Joshua premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released on July 6, 2007, in the United States by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Their firstborn, a self-decided conservatively dressed 9-year-old, Joshua, is a child prodigy on the piano and thinks and acts like an adult.

Joshua gravitates toward his uncle Ned as a close friend, but distances himself from his parents, particularly following the birth of his sister Lily.

As Abby counts, he takes Lily from her crib to hide with him, causing his mother to panic and pass out while searching for them.

That night, Brad installs a lock on his bedroom door and tells Joshua that Lily will be sleeping with him, fearing he will attempt to do something to her.

The site's consensus reads, "Though Joshua is ultimately too formulaic, its intelligence and suspenseful buildup heighten the overall creep factor.

[4] Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter said that the film was a brilliant house-of-horror tale with Hitchcockian flair.

[5] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said that the film is "something vitally new... that has a cool and savvy fun with your fears" — he also noted that it is "a superbly crafted psychological thriller".

[6] Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News wrote: "None of this would have worked without the ideal child, and Kogan, making his movie debut, gets a difficult role down perfectly.

With deliberate pacing, well-placed scares, and a pitch-black sense of humor, Ratliff keeps us guessing until the stunner finish.

"[7] Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, writing: "Ratliff and co-screenwriter David Gilbert are clearly aiming for the highbrow suspense market rather than the down-and-dirty horror crowd, but their script's obviousness strips the story of suspense and turns it into a tedious slog to a predestined end.

A strangely composed boy sits in his suit and tie, banging away at a Bartók piano piece for a school recital, while his parents ooh and aah over their newborn daughter.