I will admit that there is something that is inherently unsettling about porcelain dolls. It seems to be due in part to their unblinking and emotionless eyes, and also in part to the general creepiness about them. There may have been a time and place in this world when they were excepted and cherished, but I personally believe that they have no place in today's society. I have experienced one first hand as I visited someone's house and had one of those devilish little bastards staring me down from across the room as I tried desperately to sleep.
Horrible little things they are. So, what better thing to do with something that embodies creepiness than to make a movie about someone being stuck alone in a mansion with one? And hey, why not make it possessed? That's the basic plot behind The Boy, which is about a young woman, Greta (played by Lauren Cohan) who takes a job nannying a doll to get away from an abusive relationship with a guy who has a horrific American accent (Ben Robson). The doll is treated like a son by an equally creepy older couple who have a meticulous set of rules that must be obeyed to keep the damned doll happy.
This is the point in the review where I sigh. Some movies that go wrong at least have some modicum of potential that is being wasted, but with this film by director William Brent Bell the only platform for it to stand on is that which has already been laid down by previous horror films. In fact, the climatic twist in the movie is straight out of a well received New Zealand horror flick.
It is not that there just isn't anything new here, it is a poor script that never allows the audience to empathize with a character that we should be able to feel for. Poor Greta has had a rough time, but as she makes stupid decisions, such as not leaving the house once she's convinced that the doll is haunted (she also falls in love with it, because that makes sense. Oh, and the 11-ish year old that sat beside me whispered to her mother that Greta was a moron for acting the way she did. If kids spot it, that is a bad sign) we just loathe her decision making process instead of feeling for her.
I suppose that one positive that the film has going for it is that it is shot in a beautiful, old country mansion in Britain. It is the kind of setting that works wonderfully for establishing atmosphere and mood. This magnificent tool that they had on their hands was, however, disserviced by two things. First of all, it was not utilized well by the director or cinematographer. The only times it was set to be creepy turned out to be dreams that Greta was having. Also, we are told that the house burned to the ground twenty years earlier. Apparently the script writer didn't realize that it is difficult to to have a centuries old home that had previously been destroyed.
Lauren Cohan does what she can with the script, and she is a bright spot in the film. It is too bad that the writing and directing don't give her anything appropriate to play off of that would allow us to understand her more and care for whether or not she survives. I was rooting for the damned doll to win, which is not exactly what they were gunning for. Actually, for most of the film I was just begging that the doll would do something. Anything would have been better than it just sitting there and looking creepy.
Rating - 1 out of 4 stars
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