"The Boy Behind the Door" a taut, intense, economical thriller
The Boy Behind the Door (2021) Horror thrillers are sometimes derided when characters don’t make the wisest decisions in harrowing life-and-death situations. Sure, if we wanted the film to end sooner than it does, the protagonist would listen to the audience shouting helpful advice, like finishing off their captor or run out the front door. “The Boy Behind the Door” might be the most smartly handled when a pair of pre-teen boys are the ones in peril. Most importantly, the decisions feel character-based more so than ways to keep the plot chugging along. After all, they’re just kids. Writer-directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell send Lonnie Chavis and Ezra Dewey to hell and back, while skillfully having the viewer dig their fingernails into their couch. The two young actors impress as 12-year-old best friends Bobby and Kevin, who are on their way to play in a Little League baseball game until they are kidnapped. When Bobby comes to six hours later in the trunk of a car (with ...