clay McLeod Chapman's book Miss Corpus, the haunting story centers on a lonely 9-year-old boy who begins to show sociopathic tendencies after encountering a mysterious drifter. Here's the full synopsis:
It’s the summer of 1989. Nine-year-old Ted Henley (Jared Breeze) and his father John (David Morse) are the proprietors of The Mtn. Vista Motel, a crumbling resort buried in the mountains of the American West. Since Ted's mother left, John has drifted into despondency—becoming a living ghost, haunting the motel—leaving Ted to fend for himself. In this isolation, unchecked by the bounds of parenting, Ted’s darker impulses begin to manifest. The arrival of a mysterious drifter, William Colby (Rainn Wilson), captivates young Ted and the two form a unique friendship - setting the stage for Ted’s final, unnerving metamorphosis. THE BOY is a chilling, intimate portrait of a 9-year-old sociopath's growing fascination with death.
The Boy opens in LA on August 14th, then hits VOD four days later.
