The Boy
Normally I don’t watch films about possessed dolls. I don’t have a doll phobia, though sometimes they can be creepy as hell, it just doesn’t do it for me. The first thing I liked about The Boy was the really cool house it was shot in, huge, gorgeous and creepy all at once. The story is interesting, using very few actors, which I think gives the house a larger starring role. The boy is the seven year old son of an elderly couple who hires a nanny to watch their “son”, who turns out to be a doll that she must feed and dress and read to daily.
As you may expect from a haunted doll movie, there were some egregious jump scares and fake outs, but for the most part it’s a well-paced story of a young woman who runs from one bad situation to the ultimate bad job. Lauren Cohan plays the nanny who more and more wonders if the elderly parents were not pulling her actual leg about the doll being their actual reincarnated son. Her descent into belief (maybe?) is well-paced for this kind of movie, and I found myself on the edge of my seat a couple of times. Maybe that should be a scary movie scorecard.
Most of the film is about that descent, played well by Cohan who spends most of her time on the set of The Walking Dead all sweaty and grimy and super sexy. They needed someone like her who is not only a good actress but attractive enough to be the object of much unwanted scrutiny throughout the film. She is ogled by every eye, even the stuffed animals, in what might be a clear message to some people, but not me, about dolls and the objectification of women.
You could easily watch The Boy a second time and tally all the hints and clues about Braham the doll. Of course there is a twist at the end which for some people may not be twisted enough but I didn’t see it coming so it worked for me. I didn’t like the very, very end of the movie, which is unfortunate because up to that point it was fun watching her fruitless fight against believing the doll is either possessed or outright alive.
This is a difficult movie to talk about without giving away major spoilers, so I will say watch this even if you’re not into movies about creepy dolls, for the atmosphere, decent acting and bit of a twist at the end. If you are allergic to creepy doll movies, stay away.
LINKS:
The Boy | Official Trailer | Own It Now on Digital HD, Blu-ray & DVD
CFR: In Addition: Now I really want to watch this movie. Thanks Mildred!
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