The Boy Behind the Door is a 2020 American horror-thriller film written and directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell.

The film stars Lonnie Chavis, Ezra Dewey, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Scott Michael Foster, and Micah Hauptman, and focuses on two boys attempting to escape their kidnapper's house.

Bobby runs back to the basement for pruning shears, but the kidnapper grabs his leg and sticks her finger in his bullet hole.

Marking the writer-director duo's feature film debut,[3] the project was conceived by David Charbonier and Justin Powell after they had been rejected by several production companies citing budget constraints.

[4][better source needed] Filming took place at a remote house in the area of Culver City, California, over a span of 22 days.

The site's critical consensus reads, "A tense, terrifying, and all-around outstanding feature debut for its co-directing duo, The Boy Behind the Door should thrill discerning horror fans.

"[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[8] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "delicate and memorably successful balancing act that effectively contextualizes some deliberately challenging material,"[9] while Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle called it "a perfectly-executed game of cat-and-mouse, twisting the tension in perfect real time.

"[10] Dennis Harvey of Variety commended the "effective use of a simple premise and modest means to create a nicely nerve-jangling thriller."

Dan Stubbs of NME gave the film five out of five stars, describing it as "convention-breaking" and "undeniably brilliant", though "very difficult to watch.

"[12] Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times also gave a mixed review, describing the film's storytelling as "virtuosic" and "abstractly taut" on one hand, but criticizing its "intent minimalism" and action scenes.