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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

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    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.
    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.
    10elderfarr

    Corny, stupid, not scary. And yet, I love it

    So this is suppose to be a horror movie. I laughed at it. It is corny, stupid, unrealistic, ridiculous, but yet I still love this movie. Johnny is entertaining. It's mere attempt to scare you is why this is funny. Anyway, I have not seen it in years, probably a good 15 years or so. But I want to watch it again, maybe I will try and find it on ebay or amazon. It is a good flick though. Johnny is an obsessed, psychotic little kid. He has a thing for a teacher who is about 3 or 4 times his age. He is not afraid to kill. He is annoying. It will make you laugh at times and you might hate me for recommending the movie after you watch it, cause it is cheesy, but I like it for some unknown reason.
    6insomniac_rod

    Okay if you watch it with LOW expectations.

    An average almost "okay" thriller about a depraved/perverted young boy (Johnny) that is obsessed with a hot single mother. In order to get her love, Johnny makes friends with her young daughter, kills her mother, kills his own father!, an old lady that knows about his past, and tries to kill's her boyfriend. What a disgusting guy but at least he can say he tried EVERYTHING to have a real family.

    We learn that Johnny is an abused child and that he needs help desperately after being suspect of his mother's death. So we have character development unlike other movies like this. The dialogs aren't the most clever I must say but still work for this movie.

    If you enjoy movies where the "villain" or killer is a boy, then "Paperboy" is a must see for you. The actor who plays Johnny is very good in his role and manages to make the audience hate him! He's annoying, a liar, pervert, and you end up hating him. Good job. In fact, it's the kind of movie that makes you feel good when things go wrong to the bad guy.

    I'm disturbed by one scene in particular, i don't know if it was edited for t.v. but , does Johnny masturbates after hearing that Alexandra Paul's character is about to have sex with her boyfriend? I didn't understand the scene very well but one thing for sure is that Johnny is a very sick boy.

    Oh give this movie a try if you're an avid lover of B-thrillers. "The Paperboy" delivers expectations but I would wait for it to air on t.v. or cable instead of wasting money on it's rental price.
    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.

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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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    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

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

    Tech specs

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

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