The boy downstairs takes place in Carpenter Falls, your typical quiet New England town on the coast. Well…with one exception. The city is home to the B-movie Scream Queen, Marilyn Leigh Miller.
Miller got her start in big-screen horror in a handful of B-rated horror films. However, later in life, she faced opposition from those who criticized her work as the horror tide began to change. Opposing opinions criticizing his work outweighed those who celebrated him. This led the actress into a downward spiral of depression, motivating her to commit suicide.
After Marilyn’s death, her 15-year-old son Collin was taken in by his mother’s sister and family.
Small story, big killings
Collin’s mother’s suicide left the boy alone and lost in a world he didn’t fit into. He grew up in the bubble created by a Scream Queen, filled with horror, blood, fiction and cinema. All she had left were the films she had left on tape which grew dwindling with each repeated viewing.
His loneliness angered him and triggered his killing spree. He murdered his aunt and her family, except for his youngest son Logan. The teen vowed to come back for the child to finish what he started, then disappeared into the night. After the night’s massacre, he was not seen again for almost a decade. Now the boy has come home.
Flashback to the 1990s
The boy downstairs is an independent horror film that brings back the retro vibe of 1990s horror.
It offers a world made up of the slasher films that many of us grew up with. Furthermore, there are many nods to films of the time. One of the main Easter eggs are character names corresponding to actors and characters in the genre.
Furthermore, a large part of The boy downstairs takes place at Video Vortex, a small independent video store. It’s owned and operated by grandmother Sybil (Dee Wallace) and her horror-loving grandchild Quinn (Spooky Spring).
Inside those poster-lined walls and well-stocked aisles, director and writer Tory Jones creates a world that feels as much like a character as the rest of the cast. You can almost smell the popcorn from the microwave and the hot plastic of the VHS tape heating up as it plays in the player. This world is ripe for murder as The Boy prowls in search of his next victim.
Who is The boy downstairs?
Tory Jones brings Jack Norman to the screen as the man behind the mask. Norman first played the role in the 2017 horror Jones The bad guy, the director/writer’s first attempt at bringing this story to life. With a bigger budget he told JoBlo The boy downstairs is;
“…the Wicked One movie that the fans deserve and that I always wanted to make.”
Standing at 6′ 5.5″, it’s no surprise that Norman’s stature imposes fear as he towers over his victims. His muscular build and choices in how he stands and moves are reminiscent of decisions made by Kane Hodder when he played Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th VII-X. Hodder has often spoken about how his body language decisions set him apart from other actors who have played Jason over the years.
Ironically, Norman also portrayed Voorhees in his 2014 fan film. Friday the 13th: Jason’s Curse. He also wrote and directed the film with Brandon Prewitt (The woods inside).
A worthy opponent
Spooky Spring plays Quinn Curtis. She is a worthy adversary for The Boy as they face off in a bloody final showdown. Quinn’s quick thinking and knowledge of horror films are the main defense weapons in his arsenal.
Spring is not a newcomer to the genre. He is not only a talented actor, but also a talented artist behind the camera. Spring is an award-winning writer, editor and actor in the film industry.
Spring has FinalGhoul Films, and has become a rising name in the queer film community. Some of their films include Cold feet (2024), Maintaining the choke (2026) and What’s wrong with Wendy (2026).
In front of the camera, as seen in The boy downstairs, Spring is a very powerful warrior on screen. We at iHorror can’t wait to see what they continue to bring to cinema with a blend of queer storytelling, horror themes, and the supernatural.
You can watch The boy downstairs on Amazon Prime, AppleTv, Fandango, Google Play and YouTube.
