Back in 2016, there were a whole bunch of horror movies [1] to be very, very afraid of. One such film was The Boy, which tells the tale of a seemingly sentient doll named Brahms [2]. Now, a horror movie is never complete without a good twist, and I have to say, the surprise at the end of The Boy is one of the most insane reveals I've experienced in a long, long time. I already spoke about the twist in an interview with the film's star [3], Lauren Cohan, but I thought it might be fun to break it down piece by piece. So if you're morbidly curious and don't mind the spoiler, keep reading to find out the real truth about Brahms.
First Things First: The Origin of Brahms
- Long before Greta (Lauren Cohan) accepts her job as a nanny to that creepy doll, we learn that Brahms was, indeed, a real boy. He was a strange, quiet child who kept to himself. He would often play with the neighbor girl who was roughly his age.
- One day, Brahms and his neighbor ventured into the woods, and while Brahms returned home safe, the young girl was never seen again. The rumors around town suggested Brahms had something to do with her disappearance.
- On his eighth birthday, Brahms died in a tragic house fire. To cope with their loss, his parents replaced him with a porcelain doll and have cared for him as though he's real ever since.
The Backstory of Our Heroine, Greta
- Twenty years later, Greta accepts her job as a nanny to Brahms, the creepy porcelain doll we all know and love. Greta is on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend, Cole, whom she has a restraining order against. She makes the acquaintance of a cute grocery delivery boy named Malcolm. Malcolm stops by once a week or so.
- After going over all the rules, the parents leave, taking a "vacation."
- Greta must follow a strict set of rules to please Brahms. This includes feeding him and storing leftovers in a huge freezer, playing music for him, kissing him goodnight, and more.
- At first, Greta scoffs and shrugs off her responsibilities. But she soon comes to believe that Brahms is real. He can move himself. He seems to have an actual consciousness. As events progress, it appears that the porcelain Brahms is a sort of vessel for the departed soul of real Brahms.
- In a disturbing sequence, the parents, who are on "vacation," write a mysterious letter and send it to the house. They fill their pockets with rocks and drown themselves.
- Greta feels connected to Brahms and starts to see her caretaker duties as a way of mending her heart in the wake of her broken relationship.
The Buildup to the Twist
- Things get really interesting when Greta's ex-boyfriend Cole actually shows up, having muscled the UK address out of her friends back home. Brahms does not like this. He terrorizes Cole by putting rat corpses in his bag and scrawling a message on the wall in blood.
- Greta is forced to admit that the doll she's caring for might be real. Cole thinks the whole thing is ludicrous and smashes Brahms to pieces.
- The whole house shakes. Cole hears a strange sound coming from behind the mirror on the wall. As he puts his head close to hear better, the mirror explodes. Cole is blown backward.
- A human man emerges from the gaping hole in the wall. His hair is disheveled, his beard is fully grown, and he's wearing a mask that looks eerily like the porcelain Brahms's face. That's the thing, though: this man is Brahms.
The Totally Batsh*t, 100 Percent Insane Twist
- The real Brahms has been living between the walls of the house this whole time. He's been spying on Greta, eavesdropping on conversations, and making his way around through secret passages, crawl spaces, and other nooks and crannies.
- That's how the doll moves. That's how he knows if you're breaking his rules. The leftovers in the freezer are how he manages to survive.
- Yes, his parents knew. He was more or less holding them hostage. That's why they hired Greta; she was meant to be a "gift" so that Brahms would let them go. The letter they sent is to let Brahms know that they won't be returning, and Greta is his for the keeping.
- So, what happens? Brahms immediately kills Cole, then goes after Malcolm. Greta manages to escape, leaving Malcolm behind. She suddenly has a change of heart, though, and goes back for him.
- Knowing Brahms must stick to his rules, Greta commands him — the real, 28-year-old human man — to go to bed. After a moment of confusion, Brahms agrees. He demands his goodnight kiss, and although Greta obliges, she also stabs him multiple times in the stomach. Seizing her opportunity, she grabs Malcolm, and they make their escape.