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Joshua

Play trailer Poster for Joshua R 2007 1h 45m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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61% Tomatometer 98 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga) Cairn have a seemingly picture-perfect life. Brad is a successful stockbroker, their son, Joshua, is a child prodigy, and Abby has just given birth to a baby girl. Ominous cracks soon begin to appear on the surface of this pretty picture. Pets mysteriously die, the baby will not stop crying, and Joshua develops an interest in mummification. The incidents may be coincidental, or Joshua's intelligence masks an extremely evil heart.
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Joshua

Joshua

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Critics Consensus

Though Joshua is ultimately too formulaic, its intelligence and suspenseful buildup heighten the overall creep factor.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Bourne Film.com 01/08/2008
...a bewildering extension rather than a retread of this played-out subgenre. Go to Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 01/03/2008
As horror flicks go this is both smart and suspenseful. Go to Full Review Sean P. Means Film.com 08/03/2007
3/4
The nerve-shattering ending will have you hugging your children when you get home - but only if there are witnesses present. Go to Full Review Paul Lê Bloody Disgusting 07/23/2023
3.5/5
And while the Damien Thorns and Rosemary’s babies make many adults nervous, there is something profoundly more upsetting about children like Joshua, whose malevolence has no ready explanation or unnatural origin. Go to Full Review Kelly Vance East Bay Express 04/28/2011
We're finally left holding a handful of air at the end. Go to Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal 09/23/2010
4/4
Easily written off as an "Omen" retread at first glance, this unfairly passed-over piece of slow-burn terror disarmingly chipped away at ideas of parental readiness with mounting dread and gruesome humor. It burrows beneath the skin and stays there. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Emilie B. @Ebova1 Mar 3 I was intrigued by Joshua’s excellent piano skills. As a piano teacher by trade, I had to give him high marks. Creepy as he is, he knows his way around a Steinway! See more 01/01/2022 THE 50 BEST HORROR MOVIES YOU'VE NEVER SEEN tried to sell me JOSHUA and in a state of weakness, I obliged. An obtuse child in a house full of infants (including a constantly crying mother & an oblivious father) wants more attention. Jealousy gives way to predictability and we are left without reward, not caring for a single character nor what happens to them in the future. And I'm sorry, but that final scene/song is one of the CREEPIEST moments I've ever seen two relatives have. And not in a good/horror way. See more 01/28/2021 Underrated. It's as good as Rosemary's Baby. Quite the thriller. It's hard to believe an innocent-looking/acting kid, could be hiding a monster. The real monster, speaking as a mother-in-law, is Vera Farmiga. Her treatment of her husband, Sam Rockwell, is horrendous. Quite the bitch. Small wonder Joshua is disturbed with a mom like that. See more 12/28/2020 Figured this one out from the git go. He was gooood, made it easy to hate him. See more 12/04/2020 I didn’t find it very engaging, especially for being a thriller, slow-burner or not. Dad should’ve been outspoken from the beginning to make it believable. The baby cries in every scene it’s in. Seriously it’s too much. Good performances from the cast though. See more 04/14/2020 It's easy to pass this off as an Omen ripoff but this film, although familiar is actually quite effective and disturbing. It centers around a young boy whose emotionally disconnected from anything that happens and than start to act on awful impulses. It all starts when his Mom played by a strong Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring). She's had overwhelming depression in the past and feels a more kinship with her new baby. A sexy Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri) stars as the supportive father whose slowly loosing his mind. The movie is psychologically disturbing and quite intense. It's definitely not a film for everyone but if you can stomach the horrific turns it's well worth it. 4.25/5 See more Read all reviews
Joshua

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Cast & Crew

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George Ratliff

Director

Sam Rockwell

Brad Cairn

Vera Farmiga

Abby Cairn

Celia Weston

Hazel Cairn

Dallas Roberts

Ned Davidoff

Michael McKean

Chester Jenkins

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Joshua

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Movie Info

Synopsis Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga) Cairn have a seemingly picture-perfect life. Brad is a successful stockbroker, their son, Joshua, is a child prodigy, and Abby has just given birth to a baby girl. Ominous cracks soon begin to appear on the surface of this pretty picture. Pets mysteriously die, the baby will not stop crying, and Joshua develops an interest in mummification. The incidents may be coincidental, or Joshua's intelligence masks an extremely evil heart.
Director
George Ratliff
Producer
Johnathan Dorfman
Screenwriter
George Ratliff, David Gilbert
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
ATO Pictures
Rating
R (Language|Disturbing Behavior by a Child)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 6, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$478.5K
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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