# Disturbing Behavior
*Disturbing Behavior* is a 1998 American teen horror film directed by [David Nutter](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-nutter), written by [Scott Rosenberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-rosenberg), and starring [James Marsden](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-marsden), Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl. It follows a new student in the town of Cradle Bay, Washington who discovers that a clique of model students, the Blue Ribbons, may be the product of a mind-control experiment run by the school psychologist.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) • [2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/this-forgotten-sci-fi-thriller-explores-an-eerie-form-of-mind-control-you-can-stream-the-movie-on-prime-video)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | July 24, 1998 (United States), distributed by MGM[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0134619/credits/) |
| Director / writer | David Nutter (his feature directorial debut); screenplay by Scott Rosenberg[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) • [4](https://www.theaterbyte.com/disturbing-behavior-theaterbyte-blu-ray-review/) |
| Principal cast | James Marsden as Steve Clark, Katie Holmes as Rachel Wagner, Nick Stahl as Gavin Strick, Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Caldicott[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) |
| Runtime and rating | 83 minutes; rated R by the MPAA[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) |
| Box office | $17,159,063 domestically; home video release January 5, 1999[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Disturbing-Behavior) |
| UK classification | Passed '15' for moderate horror and some strong language; cinema version 83m 55s, classified April 28, 1999[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/disturbing-behavior-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtczmjk) |
| Reception | 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.7/10 on IMDb as listed by JustWatch[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/disturbing-behavior?package=plc) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
High school senior [Steve Clark](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-clark) (James Marsden) moves with his family from Chicago to Cradle Bay, Washington after the death of his brother. At his new school he befriends outcasts Gavin Strick ([Nick Stahl](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-stahl)) and Rachel Wagner ([Katie Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-holmes)), who warn him about the Blue Ribbons, a clique of perfectly groomed, high-achieving students who all seem eerily alike. Gavin suspects the Blue Ribbons are part of a mind-control experiment run by the school psychologist, Dr. Caldicott (Bruce Greenwood). Steve becomes convinced after witnessing violent outbursts among the clique, triggered by sexual thoughts and calmed by exposure to a certain frequency. After Gavin himself is converted, Steve and Rachel search for the source of the experiment.[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/this-forgotten-sci-fi-thriller-explores-an-eerie-form-of-mind-control-you-can-stream-the-movie-on-prime-video) • [7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/disturbing-behavior?package=plc)
The film opens with a Blue Ribbons member impulsively killing a girl he is kissing at a lookout point, and later shows another member beating two lower-status students in a grocery store without consequence; the absence of any punishment, and the loss of personality that follows joining the clique, are the clues that something sinister is at work.[8](https://petersonreviews.com/2024/05/17/disturbing-behavior-1998-movie-review/)
## Production and release
David Nutter, a director and producer on *The X-Files*, made his feature directorial debut with the film, and reviewers noted its resemblance to one-off episodes of that series in its dark small-town atmosphere.[4](https://www.theaterbyte.com/disturbing-behavior-theaterbyte-blu-ray-review/) Scott Rosenberg, later known for *Con Air* and *Gone in 60 Seconds*, wrote the screenplay.[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/this-forgotten-sci-fi-thriller-explores-an-eerie-form-of-mind-control-you-can-stream-the-movie-on-prime-video) The production company was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, with Armyan Bernstein and Jon Shestack producing and John S. Bartley as cinematographer.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) Although set in Washington state, the film was shot in Canada.[8](https://petersonreviews.com/2024/05/17/disturbing-behavior-1998-movie-review/)
The film opened in Los Angeles and New York on July 24, 1998.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR) It earned $17,159,063 at the domestic box office and reached home video on January 5, 1999.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Disturbing-Behavior) In the United Kingdom, Columbia Pictures released the cinema version at 83 minutes 55 seconds with a '15' certificate in April 1999; later home-entertainment versions ran about 80 minutes, and a version classified in 2000 for physical media and streaming ran 80 minutes 24 seconds.[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/disturbing-behavior-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtczmjk)
## Reception and legacy
Critics did not take to the film on release, and it has since developed a cult following, though it has been difficult to find on Blu-ray in some markets.[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/this-forgotten-sci-fi-thriller-explores-an-eerie-form-of-mind-control-you-can-stream-the-movie-on-prime-video) [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists a 35 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and a 5.7/10 IMDb rating.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/disturbing-behavior?package=plc) A TheaterByte review in 2016 called it a reductive 1990s teen horror film, most memorable for its stylish look and for Katie Holmes's performance, and rated the Scream Factory Blu-ray 3.1 out of 5.[4](https://www.theaterbyte.com/disturbing-behavior-theaterbyte-blu-ray-review/) Scream Factory released the Blu-ray on March 22, 2016, with a director commentary among the supplements.[4](https://www.theaterbyte.com/disturbing-behavior-theaterbyte-blu-ray-review/)
**Comparisons and genre place.** Reviewers have repeatedly read the film as a teen-age take on *The Stepford Wives* (1975), with the Guardian summarizing it as "a Stepford Wives set-up ... uncovered when four friends try to discover why their teenage peers are such model citizens," and one Orlando Weekly critic describing the concept as *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* meets *High School Confidential*.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/79661/disturbing.behavior) • [10](https://www.orlandoweekly.com/arts/movie-disturbing-behavior-2315822-2315822/) A contemporary National Catholic Reporter essay placed it in the "teen Gothic" cycle of the late 1990s, in which Hollywood depicted ordinary adolescent life as full of menace.[11](https://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/032699/032699h.htm) A 2024 retrospective noted that the finished film followed studio interference after poor test screenings.[8](https://petersonreviews.com/2024/05/17/disturbing-behavior-1998-movie-review/)
The film remains available on streaming services including MGM+ and, free with ads, on [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel), Plex, and Tubi.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/disturbing-behavior?package=plc)
## References
1. [Disturbing Behavior (1998), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60811-DISTURBING-BEHAVIOR)
2. [This forgotten sci-fi thriller explores an eerie form of mind control, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/this-forgotten-sci-fi-thriller-explores-an-eerie-form-of-mind-control-you-can-stream-the-movie-on-prime-video)
3. [Disturbing Behavior (1998), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0134619/credits/)
4. [Disturbing Behavior (TheaterByte Blu-ray Review)](https://www.theaterbyte.com/disturbing-behavior-theaterbyte-blu-ray-review/)
5. [Disturbing Behavior (1998), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Disturbing-Behavior)
6. [Disturbing Behavior, BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/disturbing-behavior-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtczmjk)
7. [Disturbing Behavior streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/disturbing-behavior?package=plc)
8. [Disturbing Behavior: An Uneasy Riff on The Stepford Wives, Peterson Reviews](https://petersonreviews.com/2024/05/17/disturbing-behavior-1998-movie-review/)
9. [Disturbing Behavior, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/79661/disturbing.behavior)
10. [Movie: Disturbing Behavior, Orlando Weekly](https://www.orlandoweekly.com/arts/movie-disturbing-behavior-2315822-2315822/)
11. [In Teen Gothic genre, the kids aren't all right, National Catholic Reporter](https://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/032699/032699h.htm)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Science fiction horror films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license