Creepy dolls.... don’t we just love them? Well, cinema certainly does as whether they’re the star attraction like Childsplay’s Chucky, more of a supporting prop like Saw’s Jigsaw puppets or even for more family-friendly scares like Goosebumps’ Slappy, these little fellows have no strings holding back their film appearances. Why? Because nothing says horrifying like the corruption of innocence. By taking something that most of us associate with fond childhood memories and using it as a conduit for nightmares. With the last doll offering, 2014's Annabelle, being a rather dull affair the timing has never been better for a new plaything piece of terror to make itself known for a favorable comparison. At least that’s what director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) seems to think with his new film, The Boy.
When Greta (Lauren Cohan – The Walking Dead’s Maggie) takes a job as nanny to a British family, she’s shocked to discover that she’ll be caring for a porcelain doll that represents their deceased son, Brahms. Yet as time passes, she soon discovers that Brahms is neither as lifeless nor as innocent as it appears to terrifying consequences.
Throughout the first act, there are worrying signs that this will be just another generic and below average horror film. We’re plunged straight into the main story with minimal setup or character development only to fill in the gaps as the film progresses. Much of the earlier “creepy house” scenes strives for tension and suspense but instead feels more dull and uneventful by not achieving any real horror or scare payoffs. It feels constrained by the limitation of its creepy inanimate object format in that everything must take place off camera or behind closed doors to keep people guessing before the final reveal and therefore just slowly escalate repeating events throughout before all hell breaks loose in the final 20 minutes. It completely sets itself to be just as unoriginal as its title.... but it isn’t, and to some surprise, it doesn’t take that over-trodden signposted road.
Instead it pulls out a middle act with a genuinely intriguing change of direction and in many ways, veering away from being a horror film entirely. It very skilfully changes its pace and flips our perspective towards certain characters. Even if that’s not something that immediately appeals (you like your horror films to stay horror films), it still has big payoffs when the final act comes around and The Boy switches back into horror mode because it stops the narrative feeling like it’s been a monotone trudge that brings so horror films down. Rather than being the film equivalent of a ski lift (a slow uneventful ascent before the payoff at the end), it’s like snaking up the mountain road and throwing in a few handbrake turns to make the journey as enjoyable as the destination.
Despite showing minimal evidence of actually being an English country house (filmed in Canada), the setting itself (the real life Craigdarroch Castle) is a fascinating mix of Victorian architecture and isolation. The open high ceiling interiors produce a good natural feel of creepiness and works well with its physical assets with some good camera work, mostly through still cams as it captures Greta moving into and through different parts of the house at less expected directions, creating a natural sense of unnerving. Then by contrast, there’s occasional use of a fast and jerky “Brahms cam” to imply his unseen movements such as spying through keyholes. The downside is that having a good 95% of the film take place in the house sometimes makes things feel too static. It could have done with just one or two odd breakout scenes (like venturing into the town we just hear about) to stop things feeling so unnecessarily claustrophobic.
This is Lauren Cohan’s first significant film starring role (and prompting many The Walking Dead fans to fear she’s getting killed off!) and the jury’s out whether or not she should continue to be a leading lady. In moments of peril and suspense, she encourages good audience investment but in more casual scenes her performance feels more forced when that girl you like says she’s a big Nickleback fan and you pretend not to hate them. This is most apparent when accompanied by her co-star, Rupert Evans (Hellboy, The Man in High Castle) as Malcolm the grocery man/friend. The pair has no chemistry together, which nullifies the effect any romantic themes between them. Evans himself adds some comic relief is generally enjoyable on screen.
So in horror terms, The Boy is best compared to last year’s credibility rallying M. Night Shyamalan film, The Visit. For the most part, it’s more curious and intriguing than outright scary. It gets bonus points for not needlessly overdoing the jump scares like too many of its peers. It’s not recommended for the “gore connoisseur” horror fan but more for those that like to combine scares with an eerie sense of mystery. If that sounds like your kind of night out, then make a date with this boy.
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