Kevin Watt versus The Boy (2016)

The Boy is the latest chiller thriller by director William Brent Bell known for such horror classics as… okay, well he is not known for anything but he directed The Devil Inside (2012) and Stay Alive (2006) which I vaguely remember seeing.

The Boy stars Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead fame and Rupert Evans from every show ever filmed in the UK. Together they are joined by a china doll named Brahms and if you treat him good, he will treat you good. And if you treat him bad…

Cohan plays Greta, a troubled American who travels to the UK to work as a nanny and escape her past. When she arrives at the isolated manor Greta learns her babysitting duties are confined to a china doll named Brahms that has all the sweetness and sunshine of a mortician. Evans plays the charming grocer whose character is installed to provide the laughs, the food and the narrative for the backstory.

Like many thrillers, this movie relies heavily on your imagination similar to The Others (2011) or When A Stranger Calls (2006); where our twisted mind fills in the blanks every time a floorboard creaks or a window pane rattles. It is a movie that takes its time building the story of Brahms, and his parents, and that turns out to be the highlight of the movie. Unfortunately, in the third act the plot finally reveals itself to answer all the questions that have been building and you are left feeling robbed.

For fans of the thriller genre this movie is a lightweight that can be enjoyed for its style, casting and good acting. Consider this a great movie night in with someone who wants to be scared without the gore and guts. But this can wait for VOD.

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