The Boy

Cast: Lauren Cohen, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle and James Russell

Director: William Brent Bill

Release Date: 2016

Genre: Thriller

Running Time: 1hr 37 minutes

Rating: 15

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

Greta (Lauren Cohen) is an American nanny who comes over to England to look after a young boy, or so she thinks, he's actually a 8year old doll, that the parents care for as there way of coping for the loss of their real life son 20 years ago. After Greta violates a few strict rules given by the parents, a few disturbing things start happening? Is all as it seems?

Greta (Lauren Cohen) is an American nanny who has come over to England to look after a young boy Brahms. The thing is, Brahms isn't a real boy, he's an eight year old doll. Greta finds herself looking after a doll as if it were a human being. This is a very clever film, believe me you'll never guess the ending, this film will have you believing for most of the film that it's a horror. Believe me when I tell you that this is not a horror film. William Brent Bill has done a fantastic job at directing, he's not once given away the ending, he doesn't even allow the audience to guess the ending, it really will take you by surprise. Don't even try to compare it to John R. Leonetti's "Annabelle" this is something else.

Most will probably recognize Lauren Cohen from the hit TV show "The Walking Dead" her performance in this film is absolutely fantastic, it can't be too easy pretending to talk to a doll, what's impressive is through watching her on screen, your convinced there is a living being inside that doll. This movie could easily have gone incredibly wrong and looked absolutely ridiculous. The relationship she shares with Brhams parents is a pretty interesting one, both of his parents are extremely sinister characters. They too will convince you, that Brahms is a real boy, sound a little bit like Pinocchio? Don't fool yourself. Rupert Evans has a small performance in this film, but it's an important one, the chemistry on screen between Cohen and himself is very good. The characters themselves don't give a lot away.

William Brent Bell probably isn't a director you are familiar with, with "The Boy" being his fifth film to his name, none the less, this is a very impressive movie and will put most thriller's to shame. Screenwriter Stacey Manear has conjured up a beautiful and unique storyline. It's very well written and makes sense. There's nothing worse then watching a movie that you don't understand because it's been poorly written. The dialogue between characters is really great, all be it very creepy, especially what is said between Brhams and Greta.

The Boy is set in a gorgeous old English country house, with narrow corridors, wooden walls and doors and dark creepy basements. The production department haven't gone to great effort to make the set look amazing, it is what it is, but it works well with the storyline and the actors use it well in creating a creepy atmosphere. Cinematographer Daniel Pearl has managed to create a very nice looking movie. I absolutely love the close up of Brhams in certain shots, they are incredibly creepy, you think "Annabelle" is scary, wait till watch this! What's brilliant about this movie isn't necessarily in the way in which it's shot, but the camera angles that director William Brent Bell has chosen for certain scenes. Close ups of Brhams from behind, aerial shots of him sat up against a bed. It's perfect in creating a scary atmosphere. Editor Brian Barden has chosen to fade out scenes, the pacing of the film flows much nicer because of this, there's nothing worse then watching a poorly edited movie, where each scene is cut so quickly you can barely tell what is going on. The fact that Barden has chosen to fade out scenes really adds to the tone of the film.

You'll find yourself asking plenty of questions with this film? Have they all gone mad? Is the doll possessed? Is there someone inside the doll? You'll have your questions answered in the end, and believe me it'll blow your mind! The fact that there is next to no score in this film really adds to the tone of the film, making it even more creepier then it already is. A lot of movies rely on a good score and the clever use of jump scares together to scare their audiences. William Brent Bell manages to scare his audiences purely through the clever use of shots in this movie, mainly just close ups of Brhams. By far one of the best thrillers I've seen in a very long time. Cannot recommend enough.

5/5 stars