MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Good Son

The Good Son

1993 · 87 min

A slow-burning, unsettling thriller that makes you deeply uneasy as a child's charm curdles into something genuinely menacing.

Directed by
Joseph Ruben
Genres
Drama, Thriller, Horror
Tagline
Evil has many faces.
Overview
A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle, and befriends his cousin who's the same age. But his cousin begins showing increasing signs of psychotic behavior.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Good Son

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the USNot loaded yet.
Directed by
Joseph Ruben
Genres
Drama, Thriller, Horror
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • eeriestrength 2 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • deception
  • guilt
  • isolation
  • morality
Places
  • small town
  • single country house
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror6
Humour1
Realism7
Romance0
Tension8
Darkness8
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like The Good Son

Movie

The Stepfather

1987

A slow-burning, quietly tense psychological thriller that makes you uneasy about the smiling man next door.

Same director: Joseph Ruben · Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and deception

Also
Same director: Joseph Ruben
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • deception
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
89 min
Details
The StepfatherHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hereditary

2018

A slow, suffocating descent into family grief and dread that tightens its grip with every scene, leaving you shaken and haunted.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
128 min
Details
HereditaryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Bad Seed

2018

A chilling, slow-burn psychological thriller that keeps you on edge as a father's suspicion grows, with a disturbingly calm child at its center.

Dark, tense · about family and deception

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • deception
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
84 min
Details
The Bad SeedHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Prisoners

2013

A relentless, grim descent into desperation and moral compromise that keeps you tightly wound and uneasy throughout.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about morality

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • morality
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
153 min
Details
PrisonersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

1986

A cold, grimy plunge into mundane evil that unsettles through flatness and quiet rather than spectacle, leaving a lingering chill.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about isolation

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
83 min
Details
Henry: Portrait of a Serial KillerHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

We Are What We Are

2013

A slow, rain-soaked descent into a family's grim secret, blending quiet dread with visceral horror and a lingering sense of tragedy.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and guilt

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • guilt
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
We Are What We AreHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Halloween

1978

A slow, creeping dread builds through quiet suburban streets and long shadows, making you scan every frame for the shape standing just out of sight.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
91 min
Details
HalloweenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Cape Fear

1991

A slow-building, nerve-shredding descent into dread, with a monstrous antagonist and a family under siege, culminating in a nightmarish, storm-tossed finale.

Same composer: Elmer Bernstein · Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and guilt

Also
Same composer: Elmer Bernstein
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • guilt
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
128 min
Details
Cape FearHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Orphan

2009

A slow-building, deeply unsettling experience that keeps you tense and uneasy as a family's fragile peace unravels.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and deception

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • deception
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
123 min
Details
OrphanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

1922

2017

A grim, slow-burning descent into guilt and madness, with a pervasive sense of dread and isolation.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and guilt

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • guilt
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
1922Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

1974

A grimy, sun-scorched descent into rural dread that tightens like a wire and leaves you rattled and exhausted.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
83 min
Details
The Texas Chain Saw MassacreHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Boy

2015

A slow, unsettling character study that crawls under your skin, offering quiet dread and a chilling portrait of a child's detachment.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about family and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
110 min
Details
The BoyHidden from your suggestions.

Cast

Where to watch in the US

Change country

We have not loaded where to watch in the US for this title yet. Check again in a day or two.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details