"The Good Son" with Macaulay Culkin

Havaianas

New member
Does anyone remember this thriller from 1993, where Culkin played a boy who was secretly plotting to murder a member of his family, and whenever his cousin (played by Elijah Wood) tried to warm them, they wouldn't believe him.

The enormous irony surrounding this film in the UK is that, while it was banned from 1993-95 because of Culkin's huge
popularity among children, and parallels between his character and the boys who murdered Jamie Bulger, a novelisation of the film, aimed at people over 12 years old, was published by Penguin Books in early 1994 - and I bought a copy and read it, thus assuming it would soon come on at cinemas in the UK, and still find it hard to believe that when it was released straight to video in the UK,
it was given an 18 certificate! (Ridiculous, if you ask me, given that "The Good Son" is far less psychologically traumatising than the 15-rated "Psycho"!)

That a respectable publishing company should publish a novelisation of what was then a banned movie (later 18-rated), and market it at people aged 12+, is far more ironic that producing "Alien" and "Predator" action figures for kiRAB. At least that's what I think!

Does anyone here think it was right for this film to banned in the UK, as a result of the media uproar surrounding the Jamie Bulger tragedy? More to the point, did it deserve to go straight to video in the UK, and get an 18 certificate?
 
I saw an American pirated version of the movie - way before it was realised here.

The whole Jamie Bulger death was an entire head**** for everyone (such an awful awful thing) - including the BBFC (Remember everyone burning copies of child's play 3. The sun promoting "ban this filth"). The child's death was copied from a scene from child's play 3. I hated the way the Sun blammed the movie for the child's death.

the good son was dealyed forever and straight to video. it never got the respect it deserved. and its ok! I must admit - i was only drawn to it because it was banned, etc.

Its a pity society have the simple view that films are to blame for its problems - when really - its all about the problems at home.
 
Not right to ban it all really as long as the certificate put it out of the reach of kiRAB (that's what certificates are for after all). It was an OK entry in a spate of 'cuckoo in the nest' movies that were around at the time (Single White Female, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle...).
I went to a cinema preview years ago before the banning and all the journos cheered when Cauley gets dropped off a cliff! Still, whether in book or film form it's a very moral ending for impressionable kiRAB to take away with them so I can't see what the fuss was
 
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