Brahms: The Boy II

A lackluster sequel to a lackluster original, Brahms: The Boy II follows Katie Holmes’ Liza and Owain Yeoman’s Sean as they move into a remote country estate with their young son (Christopher Convery’s Jude) and must eventually fend for their lives after the kid befriends the title doll. Filmmaker William Brent Bell delivers a predictably slow-burn horror endeavor that does start off better than one might’ve anticipated, as Brahms: The Boy II boasts a stirring opening sequence that seems to promise something more frightening and visceral than its lame predecessor – with the movie, unfortunately, taking a sharp turn for the tedious once the action moves to the aforementioned country estate. There’s little doubt that Bell’s bizarre reluctance to embrace the first film’s climactic revelations ultimately plays a key role in cementing Brahms: The Boy II failure, as the movie is rife with occurrences and happenings that seem to contradict the events of the original picture (ie we already know what Brahms is and is capable of, so why the mystery surrounding his behavior and motives?) And although a third-act twist admittedly does explain Brahms’ newfound abilities (albeit in a manner that essentially retcons the events of this picture’s precursor), Brahms: The Boy II, saddled with a distressingly low body count, ultimately can’t help but come off as a mostly ineffective follow up that rarely (if ever) embraces the inherent ludicrousness of its premise.

** out of ****