Line #0 YMMV/TheGoodson


1	* AngstAversion: Even those who praised the film admitted that it was too intense to sit through. The fact that a ''toddler'' is murdered (albeit off-screen) doesn't help either.
2	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: For all its faults, the movie does have a wonderful soundtrack provided by the late Music/ElmerBernstein.
3	* CatharsisFactor: [[spoiler: Considering how much of a vile little shit Henry is, this is one of those very rare occasions people wouldn't mind seeing [[DeathOfAChild a child die]].]]
4	* CompleteMonster: [[EnfantTerrible Henry Evans]], [[CreepyChild having a disturbing attraction towards death and the idea of murder]], built a philosophy [[ItsAllAboutMe around himself]] that stated that if people were to rid themselves of their morals, then they are free to do any evil acts that they wanted to do without such concepts holding them back. Prior to the main plot, Henry murdered his own younger brother in the bathtub [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he had happened to be playing with a toy that belonged to him]]. He then goes on to convince his cousin, Mark, into helping him throw a dummy dubbed "Mr. Highway" from a bridge, resulting in massive car accidents. He also [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals shot and killed an innocent dog with a nail gun]] from a distance and he also attempted to drown his sister in a frozen lake when they were skating together. When Henry's mother was beginning to realize that her son was a remorseless sociopath, she decided to send him to a mental institution so that he could get the help that he needed. Unwilling to lose his freedom to do bad, Henry decided that his family [[SelfMadeOrphan needed to die]] so that he could be free to do whatever he wanted.
5	* CultClassic: In a sense: The film is still looked down upon poorly but has garnered a small audience, mainly due to Creator/MacaulayCulkin playing an evil role.
6	* EsotericHappyEnding: There is a good chance that Mark could be sent to a juvenile detention center after the events of the movie as everyone, except Susan, has written him off as a nutcase due to Henry's manipulations. Furthermore, Susan could get into serious problems with her marriage the minute she tries to explain to her husband what happened to Henry. Also, even if Mark's name gets cleared and Susan's marriage escapes unscathed, she could end up gradually resenting him later on because by choosing the life of her husband's nephew over that of her remaining son, Susan destroyed any hope of rehabilitating her own flesh and blood.
7	* EvilIsCool: Henry himself. Even those who disliked the film agreed that he was quite memorable, claiming that Macaulay Culkin ''nailed it'' in his portrayal.
8	* FridgeHorror: Just how much abuse has Connie suffered over the years at the hands of Henry?
9	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Macaulay Culkin, who is mostly known for playing comedic and mischievous kids, absolutely nails his portrayal of a psychopathic monster with zero empathy as Henry Evans. He delivers quite a few lines with a very chilling tone.
10	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Wallace is the most dislikable character in the film due to both his [[AdultsAreUseless stupidity]] in failing to recognize his son's ObviouslyEvil behavior and his borderline abusive treatment of his nephew. On the other hand, Henry himself is beloved by viewers due to Creator/MacaulayCulkin's disturbingly authentic portrayal of a sociopathic killer. It also helps that Henry at least [[KarmicDeath gets his comeuppance]] at the end of the film, whereas Wallace [[KarmaHoudini completely gets away with his actions]] of borderline child abuse.
11	* MoralEventHorizon: Henry ''drowned his baby brother''. [[DisproportionateRetribution Over a]] ''[[DisproportionateRetribution toy]].''
12	* LoveToHate: Macaulay Culkin's portrayal of a psychopathic preteen was so authentic that viewers found Henry to be highly memorable.
13	* {{Narm}}:
14	** Henry [[spoiler: falling to his death]] could have been pretty dramatic if it wasn't for the fact that there's no way in the world young Macaulay Culkin screaming doesn't remind you of [[Film/HomeAlone Kevin McCallister]].
15	** All of the creepy scenes of Henry with any of the adults would have been effective if they weren't [[TooDumbToLive so dumb and oblivious]].
16	** Really, the fact that the movie constantly hones in on the fact that Henry is evil and refuses to make it subtle is fairly narmy.
17	** Susan slapping Mark and then hugging him immediately afterwards. It's a mystery what emotion they were going for.
18	** "Hey Mark,...don't fuck with me." [[FromTheMouthsOfBabes Just hearing that from a child, especially the Home Alone kid, is kind of funny in its own way.]]
19	* QuestionableCasting: The film was criticized for choosing Macaulay Culkin to play the main villain since he was famous for his leading roles in kid-friendly films and ContractualPurity. While Culkin's performance isn't his best, he is the best fit for the role since Culkin's career was weaponized to fool the audience into believing he's the hero or at least innocent in the story. While this would reflect the traits of a sociopath (playing innocent to lure in victims or to evade consequences), this was the movie's downfall as people genuinely thought the movie was directed at kids due to Culkin's presence and were outraged by the manipulative marketing.
20	* TheScrappy: Wallace is well-hated by viewers for [[AdultsAreUseless refusing to believe his nephew about his son]], even locking him up after Henry pulls a WoundedGazelleGambit. The fact that he [[KarmaHoudini gets away with it]] hasn't done any favors.
21	* SpecialEffectFailure: When Henry shoves his mother off the cliff at the end and she catches a branch halfway down, the cable holding her up is clearly visible.
22	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Many viewers note that the film's premise about an evil boy isn't bad at all. It's just that Henry is so over-the-top and nothing but pure one-dimensional ''evil'', and the film does nothing to explore the implications and reasons behind a child being that way. ''Film/WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin'' and ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' are generally considered to execute similar premises much better.
23	* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Creator/ElijahWood gives a pretty sincere performance for this movie, which is more than what can be said for Macaulay Culkin, who appears to be phoning it in.
24	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: ''Many'' critics decried the casting of Macaulay Culkin in the role thanks to his kid-friendly ''Film/HomeAlone'' series, many children hero-worshiped him and marketing research indicated extreme interest by children in the film [[ContractualPurity entirely because of Culkin's presence]] (not helped by the film getting namedropped in kid magazines like ''Magazine/DisneyAdventures''). If the number of anecdotes by people mentioning this film gave them nightmares indicates, they probably saw it anyway in spite of the R-rating. People ''don't like it'' when you weaponize the break from ContractualPurity.
25	* TheWoobie:
26	** Definitely Mark, he lost his mother. Then it looks like he's going to bond with his cousin Henry, only to find out that Henry is AxCrazy. Then when he tries to warn everyone about [[CreepyChild Henry]], they think he's the one who's crazy.
27	** Connie is in the IronWoobie territory. She'd have to be strong to live with a monster like Henry her whole life.
28	** Susan takes the cake. First her youngest son, Richard (who was still only a toddler) drowns in the bathtub (which she believed to be her fault), then her daughter is nearly killed after falling through thin ice. After she finds out her other son is a total sociopath who was responsible for both of these incidents, he tries to kill ''her'' too and she winds up having to drop him off a cliff in order to save both herself and her nephew. Even though her son was a murderous Psychopath, she genuinely loved her son and will mourn him just as she did Richard.
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Context YMMV / TheGoodson