Brahms: The Boy 2

I don't see many horror films, but I know a bad one when I see it. In what is most definitely one of the more unnecessary sequels Hollywood has ever attempted, The Boy II is unoriginal, bland, and just plain dumb. Sure it will have you jumping a few times here and there, but you never truly feel any sort of danger for the lead characters. And even if you did, it's not like the film made you care about them anyway. Especially after now seeing The Invisible Man, this is not how you should spend your time at the theater.

3.5/10

Brahms: The Boy II takes forward the story of the creepy porcelain doll, seen in The Boy(2016). Liza(Katie Holmes), her husband Sean(Owain Yeoman) & their son Jude(Christopher Convery), move into a house next to the Heelshire Mansion. Jude befriends a porcelain yet realistic looking doll, called Brahms.

Brahms: The Boy II is a below average film. It totally disregards everything that made The Boy(2016) a memorable horror/thriller movie. Returning director William Brent Bell should not have made this film, in the first place. If it was studio pressure, they should have only made this movie, if the script was as unique as its predecessor. Katie Holmes is great as Liza. Owain Yeoman is brilliant as Sean. Christopher Convery is a complete letdown, as Jude. Ralph Ineson is effective as Joseph. Brahms: The Boy II is not at all worth watching. Give this complete disappointment a miss, and re-watch the first one instead.

This is a sequel to The Boy, which i really liked. But the premise of this movie straight poops all over everything good about the original. It makes no sense why they would go in this direction.

But i'm a reasonable person, so i decided to just go with it and watch it as a new movie with a new premise. Unfortunately it keeps tying into the original, in worse and worse ways. It gets dumber and dumber. And by the end, it COMPLETELY changes everything we know and like about the original. Why? Please why?

On top of all of that... this movie just sucks. It's not scary. And it's so basic in every way imaginable. Every common horror trope you can think of, and not even done well. (1 viewing, 4/10/2021)

Not to spoil it for you, but the first film made only a modest profit, and that is because it had a very low budget. That first film makes the events in this film impossible. So it looks like this is just a reboot attempt since Brahms is a very spooky looking doll and could probably sell horror movie tickets if the theme is franchised, except, to tell you the truth, this film is a bit of a bore.

The backstory is that there is a burglary that somehow traumatizes the young son in the family, although the details of this trauma are never told. So the family goes out to the country to regroup. The young son, who has simply stopped talking due to the burglary/assault, digs up the porcelain doll Brahms. He begins to bond with Brahms, as his parents sulk around the house, I guess feeling bad that they could not protect their son? So they let things go since at least the son is showing interest in something, but things get weird. Oh, and all you see of the burglar in the short scene dedicated to the incident is a shadow that makes it appear that the perpetrator was Popeye the Sailor.

There are some dream sequences that go nowhere as far as the story goes because it seems that there is not enough story here to flesh out a feature film length production. I would say don't waste the price of a movie ticket on this one. Instead, just stream it when it becomes available.

I gave this one 4/10 points because the atmosphere, cinematography, and acting are all very good. It's just too bad that the plot is boring and aimless.

After a burglary in their house in London, Liza (Katie Holmes) and her son Jude (Christopher Convery) are traumatized: Lisa becomes frigid with her husband Sean (Owain Yeoman) and Jude a speechless boy. Liza and Sean decide to rekindle their lives moving to a house in the countryside nearby the Heelshire Mansion and Jude's psychiatrist Dr. Lawrence (Anjali Jay) agrees that it would be benefit for him. While walking through the woods with Liza, Jude finds a buried porcelain doll and decides to keep it. Then they meet the groundkeeper Joseph (Ralph Ineson) and his dog Oz that walks with Liza and Jude home. Jude becomes obsessed for the doll that he calls Brahms and shows rules to be followed by the family that Brahms told him. Further, he changes his behavior and weird things happen in the house.

"The Boy" (2016) is a surprisingly good horror film. The sequel "Brahms: The Boy II" (2020) is inferior to the original film but is a decent horror movie that uses many clichés, but startles in many scenes and entertains. The performances are good, the atmosphere is creepy, and the screenplay is acceptable. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Brahms: Boneco do Mal II" ("Brahms: Evil Doll II")