The Boy

This creepy story begins when a young, emotionally vulnerable American named Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan) arrives in an unknown town in England to apply for a nanny position. A car picks her up and takes her to a sprawling mansion situated in the middle of a forest. Elderly Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire (Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle) greet Greta cordially and introduce her to their 8-year-old son, Brahms—an extraordinarily realistic-looking porcelain doll. It seems that the real Brahms died in a house fire 20 years ago, and caring for this life-sized doll has become their coping mechanism. “Whatever it might look like on the outside, our son is here. He's very much with us,” Greta is told. Seeing delusional Mrs. Heelshire cuddling the doll triggers a sympathetic reaction in Greta, who agrees to take the nanny position, caring for Brahms while the Heelshires travel on an extended holiday. Greta is given a strict set of detailed rules about how to treat Brahms. Stashing the doll in a corner after the Heelshires depart, Greta soon becomes romantically involved with local grocer Malcolm (Rupert Evans), who tells her that Brahms once had a young girlfriend who vanished after a playdate, and he was implicated as her killer. Greta next hears childish laughter, along with spooky footsteps. Her jewelry and clothing start to disappear, and the Brahms doll turns up in odd places, as Greta herself becomes more and more paranoid. Directed by William Brent Bell, The Boy is familiar fare that only evokes memories of far-better films such as Child's Play and Poltergeist. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Granger)