Review of The Boy (2016) by Victor T — 21 Feb 2016

The idea of using dolls as the central focus of a horror film is nothing new, and arguably has never been executed correctly, with the perfect examples being the comical "Child´s Play", the dreadful "Dead Silence", and the painful "Annabelle". So is "The Boy" any better?

I think it goes without saying that I watch this film with extremely low expectations, as almost every modern (new millennium) horror film has left me cold, and "The Boy" is no exception. "The Boy" counts with mediocre acting, a cliché and bland setting, a slow pacing, a handful of cheap jump scares, forgettable and cliché story, and the standard modern horror filmmaking (cinematography, directing, etc.). But despite what I just stated, this film had potential at the beginning as it played with psychological ideas, but they ultimate go nowhere, and of course the radical change of tone in the last act of the film. While I get that they wanted to make this film standout from the forgettable films that come out this days, their unexpected and even daring gamble creates more questions than answers, thus making it a backfire decision that destroy what was left of this forgettable film.