The Good Son (1993)

Macaulay Culkin was a darned good child actor, and I was looking forward to finally seeing this film after years of hearing about it. He plays a bad seed son, and his cousin warns people but no one believes him.I didn't really find this to be a good film, since it feels there's about a half hour or so missing. Culkin's mom gets suspicious without enough evidence really, and his parents never really have it sink in (the father remains clueless the entire film).However, if you view this film to see Culkin act like a very disturbing kid, and to see him say lines like "don't f**k with me," it's a pretty funny movie. When he casually takes out a cigarette and starts puffing, what can I say, it was hilarious. Watching him play dumb and dead-pan his way through situations to avoid being suspected of wrongdoing makes for great laughs.Even Elijah Wood has his share of funny scenes, with his bulging eyes and acting crazy (the "food massacre" scene is great). And his trading barbs with Culkin's Henry is decent.They do a good job, it's just that the film again, really isn't good so you have to enjoy it for what it turned out to be, an unintentionally hilarious romp for Culkin.

First off, there are a few problems with this movie. Let's tackle them first. Could the directors please decide how much snow was on the ground. One minute it was fairly deep snow even in the woods. The next scene you saw mostly grass. It became so inconsistent that it actually bothered and distracted me. Would parents really allow a boy to have a tree house quite as precarious as the one shown? The third issue I had was with the "physicality" of the conclusion. I do not believe a normal human could have not fallen all the way down off the cliff. I do not believe an average woman could have climbed back up the cliff.Okay, so those are the problem around which you must suspend belief. But then again, how many are out there where you don't have to suspend belief? So, that's okay.I suppose there are people who wonder if any 12 year old could be as intellectually "evil" as Henry. As a retired principal of a junior high/middle school, let me assure that in that regard this film is not that much of a stretch.I think this film is a great thriller. It shows how helpless children can be when adults don't listen. It shows how even at a young age a mind can be terribly messed up.Elijah Wood is top notch here in his child-actor years. Too bad he hasn't remained as cute as he was back then, but then again he's done okay with an estimated net worth of $30 million. Macaulay Culkin turns in a truly creepy performance, although not as creepy as the rest of his real life turned out being.Wendy Crewson is very believable as the mom; fine performance. David Morse is one of those dependable character actors that does nicely here in a rather small (though key) role. Same for Jacqueline Brookes -- quite dependable as a character actress; I always enjoyed seeing her on screen.I'm going to give this film an "8", which is unusual for me, but it is so far above the recent crap that has come out as "thrillers". This is a winner; forget that Culkin messed up his later life and enjoy him from his brief golden years as a child actor. But you'll probably enjoy Elijah Wood's performance even more.

To me, nothing is scarier than an evil child. These kids are pure evil wrapped in the guise of innocence. They can usually get away with whatever they want and no one suspects their cute little angel of being a monster. Even if they are caught, what can anyone really do about it anyway? If that's not frighten enough, think about the fact that every serial killer on earth was at one time a child, and films like The Good Son represent a story that could be happening right now. The film begins when young Mark (Elijah Wood) losses his mother in a traffic accident. Mark's father is so distraught that he needs some time to himself and sends his son to live with his brother's family in the country. Both families think it will be good for Mark to be around someone his own age, his cousin Henry (Macaulay Culkin), but what they didn't know is that Henry is pure evil and has killed before. We see stories like this from time to time, but never one that is so realistic. When you think Killer Kids, movies like The Omen come to mind, but this is different as Henry isn't possessed, he's just a psychopath. This was Macaulay Culkin's first role after Home Alone and he is beyond terrific. At his age, Culkin is asked to play two roles, the innocent kid with the face of an angel and the demented psycho with the heart of the devil. How a pre-teen, who'd only been in two films prior, could accomplish such a feat, is nothing short of astounding. Elijah Wood is also great, showing that some people are just naturally talented. I've seen Wood in dozen's of things since The Good Son and his eyes still creep me out, it's almost like he can see right through you, and that might have made him a better choice to play Henry. While Wood might have had the look, you'd be hard pressed to find any kid who could do a better job than Culkin did here. The Good Son is mysterious, creepy, and a whole lot of fun to watch. It's among my favorite Horror films and really is one of the most underrated films of the nineties.

After his mother's death, a young boy, Mark, is left with his aunt and uncle while his father makes an important trip.Cousin Henry is at first great fun, but isn't your average boy next door.Mark believes Henry is evil, but no one else can see this...Where was Culkin going to go after Home Alone? according to his dad, this weird little film. At the time, Culkin was this behemoth of a child star, but that star was fading quickly.But this is such a strange film to pick. Firstly, it's not scary in the slightest. And I really feel that this movie was marketed wrong as a horror.Secondly, Wood steals the film from everyone. He shows just how talented he is, and why he has the career he has today. Thus, showing that the casting of Culkin as the 'bad' son, is just a parlour trick by the makers to put bums on seats.Which never worked here in the UK.But the film is still watchable thanks to Wood, and some unintentionally funny moments (the scene where Culking uses bad language is supposed to chill, it doesn't), and the film does try and raise a 'what would you do' question at the end.It's a fun movie, but it ultimately shows that Culkin didn't really have range.