Joshua

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Joshua

R

2007

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

97 Reviews

38%

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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Critics Consensus

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

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Mark Bourne

Film.com

Jan 8, 2008

...a bewildering extension rather than a retread of this played-out subgenre.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Jan 3, 2008

As horror flicks go this is both smart and suspenseful.

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Sean P. Means

Film.com

Aug 3, 2007

3/4

The nerve-shattering ending will have you hugging your children when you get home - but only if there are witnesses present.

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Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

Jul 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.

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Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

Apr 28, 2011

We're finally left holding a handful of air at the end.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Sep 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.

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Emilie B.

@Ebova1 Mar 3, 2026

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!

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Jan 1, 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.

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Jan 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.

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Dec 28, 2020

Figured this one out from the git go. He was gooood, made it easy to hate him.

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Dec 4, 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.

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Apr 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

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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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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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