Brahms: The Boy II follows a family of three who moves to the countryside after a traumatic event. Soon their son discovers an antique doll and as with any horror, things start to go wrong.
This is a horror movie without any real horror. For the majority of the movie, I found myself not on the edge of my seat but instead halfway down it, almost asleep. The few jump scares that did come from the film were predictable and felt like a cheap attempt at a scare. The movie also used textbook jump scare noises but without any actual visual scares which felt more confusing than anything as well as pointless.
I will admit the few times the movie engaged with some psychological horror it was quite effective. The doll acts almost like a weeping angel from Doctor Who, making you fear for taking your eyes off it for even a second. But it’s used too little too late to make the film anything more than a boring drag.
I also felt that the parents in this film, played by Katie Holmes and Owain Yeoman, were believable and made smart decisions regarding their son, Jude (Christopher Convery), and his relationship with the doll. Yes, the doll is creepy and they don’t like it, but from their perspective, the doll also seems to be helping their son deal with his trauma. This makes the build-up of the film and the doll gaining control over the family at least a bit more believable.
Watching this film felt like I was back in January with all the other generic horror movies thrown out to de at the box movie. While the film had some good aspects to overall it’s just a forgettable and boring attempt at a cash grab.
Rating: 2/5