It wasn't a runaway hit, but The Boy was still one of the strangest mainstream horror films
of 2016.
Whether you missed out on the first movie or just need a primer for part two, here's
everything you need to know about Brahms: The Boy II.
In The Boy, an American nanny named Greta is hired by an eccentric rich family, the
Heelshires, for a very unconventional job.
They want her to care for a porcelain doll named Brahms.
Hey, a job's a job, right?
The family gives Greta a very specific set of rules by which to care for the doll, including
talking to him loudly and freezing meals for him.
It also turns out that the real Brahms was the son of the Heelshires, and he was killed
in a house fire 20 years ago on his eighth birthday after one of his young friends was
found in the forest with her skull crushed.
Suspicious, right?
Naturally, Greta ignores the rules, at least at first.
But then, the weird stuff starts piling up.
Brahms seemingly moves on his own, and a child's voice and sobs can be heard throughout the
mansion.
Skip to the end, and Greta discovers that, lo and behold, the real Brahms has been alive
and well, and he's now a grown man who's been living in the walls of the house.
"They're in the walls."
"They're in the walls!"
After this shocking reveal, a tussle ensues, and Greta eventually fights him off and flees
the estate.
But as we discover later, Brahms is still alive, and he's busy fixing his shattered
doll.
Greta might've escaped, but it seems that the Heelshire house might still be housing
Brahms, and that he and his doll are out to torment whoever occupies the mansion next.
In Brahms: The Boy II, a young family will be moving into the Heelshire Mansion with
no knowledge of the place's dark history.
"You should Google it.
It's horrifying."
When the new family shows up, the young son of the family will find and befriend the spooky
porcelain doll.
Considering that the first film showed the Heelshires harboring plans to turn Greta into
a mate for the real Brahms, this spells some pretty terrible things for this particular
young boy who will be unaware of the malevolent force he may be inviting into his life.
Director William Brent Bell and screenwriter Stacey Menear are back for The Boy sequel
to finish what they started.
Speaking in an interview with Cosmopolitan, the screenwriter discussed how the first movie
was built around its central twist that Brahms was in the walls.
Now that that's out in the open, there's no telling where the story could go.
As he put it,
"I think there's a lot of other interesting stuff you can focus on now.
Because the audience knows going in what the thing is."
The lead role in the first Boy movie was played by Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead, but as
far as we know, she's not coming back for act 2.
In her place, former Dawson's Creek cast member Katie Holmes is playing Liza, a mother who
moves into the mansion with her husband and young son.
As a real-life mother to a young daughter, Holmes didn't have to dig too deeply to inhabit
the role of a mom terrified for the safety of her child.
In June 2019, Holmes told Entertainment Weekly,
"I felt like this was a story about a mother and her child and this evil presence that's
influencing her child, and how that's a universal fear for every parent."
But there's also another fear that Holmes apparently discovered during the making of
the film: dolls.
Those things'll get you every time.
"I tell you, this doll is pretty spooky."
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Holmes stated that working on the movie was a pretty
creepy experience, especially when she was working one-on-one with the doll.
"I loved dolls growing up, so I was like, 'This is really ruining dolls for me.'"
Rising star Christopher Convery, who you might remember as depicting a young Billy from Stranger
Things in those season three flashbacks, is playing Jude, the boy who becomes Brahms'
new buddy.
Considering the history of Brahms, who had his childhood taken away from him, it's possible
that Jude could be targeted as part of some scheme for Brahms to reclaim the childhood
he lost.
Or if the Heelshires are somehow still lurking about, it’s possible that they simply want
the young boy to replace the son they hid behind the walls over 20 years ago.
Either way, this kid and his family are probably in for a bad time.
Composer Bear McCreary provided an eerie classical piano score for the first Boy movie, giving
the story a distinctly vintage, haunting feel.
For the sequel, however, a new composer is stepping up for the job in the form of musician
Brett Detar.
The musician previously collaborated with William Bell, the director behind Brahms,
by composing the nerve-grating score for his 2012 possession movie, The Devil Inside.
As a solo artist, Detar's music is primarily folk influenced, which could impact the feel
of his score.
It could also indicate that Brahms: The Boy II could have a slightly different vibe and
atmosphere than the first film.
Originally, Brahms: The Boy II was all set to be a summer movie, with a release date
set for July 2019.
Then the film was pushed to December, and then February, No official reason behind the
delays was given, but it's been speculated the film was moved to give it space from other
spooky doll films like Child's Play and Annabelle Comes Home.
The film's original release date could have also given the movie direct competition from
other horror movies such as Crawl and Ready or Not.
No such concerns at the start of a year.
Now scheduled for February 21st, the film's new release slot will put the boy up against
Birds of Prey, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Vin Diesel's Bloodshot, so if you're in a horror
mood that weekend, your only option is lurking somewhere in the walls.
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