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The Paperboy

Original title: The Paper Boy
  • 1994
  • R
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Marc Marut in The Paperboy (1994)
A homicidal twelve-year-old paperboy becomes obsessed with a woman and her daughter next-door, and he'll do anything to make his fantasy of the "perfect family" come alive.
Play trailer2:02
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12 Photos
HorrorThriller

A homicidal twelve-year-old paperboy becomes obsessed with a woman and her daughter next-door, and he'll do anything to make his fantasy of the "perfect family" come alive.A homicidal twelve-year-old paperboy becomes obsessed with a woman and her daughter next-door, and he'll do anything to make his fantasy of the "perfect family" come alive.A homicidal twelve-year-old paperboy becomes obsessed with a woman and her daughter next-door, and he'll do anything to make his fantasy of the "perfect family" come alive.

  • Director
    • Douglas Jackson
  • Writer
    • David E. Peckinpah
  • Stars
    • Alexandra Paul
    • Marc Marut
    • Brigid Tierney
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.1/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Douglas Jackson
    • Writer
      • David E. Peckinpah
    • Stars
      • Alexandra Paul
      • Marc Marut
      • Brigid Tierney
    • 32User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:02
    Trailer

    Photos12

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    Top cast16

    Edit
    Alexandra Paul
    Alexandra Paul
    • Melissa Thorpe
    Marc Marut
    • Johnny McFarley
    Brigid Tierney
    Brigid Tierney
    • Cammie Thorpe
    William Katt
    William Katt
    • Brian
    Frances Bay
    Frances Bay
    • Mrs. Rosemont
    Krista Errickson
    Krista Errickson
    • Diana
    Barry Flatman
    Barry Flatman
    • Mr. McFarley
    Karyn Dwyer
    Karyn Dwyer
    • Brenda
    Jenny Campbell
    • Tiffany
    Mathieu Kermoyan
    • Uri
    Claire Riley
    • Jeanne Stalcup
    Derek Johnston
    • Brenda's Boyfriend
    Bobo Vian
    • Dora
    James Rae
    James Rae
    • Travis
    Frelin
    • Peaches
    Sam Stone
    • Police Sergeant
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Douglas Jackson
    • Writer
      • David E. Peckinpah
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews32

    5.11.5K
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    Featured reviews

    6culwin

    No this is not the kid from "Better Off Dead".

    A cross between "The Crush" and "Bad Seed". Nothing original here. The paperboy is obsessed with his neighbor, and will eliminate anyone who gets in his way. Marc Marut is very creepy as the title character, and "Greatest American Hero" William Katt has a supporting role. This is an adequate movie for a script we've seen hundreds of times before, if you're into this sort of thing. I would have liked to hear him say "I want my two dollars!" at least once, though.
    5ccthemovieman-1

    Standard Fare For The Genre, Except The Killer Is Young

    Marc Marut is convincingly creepy as the young (13 or 14-year-old) paperboy who has a crush/mother fixation. The kid is eerie, especially when he gets excited and his voice squeaks. The movie is interesting and moves along pretty well yet, for this genre, it's standard fare; nothing exceptional.

    I might have rated it higher had it not contained yet another example of Hollywood's prejudice against Christianity. Here again we get the message that the kid was nuts because his "strict, religious" mother made him that way. That has become a standard film cliché to explain insanity. Other than that, there was little offensive material, including language.
    5Barkin8

    Main character is like a cross between Eddie Haskell and Norman Bates transported to the 1990s

    At least that's what this movie seemed like to me. Now, don't get me wrong, the flick was passable, but it lacked the bone-chilling punch expected from a thriller or horror film. It felt more like a whimsical nod to the evil child genre, akin to a playful riff on evil child thrillers such as "The Good Son, "The Bad Seed" and "Children of the Corn."The evil kid in this movie appeared as though plucked from a '50s sitcom and unceremoniously dropped into the '90s. He even sported some those vibes associated with classic sitcom characters like Eddie Haskell of Leave it go Beaver, greeting the adult protagonist, portrayed by Alexandra Paul (Stephanie Holden from Baywatch), with a touch of the phony, "Hi, Mrs. Cleaver" charm early on. Then he shows her his true psycho self, but even that comes across as more cheesy than menacing. The filmmakers were clearly aiming for this sort of vibe. All in all I would give it 5/10.
    Devotchka

    I harbor a special fondness for a movie this bad.

    Sigh...memories of long summer days in which my sister and I did little more than watch the USA network. While doing so we tripped over this pathetic little blunder of a movie, and have since peppered our conversations with comments such as "God hates stupid children!" and "Hey Peaches, want some ribs?"

    Characters are as follows: Johnny McFarley, the homicidal paperboy, Melissa, the completely oblivious object of his desire, and Cammie, Melissa's brainless little girl. There is also the witchy old woman from down the street, who spends about half of her scenes cackling, "He's eeeeevil!" in reference to Johnny.

    In short, the movie is dumb. It's contrived. No one I've talked to has ever seen it, which is a pity because it's so humorously bad.
    8moviecollector

    a cheesy but cool movie.

    I recently got this, cause I'm kind of into those cheesy movies. This isn't original but its good in a cheesy B movie sort of way. Marc Marnet(?) does a half ways decent job at being the disturbed paperboy, even though he does whine alot & screams like a girl. A. Paul does a good job since she is a B movie actress now. If u r into cheessy movies, give this 1 a try, its alot better than many other cheesy B movies that use the same plot.

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    Related interests

    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Shot in 25 days.
    • Goofs
      When Johnny uncovers his dead father's head in the freezer, his neck can be seen pulsing.
    • Quotes

      Johnny McFarley: If you're not gonna be part of my family, you're not going to be part of anyone else's family.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Marked Man (1996)

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 16, 1994 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Paper Boy
    • Filming locations
      • Rosemere, Québec, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Allegro Films
      • Blue Rider Pictures
      • Image Organization
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $2,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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