The Boy: Brahms’ Curse – Brahms: The Boy II (2020)

Directed by: William Brent Bell | 86 minutes | drama, horror | Actors: Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery, Ralph Ineson, Daphne Hoskins, Keoni Rebeiro, Joely Collins, Oliver Rice, Anjali Jay, Natalie Moon, Karl Mercer

After a violent robbery, Liza decides to move with her husband and traumatized son to Heelshire Mansion, a beautiful estate that is situated in a wonderful green area. However, they are unaware of the dark and tragic history of this idyllic-looking place. When Jude, who has not spoken since the robbery, discovers the lifelike-looking doll Brahms, the boy seems to blossom. What the family doesn’t know, however, is that Brahms isn’t nearly as innocent as he seems at first glance…

This sequel takes place a few years after the events of ‘The Boy’. While the original is far from groundbreaking, the film combines solid psychological horror with a surprising plot twist. Where ‘The Boy’ long leaves the viewer with the illusion that a possessed doll is the cause of all strange events in Heelshire Mansion, the fork is ultimately different. However, ‘The Boy: Brahm’s Curse’ throws that twist completely out the window in favor of a more conventional, supernatural and straightforward horror framework.

It is a choice that ultimately does not work out very well. After an exciting and promising start, the film collapses qualitatively and temporally like a plum pudding, only to come back to life in the last fifteen minutes. The plot, mediocre dream sequences and scant moments of fright are tied together with stale clichés. They rarely frighten the viewer and often contribute little or nothing to the story. Although the acting is quite good, it can hardly disguise the creative anemia of the makers.

‘The Boy: Brahm’s Curse’ is above all a film that exudes cinematographic laziness and the pursuit of profit. It is a movie that actually declares its better predecessor superfluous and is made abundantly clear to commercially milk the umpteenth horror franchise to the last drop. The film has a nice moment here and there, but is certainly not recommended for people who have a warm heart for the horror genre.