The Boy from Below was released on Digital and VOD on August 11, 2026, by Dread and Epic Pictures. The Halloween slasher movie had its world premiere at the Greendale Cinema in Indiana on Friday September 5, 2025, followed by its New York premiere at Scare-A-Con in Syracuse NY on September 6, 2025.
SYNOPSIS: "It’s Halloween 1997 in the small town of Carpenter Falls, where video store clerk Quinn Curtis is preparing for a night of horror marathons and local festivities. But when a figure from the town’s dark past resurfaces in the form of a masked killer known as the Boy from Below, the night takes a deadly turn. Obsessed with horror movies, the killer begins recreating his own twisted version of classic slasher scenarios, targeting Quinn and her friends. As the body count rises, Quinn must rely on her deep knowledge of the genre to outthink a relentless predator and survive the night."
Directed by Tory Jones (The Wicked One, Phantom Fun-World) from a script he co-wrote with Jerron Spencer (Phantom Fun-World) and Cheyenne Gordon. The cast includes Dee Wallace (E.T., Cujo, Halloween), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Terrifier 2), Chaney Morrow (Haunt), Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween, Halloween III), Spooky Madison (Phantom Fun-World), and Jack Norman (The Funhouse Massacre).
Writer and director Tory Jones tells Bloody-Disgusting.com, “This film pays tribute to the ’90 and the era of the video store I was lucky enough to grow up in. That time was so informative to my love of the genre. I’ve made a slew of low budget indie films, but I would say to make a film that is so personal to me with a real budget, an incredible team, and horror legends I grew up watching is a dream come true. I can’t wait to unleash The Boy from Below onto the world.” Executive producer P.J. Starks (10/31) adds, “Between Jack Norman’s portrayal of an intense, sadistic masked killer and the incredible splatter effects of Cody Ruch, I think slasher fans are in for a very fun and terrifying ride.”
Jones had this to say to JoBlo.com about the project: “In 2014, I set out to create a new slasher character reminiscent of the horror heavyweights of films past. This would lead to the creation of The Wicked One, a corrupted teen who transforms into a hulking psychopath in a scarecrow mask. It would take two years, but finally The Wicked One premiered at Fright Night Film Festival 2016 to a sold out crowd of nearly 600 people. The film took home six awards that evening and a few months later, went on to screen at HorrorHound Weekend to another large crowd, before being released domestically by Petri Entertainment in 2017. The film sold out its first pressing on day one at all major retailers and to this day is still the most financially successful film I’ve ever released. Since its release, the film has went on to win several more awards, introduce a second installment Wicked Ones, amass cosplayers in different countries, appear on the top horror websites and publications and surpass all expectations I could have dreamed up for a tiny little indie flick made for no money. I’ve spent the last 9 years taking this character from conventions to film festivals and everywhere in between building this brand, all in hopes of getting to this Moment… The Boy from Below is the Wicked One movie fans deserve and I’ve always wanted to make. With a REAL budget, talented cast and crew, it is my hope to deliver a film and character horror fans will respond to and love for years to come. This is not a remake, but in many ways a retelling of that original film and a fresh direction and story for this character. In an era starved for original horror characters crossing over into mainstream pop culture, I am prepared to take my biggest swing for the fences in hope of bringing to life an original antagonist and franchise. Not to mention, this film includes elements that were so informative in establishing my love and passion for the genre and filmmaking like the video store, Halloween season, and more! This is a fresh start, a reimagining, a new direction!“
Commenting on the 1990s Halloween setting of the film, Jones tells HalloweenDailyNews.com, “Halloween season and the legends and folklore around it definitely have such a special place in my heart as a creative. The lights, decorations, pumpkins, and the colors all are heavily featured throughout The Boy from Below. We want our locations and season in the film to feel authentic and visually Halloween is everywhere within our film. Our production design will feel very much like the Halloween seasons I grew up with in the early ’90’s. Kids were everywhere, the entire town seemed to participate, and the atmosphere was to be experienced. That’s the Halloween I want for this film.”
Teaser:
Official Trailer:
Official Website: https://theboyfrombelow.com/
Face rip effect test | A look at a gore gag by effects creator Cody Ruch!:
Interview WHS presents: director Tory Jones with The BOY from BELOW:
Interview Special THE BOY FROM BELOW! (Featuring Tory Jones, Spooky Madison, and Leah Voysey):
Interview with Actor Chaney Morrow of Haunt and The Boy from Below guests:
Interview with Roman Jossart: The Boy From Below, Placid Park & Building Indie Horror Films:
The Boy From Below Film Q&A Panel Scare-A-Con 2025 Syracuse, New York September 6:
Custom Blu-ray cover:
Reviews:
"Watched at HorrorHound weekend. It is film that has a decent story, while winking at the schlocky side with some over the top kills." ★★★½ jlynn513 at Letterboxd.com
"A great watch > This may be considered a low budget indie film, but in my opinion it is much more than that. The cinematic quality of this film is phenomenal, the editing is suburb, the storyline is intriguing & flows great. The style and character of "The Boy" far exceeds any expectations. I definitely recommend this as a must watch when it's available! Can't wait to see it hopefully take the convention circuit!" 10/10 -taralecole at IMDb.com
"A Perfect Indie Horror Movie > From top to bottom there is nothing about this film that looks like a independent movie, but rather feels like a big studio release. My wife and I seen this on its world premiere and were blown away. The acting, the score, the story, the characters, the effects...there is not a negative I can say about this film, with the exception that we have to wait for a sequel! Awesome job and Colin Miller is going to rise up quickly to joins names like Freddy, Jason and Michael in cult status." 10/10 -jahorton-90256 at IMDb.com
"Fun slasher film that takes homage from what came before. Good premise and back story for the killer. Some characters were good and likeable and others needed some extra development. Special effects were very good. Good mood and atmosphere." ★★★½ -Donnie at Letterboxd.com
"BOY this BLEW > I watched this at Scare-a-con, and BOY did this movie B-LOW! If you are looking for a complete low budget Rob Zombie's Halloween rip off from start to finish, then this might tickle your fancy. Even from the knock off killer (literally) who has the same origin story as Michael Myers in the Rob Zombie films. Dee Wallace even appears in the film as she did in the Zombie film. The town is called "Carpenter Falls" in the film...ugggh another nod to Halloween. Tommy Lee Wallace the director of Halloween III also has a cameo in the film, so it's abundantly clear the director is obsessed with the Halloween films so much he went out of his way to make a fan film and just forgot to write it under the title. Here I'll correct it - "The Boy from Below: A Wannbe Halloween Fan Film". This film is chalk full of terrible acting starting with Spooky Madison as Quinn and her deadeye stare for most of the scenes she appears in. The Dialogue is beyond hockey, the action scenes are unbalanced and awkward and the kills manage to be laughable but not in that fun 80s' way, just a really "that's funny how much this sucks" kinda way. On the plus side Felissa Rose appears in the movie and she's always fun to see in projects even though she's not the best actress. Another positive note was the score, it was alright. Outside of that, there's not much more to give praise about the film. If there was more originality put into the story there could be something that makes the film stand out, but sadly we've seen this film before...several times. Save yourself the money and wait until this atrocity is streaming somewhere for free like Tubi if you are really curious." 2/10 -mikeyleone at IMDb.com
"Such a fun watch and so well made. I wish that video store had been my local store! Shout out to Officer Goodman!" ★★★★ -Cat at Letterboxd.com
"Easily the most complete and cinematically beautiful film in Tory Jones’s catalog. The story was fleshed out, the characters had chemistry and a believable group dynamic... As with any independently produced film there are some actors that show that degrees of experience can be apparent on screen... Jack reprising his role as the newly envisioned “The Boy” was as to be expected, as solid as they come. Menacing with a hint of Psycho Killer which was a nice twist from the emotionless silent killing machine we’re used to from the man behind the mask... The intro to the film was amazingly done, not too long, not to short, just the right amount of lore and build to set up the rest of the film’s runtime... Dee Wallace is extremely solid, surprising no one... Technically the editing, cinematography, and lighting were spot on... I love me some practical effects and this was littered with them... The only issue I had with the film, and this could have just been my screening, was there were bits of audio hiccups... But if that’s the only knock then I’d say this is one of the best independent films I’ve seen in 34 years on this earth... Also seeing it on a big screen was truly the only way to do it. I hope this takes the indie circuit and more by storm so that the people involved get the attention they deserve. And whenever we can get a score/soundtrack vinyl, I am SO in." ★★★★½ -Alex Gottmann at Letterboxd.com
YouTube Reviews:
