A nanny is hired by a couple in a remote English village, only to discover she is not looking after a child but a life-size model, whom her employers treat like a real boy as a way of coping with the loss of their son 20 years previously. When she breaks a series of rules she has been given, the nanny experiences a series of disturbing events and starts to suspect the model boy is somehow alive. Horror, starring Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans
The Walking Dead's Lauren Cohan is an American nanny hired to take care of a young boy, but she's shocked to discover he's actually a life-sized doll. When she disobeys the rules for taking care of the "boy", terrifying things begin to happen. Dolls in horror movies are a guaranteed way to create an unnerving atmosphere, as is an English stately home setting and the grave-looking couple (Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle) who hire Cohan. Unfortunately, despite this strong starting point, what transpires is a bog-standard horror film with jump scares that are effective but nonetheless predictable (one minute the doll is there, the next he's gone!). The cast put their all into the part, but can't run away from the obviousness of the plot, which culminates in a twist that, while being the only unexpected part of the story, feels a little disappointing. While perfectly serviceable as an hour-and-a-half of shocks and scares, there's substance missing to The Boy that prevents it from truly coming to life.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Greta | Lauren Cohan |
| Malcolm | Rupert Evans (2) |
| Cole | Ben Robson |
| Mrs Heelshire | Diana Hardcastle |
| Mr Heelshire | Jim Norton |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | William Brent Bell |
