The Paperboy (5 Stars)

Quietly, practically unnoticed, "The Paperboy" delivered one of the creepiest evil child thrillers of the 1990's. Directed by Douglas Jackson, the Canadian film follows a lonely paperboy who becomes obsessed with creating the perfect family, eliminating anyone who stands in his way.

What makes "The Paperboy" memorable isn't graphic violence but the unsettling performance by Marc Marut. He gives Johnny an unnerving mix of childish innocence and cold-blooded manipulation, making him far more disturbing than many supernatural horror villains. The suburban setting and low-budget production give the film an everyday realism that makes his behaviour even more believable, while the script plays on the fear that true evil can hide behind the face of an apparently ordinary child.

Although it was released straight to video and largely overlooked by critics, "The Paperboy" has steadily built a reputation among horror fans. Much of that reputation can be traced to legendary horror host Joe Bob Briggs, who championed the film during his MonsterVision run, famously calling it "the most underrated horror film ever". That endorsement introduced countless genre fans to a film that many had never even heard of, and Briggs' enthusiasm helped cement its status as a hidden gem.

Its scarcity only added to the mystique. For many years "The Paperboy" was difficult to obtain in English-speaking countries, leading horror fans to seek out rare VHS tapes, imported DVDs and later online copies. Combined with its bizarre premise, memorable scenes and Marc Marut's unforgettable performance, that rarity transformed the film into exactly the kind of title that thrives through word of mouth. Rather than becoming famous through box office success, it earned its reputation through devoted fans recommending it to one another.

The Paperboy isn't a polished classic, but its creepy atmosphere, genuinely disturbing central performance and enduring reputation as an overlooked gem make it one of the most deserving cult horror discoveries of the 1990's. Even if Joe Bob Briggs' claim that it's "the most underrated horror film ever" is open to debate, the fact that people are still discovering and celebrating it more than three decades later suggests he wasn't exaggerating by very much.

There's a high probability that the film will one day be released on Blu-ray or even 4K. The reason for optimism is that "The Paperboy" has gone from being an obscure direct-to-video thriller to a genuine cult title. Over the last decade it's been rediscovered by horror fans, helped enormously by Joe Bob Briggs' enthusiastic endorsement and the rise of boutique labels that specialise in forgotten genre films. Companies such as Vinegar Syndrome, Severin Films, Arrow Video, Terror Vision and Unearthed Films have built their businesses on releasing exactly this kind of overlooked cult horror.

A new Blu-ray would make sense because:

• the film has never received a widely available, restored HD release in North America.

• its reputation has grown steadily through word of mouth.

• boutique labels are increasingly licensing direct-to-video horror from the 1980's and 1990's.

• Marc Marut's performance has become something of a cult talking point among horror fans.

A special edition could easily include:

• a new 2K or 4K scan of the original camera negative (if it still exists).

• an interview with Marc Marut.

• a retrospective with director Douglas Jackson.

• a commentary discussing the "evil child" subgenre.

• Joe Bob Briggs explaining why he considers it "the most underrated horror film ever".

If any forgotten 1990's horror film deserves this treatment, "The Paperboy" is one of the strongest candidates. Its cult reputation is still growing rather than diminishing, which is exactly the kind of trajectory that attracts boutique physical media labels.