The Good Son
A 1993 psychological thriller where a boy's stay with relatives turns sinister as his cousin's angelic smile masks a capacity for cruelty.
Where to watch online
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Availability data by JustWatch
About the film
The Good Son
What it’s about
Mark arrives at the Evans household to spend time with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Henry, who appears to be a charming and obedient boy. The two boys, close in age, begin to bond. But Mark soon notices disturbing behavior: Henry enjoys games with deadly outcomes. When Mark recognizes the darkness behind Henry's smile, he becomes a threat to Henry's secret amusements, and Henry invites him to play one of his lethal games.
What hooks you
Elijah Wood plays Mark, the cousin who sees through the facade. The film's tagline warns that evil can be as close as someone you love, and the tension between the two boys drives the thriller.
Who it’s for
It is worth a look for anyone who enjoys psychological tension between children, stories of hidden sociopathy, and the unsettling contrast between innocence and malice.
- Country
- United States
- Year
- 1993
- Running time
- 1h 27min
- Age rating
- 17+
- MPAA
- R
- World premiere
- Sep 24, 1993
×3.6box office to budget
Ratings
MOVIE․ONE · 896 votesCreative team
All 9
Trivia
- In the final scene of the battle on the cliff, when Henry and Mark are hanging from Susan's hands, and Mark's hand begins to slip, in one shot he is holding her hand, but when the shot changes he is holding her wrist, and when the shot changes again, he is holding her hand once more.
- Originally, when the project was in development in 1988, the role of Henry Evans was assigned to Michael Klesic.
- Michael Lehmann was initially confirmed as the director of the film, but was removed from the project due to serious disagreements and clashes with Macaulay Culkin's father.
- The final resolution scene was filmed on the Palisade Head cliffs, which are located near the town of Silver Bay, Minnesota, and drop off over Lake Superior. According to the script, everything was supposed to take place on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, but a thorough search there for a suitable cliff yielded no results. The top of the cliff is approximately 55 meters above the water; however, specifically for the filming, an additional three-meter artificial top made of plastic and wood was built on it so that the actors would not be constrained in their movements in this key scene. To simulate the sea waves below, an entire flotilla of motorboats was used, churning the water while remaining outside the camera's field of view.
- Filming period: November 19, 1992 – March 25, 1993.
- In 1995, for the British video release, 33 seconds of screen time were cut from the scene where Henry throws a mannequin onto the roadway. The uncut version was only released in 2002.
Awards and nominations
1 win · 2 nominations
- 1 win Saturn Awards
- Best Young Actor/Actress Elijah Wood Saturn Awards · 1994
Also nominated MTV Movie & TV Awards1
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The Good Son (1993)
The Good Son
1993
The Good Son
1993
The Good Son
1993