Movie Review: The Boy (2016)

Movie Title: The Boy

Release Date: 22 January 2016

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Director: William Brent Bell

Stars: Lauren Cohen, Rupert Evans, James Russell

IMDB Rating: 6.6/10

Storyline:

Greta is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family's 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta's worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.

Written by STX Entertainment taken from IMDB

My Rating: 6.8/10

My Review: (WARNING! SPOILERS)

The reason I actually wanted to watch this movie is because it has two things: Lauren Cohen (Yes, I'm a Walking Dead fan) and a possibly haunted doll. I have seen at least two other horror movies which involves dolls, Dead Silence and Annabelle. I would put this movie somewhere in between with Dead Silence as my favourite.

The starting of the movie sees Greta Evans (Lauren Cohen), an American women offered a babysitting job by a rich family in a British countryside to get away from her problems. Greta was introduce to Brahms, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire who are going for a vacation. Everything was normal except that Brahms is a doll. She was to follow a certain set of rules given by the Heelhires but being a typical American, thinks it is a pointless and foolish thing to babysit a doll. Most Asians would probably have run off at first sight. So she just gets paid every week by the Heelshire for doing nothing.

The movie has a mysterious mood to it instead of the overused jump scares James Wan usually opt with. The movie uses the standard 'moving inanimate objects around when you're not looking' formula. The movie actually make us think that Greta actually going mad when finally she ends up following the rules. No more disturbances occurred except that Brahms is a brat who does not know how to stay still.

Apparently, Greta was only playing along to actually scientifically (drawing lines around the doll) proving the doll actually moves. SCIENCE! She proven it to the grocery boy, Malcolm (Rupert Evans) that she is not going crazy. The best part is, the grocery boy did not freak out but instead was OK with the idea about babysitting a supposedly dead boy in a doll. Must be Greta's 'personality'. Then Greta's problem came to take her home and decided to die instead. Brahms is a jealous kid.

All I can say is that the movie did not dwell too deep in either scares or mystery that you don't actually know why this movie categorized as a horror, thriller. The movie is basically saved by the acting of Lauren Cohen along with a resting b***h face of Brahms the Doll. However, the only points I give to this movie is the awesome twist at the end which ripped my belief in ghosts and of how big a house is actually is! This film taught me to NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.

My final verdict is everyone should go and watch this movie if you have extra cents to spare and if you are fans of haunted dolls like I am or if you are a fan of Lauren Cohen. My sister, Aifaa was the only one to scream in the entire cinema. (-.-)