I've been hearing nothing but bad news about it which I should have learned by now will ALWAYS happen when a horror movie is well marketed and has big names behind it. Horror fans love to hate the mainstream. I was listening to the new Shock Waves episode and they all praised The Boy for being a good time. So I decided to just watch it at some point and sort my own opinion out. Then this evening I went over to a friends' house and low and behold a few of us ended up watching The Boy.
So...let's talk about it!
THE BOY (2016)
You wouldn't hurt me, would you, Brahms?
Originally this film was going to be titled The Inhabitant or In a Dark Place, which are pretty terrible titles, but would've have helped with my constant references between the two movies of the same name. It came out at the beginning of this year and is now available on DVD and VOD. It was directed by William Brent Bell (who also directed The Devil Inside) and written by Stacey Delay, and filmed nearby in Victoria.
It stars Lauren Cohan (Supernatural, The Walking Dead) as the lead character Greta who has traveled from America to the UK to be a nanny for an older couple's young child. But when she arrives at their beautiful old home she discovers the child is actually a doll named Brahms. Which is a terrible name. Turns out the real Brahms died in a mysterious fire 20 years ago when he was just 8 years old. The old couple, after saying many incriminating and cryptic things, leave on a holiday, leaving Greta alone with Brahms and a long list of rules she must abide by.
Malcom (Rupert Evans), is a grocer who comes by once a week with...you guessed it...groceries. He befriends Greta and the two team together in fear as Brahms seems to come to life, terrorizing the house.
Complaints?
The 'twist' was glaringly obvious to the average horror viewer. The things that the old couple were saying to Greta at the beginning were basically just them saying "THIS IS THE TWIST AREN'T WE CLEVER?".
For a horror film there was a surprising lack of gore or even murder. It was very dry. They relied purely on jump scares that mostly fell short. It was...for lack of a better word...not very horrific. It's like a ghost movie for babies.
There just seemed to be a lack of substance...it just felt...kind of hollow?
Loved?
The film was beautiful to look at. The scenery was creepy and stunning, the lighting did wonders to change the mood when needed. There was a great scene where the camera is focused on Brahms' face and it's lit up with a warm sunlight, then the camera begins to turn and the sunlight turns to dark shadows underneath Brahms eyes and it really gave me chills.
The house was great! Exactly what you want to see in a horror movie set in an old house. Beautiful decor, lots of creepy stuffed birds, strange wood carvings etc etc. It was filmed at Craigdarroch Castle which I've been begging Mitch to take me to because it's supposedly haunted in real life.
Lauren Cohan did a great job leading the film. She's a power house and a phenomenal actor and stunningly beautiful. Even Rupert Evans a sidekick did a great, believable job. You're rooting for the two of them to survive. The old couple, played by Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle were really fun to watch! They creeped me out more than the doll tbh.
So to wrap it all up, if you want a fun and quick film to pass the time? Watch this. If you want to watch a real horror movie that's deep and meaningful and terrifying...watch The Boy from last year (2015.)
I'm giving it a 6/10. Probably won't watch again, but would recommend it to non-horror fans looking to be scared.
In other news - I showed Mitch House of 1000 Corpses the other night because we got the bluray. I was super excited to watch all the extras on it but they were shit! Like a 5 minute 'making of'. Garbage. Tonight I have two movies that have been sitting on my desktop for AGES that I am determined to watch; Man Vs. and Holidays. Hopefully review those soon.
Stay spooky!
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