Brahms creepier than Chucky

Film review: The Boy

MANILA, Philippines – And you thought that doll Chucky with all his blood and gore, was creepy. Not anymore. Brahms has arrived. This doll in the movie The Boy is creepier. I think this is because he is not just a doll. Named Brahms as in the composer, he is a doll masquerading as a boy. The real Brahms died in a mysterious fire some years ago when he was eight years old.  But he is back in this doll, who it turns out could really be a doll masquerading as a boy. A very bad boy.

Directed by William Brent Bell, The Boy tells the story of how Greta, on an escape from a bad relationship, is hired by an elderly British couple to be the nanny of their son. And it turned out that the aforementioned boy/doll Brahms is the son. The parents are in need of a holiday and are leaving Brahms in the care of Greta, but with very strict rules that must be obeyed to the letter. Some of these are: No guests. Play loud music. Read a bedtime story. Do not cover Brahms’ face. Never leave him alone. Don’t forget to feed him. And more.

Strange. But Greta needs the money and the mansion, though showing signs of decay, is a place to stay. So she promises to take good care of Brahms. But of course, the sight of Brahms in his funereal suit and porcelain face is not at all conducive to obeying those rules. Who would know, anyway? He is just a doll. And so, Greta starts to break them. Not really break. She is just behaving the way a normal person would with a doll and forgets to do some of them. She leaves the doll alone. 

And that is when the trouble starts. Things, unexplainable things start to happen in the house. Can Brahms walk? Greta wonders. Well, he shows up in unlikely places. Get the creeps. Can he cry? No. But what are those sobs heard in the hallway? More creeps. Who locked her inside the attic? Time to run for your life. These and others got the nanny thinking that Brahms is indeed alive.

Playing the nanny is Lauren Cohan, who brings her own share of creeps to the story and is no stranger to being chased by other-worldly creatures. She is a regular in the high-rating TV series The Walking Dead and registers fear, grit and desperation very well. Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle are the Heelshires, Brahms’ parents. Rupert Jones is the grocery delivery guy who becomes Lauren’s ally and Ben Robson is Cole, Greta’s boyfriend, who shows up to add to the creeps.

 The Boy is a well-made film that audiences, eager for jolts and tingles, will enjoy. Director Bell does a good job setting up the suspense. Also serving well the spooky brew is the production design and clever use of atmospheric music. All in all, it is a well-made piece that will make you think twice about being cute around dolls.