Movie Review: Brahms The Boy II

Brahms The Boy II

This is an article “Brahms The Boy II” by Marc Primo

Release date: 21 February 2020 (USA)

Director: William Brent Bell

Language: English

Production Companies: Lakeshore Entertainment, STX Films

Producers: Michael McKay, Jackie Shenoo, Robert Simonds

SPOILER ALERT?—?The tandem of director William Brent Bell and screenwriter Stacey Menear returns with a sequel of a fairly good horror shocker released four years ago, only to confuse moviegoers with its host of inconsistencies and oversaturated information.

First of all, the main antagonist is not a boy?—?it’s a doll which, unlike the first film, did feature a true boy. And don’t mistake it for an ominous rhapsody from classical composer Johannes Brahm. Brahms is actually the name of the doll (which is also the name of the first boy), who is now out to victimize an unsuspecting family. Confused? Then you should wait until you watch the film.

If ever milking the cow was the producers true intent for this unnecessary sequel, then fortunately they succeeded with an initial budget of $10 million garnering nearly $19 million at the international box office.

First, there is really nothing new to watch when it comes to the creepy doll genre and audiences will miss the few genuine laughs and even some fine moments of terror from the first film. The sequel was way off point, centering on a family’s trauma and dysfunction. Liza (Katie Holmes) and her son Jude (Christopher Convery) attempt to come to terms after a home invasion incident scarred them, turning Jude into a selective mute. Together with the stepfather (Owain Yeoman), the family moves to a country house to heal. And as you’ve guessed it, they end up renting the mansion where the first disaster from the first film took place in one of the worst Airbnb flops of all time.

What is begging to be considered as an entry to the category of masterful late-night horror collections in our libraries turned out to be a crude film with some hilarious sequences wherein Brahms the doll manages to draw chuckles instead of fear. Despite Menear’s brazen attempts to sew pieces together and tie loose ends, audiences will still find it hard to justify why Liza and Jude should keep the doll even if it is the medium that makes the boy talk again.

The narrative through Liza’s inconsistent perspectives fail as an anchor that should have allowed audiences to accept her emotional state. Soon enough, you’ll find a mess of a story that’s both incoherent and interesting. Unfortunately in this case, the sequel depreciates the value of the first film with poor storytelling and intentional undermining. Fans of the original film will raise an eyebrow as they are told that the doll is definitely supernatural after all, destroying all good things we got from the first film. Oh, and how they will also miss the clever lines and twists, and suspense that made its predecessor a genuinely enjoyable horror flick. Somehow this second installment is unable to give us the stress we need when scenes called for it. If arguments at the dinner table seemed unrealistic, how else can we feel the anxieties and pain of the main characters?

Convery and Holmes both display commendable performances for the film but sadly, the script just doesn’t do enough justice to make their characters truly remarkable. Brahms the doll is more funny-looking than creepy and the pacing makes the entire film seem stretched out to forever. The jump scares won’t make you jump and the flashbacks will make you think ‘why?’. By the end of the film, you’ll find yourself exhausted from all the hoopla-inducing fails and more confused than ever. We can only hope Brahms is finally laid to eternal rest so we can be spared of a third installment.