The horror movie The Boy about a creepy doll is known for its surprising conclusion and the ending provides answers to many important questions.
The ending to the 2015 horror movie, The Boy, contains one of the most memorable and unexpected twists. Following the life of a nanny called Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan), the movie sees her leave her Montana life behind to work for Mr. (Jim Horton) and Mrs. Heelshire (Diana Hardcastle) in England, which is no ordinary job as she is asked to watch over a doll named Brahms. She follows the rules: feed and nurture Brahms, make sure he isn't by himself, avoid the attic, and don't invite boyfriends over. However, before too long, Greta becomes a traditional final girl as she knows something is wrong and investigates.
With one of the best plot twists in a horror movie, the conclusion of The Boy comes as a shock, and it's hard to predict what happens in the final act. The film led to the sequel Brahms: The Boy II, which was released in 2020. While the ending reveal is the most notable aspect of The Boy, it has deeper themes that make it more melancholy than is typical of similar entertaining horror movies.
Brahms Isn't Just The Name Of The Doll - He Is Also The Heelshire's Son
The main mystery at the heart of The Boy is whether the porcelain doll is evil and powered by a supernatural demon or spirit. It's easy to accept the explanation that is given without the first third of the movie: Brahms was the Heelshire's son who passed away in a fire when he was eight years old. Up until this point, it appears that The Boy is another horror movie about an evil doll. However, Greta learns that Brahms is still alive and now an adult, and he has been living in the walls of the house, pretending that the doll has been possessed in order to scare her.
This stunning reveal makes it clear that Brahms is violent, dangerous, and shows no mercy. Before the moment when adult Brahms, wearing a memorable mask that matches the doll's, bursts out of the wall and attacks her new friend Malcolm (Rupert Evans), The Boy could be compared to a fairly typical horror movie about a haunted house where strange occurrences happen in the darkness. The twist makes the story more gripping and makes Brahms a more frightening villain, especially since he has killed many people before and intends to murder Greta.
Does Greta Die Or Escape?
While Brahms is part of a long history of creepy horror movie dolls, human Brahms is just as unsettling as he appears powerful, strong, and ready to destroy. After Brahms murders her abusive boyfriend Cole (Ben Robson) who wants to go back to Montana with Greta, she stabs Brahms when he wants to kiss her (which allows Greta and Malcolm to escape the castle-like mansion). This moment makes Greta's story more tragic, as Cole was a dangerous partner and she had a miscarriage as a result of him hurting her. When she escapes Brahms, this is the second time that she has left a violent situation.
What Happens To Brahms's Parents?
The Boy is one of the best thriller movies because of Brahms's sinister backstory. Brahms's parents are aware that he is still alive and that he is a killer, which is one of the most disturbing parts of this killer doll movie. They leave a note for Greta, which she finds in the final act, and they take their own lives. When she discovers that they hired her as a present for Brahms, she realizes the danger that she is in, motivating her to survive.
Earlier in The Boy, Greta discovers that a young girl had been murdered violently, and it appears that Brahms committed this crime as a child. Because the fire happened right after, no one found out the truth, but this is a chilling reveal. While others might be angry at the Heelshires for hiring them to live in the same home as a killer, Greta appears to understand that they wanted to help their son any way that they could, despite his dark tendencies.
How Does The Boy Set Up The Sequel?
Although the end of The Boy sees Greta kills Brahms, the final scene hinted at a sequel as the doll is being fixed. However, Brahms: The Boy II ruins the first movie as it is revealed that the doll has been possessed by a demon and is now terrorizing more people. The sequel was poorly received because the compelling ending of the original movie helps it stand out against the crowd of evil, unnerving doll stories. This storyline is too similar to serial killer Charles Lee Ray's spirit transferred to the Chucky doll in the Child's Play franchise or a spirit possessing Annabelle.
The ending of The Boy could have set up a different sequel, and while it might seem unlikely that Brahms could survive his attack, that would make more sense than shifting the story to make it more paranormal. But no matter what the sequel is like, Greta's story concludes in a bittersweet manner and she is able to get away, which is important.
The Real Meaning Of The Boy's Ending
While The Boy II's ending is more silly than serious, the conclusion of The Boy has several significant and heavy themes, including that of escape. Greta runs away from her partner and hopes to find a better, happier life. The movie is also about family and loneliness, with Greta searching for connection, which is why she takes the job working for the Heelshires as a nanny. The Heelshires are also looking for love and, while their son didn't die, they grieve their vision of who he could have been, as they never imagined this violence. They hold onto their image of him as a sweet child through the doll.
The Boy also shares the message of someone trusting their gut instincts. Although Greta could never guess that an adult Brahms is hiding in the house and terrorizing her, she does know that something is amiss and feels threatened by the sinister doll. Although Brahms looks creepier in the sequel, the doll is still a strange sight in The Boy, and Greta is right to wonder what is really happening in the Heelshire home.
