The Parenting is a 2025 American black comedy horror film directed by Craig Johnson and written by Kent Sublette. It stars Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn, Parker Posey, Vivian Bang, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Brian Cox, and Edie Falco.
The film premiered on Max on March 13, 2025.
Contents
Plot
Rohan and Josh rent a large country house for a weekend getaway where they plan to introduce their parents to one another for the first time. Unknown to Josh, Rohan intends to propose during the trip. They arrive before the others and prepare the house while discussing their anxiety over the meeting.
The remaining guests soon arrive. Josh’s parents, Liddy and Cliff, immediately contrast with Rohan’s more reserved parents, Frank and Sharon. Conversations become awkward as personality clashes emerge. Despite attempts to keep the weekend pleasant, disagreements repeatedly surface during meals and group activities.
That night, strange disturbances begin occurring throughout the house. Guests hear unexplained noises, doors open on their own, and several family members report seeing unsettling figures or movements. Most dismiss the incidents as nerves or misunderstandings. The following day, Frank begins behaving strangely after spending time alone in the house. His personality shifts dramatically, becoming increasingly hostile, crude, and unpredictable.
As Frank’s condition worsens, the group attempts to determine what is happening. Their investigation leads them to discover that the property was the site of a deadly occult incident years earlier. Through documents and information connected to the house’s history, they learn that a young girl named Allie and the housekeeper Brenda accidentally summoned a demon known as Andras. The ritual resulted in multiple deaths and left the house tied to the entity’s influence.
The family realizes that Frank has become possessed by Andras. The demon uses Frank’s body to manipulate and terrorize the group, exploiting existing tensions between family members. Attempts to restrain him prove ineffective as he demonstrates supernatural strength and increasingly violent behavior. During brief moments of lucidity, Frank warns the others that the demon may be impossible to stop without killing its host.
As the situation deteriorates, arguments among the families intensify, inadvertently strengthening Andras. Rohan and Josh eventually learn that the demon feeds on conflict and division. Recognizing that their infighting is helping the entity, the group begins setting aside their differences and working together.
Seeking a way to save Frank, Rohan devises a plan to lure Andras into a different host. During the final confrontation, he willingly offers himself. The demon abandons Frank and possesses Rohan instead, freeing Frank from its control. The group’s original plan is for Josh to kill Rohan before the possession becomes permanent, but Josh cannot bring himself to do so.
Instead, Josh begins reciting the ritual connected to Andras. The rest of the family joins him, forming a new ritual circle and confronting the demon together. Their cooperation weakens the entity’s influence and forces it from Rohan’s body. After a final struggle, Andras is banished and the haunting comes to an end.
With the threat eliminated, Frank fully recovers. The experience brings the two families closer together and resolves many of their conflicts. Having finally gained the acceptance and support of both families, Rohan proceeds with his proposal. Josh accepts, and the weekend ends with the families celebrating together.
Cast
Nik Dodani as Rohan
Brandon Flynn as Josh
Parker Posey as Brenda
Vivian Bang as Sara
Lisa Kudrow as Liddy
Dean Norris as Cliff
Brian Cox as Frank
Edie Falco as Sharon
Production
On January 26, 2021, New Line Cinema put in development a horror-comedy project written by Kent Sublette, with Craig Johnson attached to direct. The cast was announced in March 2022. After a table read via Zoom on March 19, 2022, filming began on March 25 in Massachusetts. Nathan Larson composed the score.
Release
The film was released on Max on March 13, 2025.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 36 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Playing in the well-worn horror-comedy sandbox, Craig Johnson's The Parenting may need a time-out when it comes to reinvigorating the genre." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
