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When a horror movie doesn’t deliver the purpose of its genre, which is being scary, then what is left? While Brahms: The Boy II made us pose that question, it, certainly never answered it.

The feature follows mother Liza (Katie Holmes), husband Sean (Owain Yeoman), and son Jude (Christopher Convery) as they move to a new house in the suburbs after a vicious burglary incident at their former home, which left Jude traumatised to the point that he has not spoken since. Outside their new abode, Jude digs up an old porcelain doll, and regains his speech. Growing attached to the toy, the boy claims that it spoke to him, telling that its name is Brahms. Liza starts to notice that Jude’s behaviour is negatively changing, and that, whenever he gets in trouble, he blames it on Brahms. But she can’t take Brahms away now, not after he helped Jude start speaking again. Will it be too late when Liza finally discovers the dark truth about Brahms?

The feature is a sequel to the 2016’s The Boy, which, despite having not been successful, somehow managed to get a sequel anyway. The sequel does deviate from the first film, but, unfortunately, takes a downward ramp where the one interesting factor in the first film is completely thrown away.

The pace of the plot is slow, before the revelation is implausibly packed into the last 10 minutes, in a messy wrapping of bad CGI, which makes the audience stop caring.

We’re even doubtful that they really cared too much from the beginning, as the characters were completely one dimensional. Liza is traumatised by the incident, yet still in denial; Sean is concerned, and Jude is just a poker-faced traumatised kid. There was absolutely no character building details, so why would the audience even care what happens to them throughout the film?

The biggest issue with the film? It is not scary. Not even slightly. The film’s idea of horror is something weird happening and then a supposedly menacing shot of the doll. To no one’s shock, that is in no way scary, and what is the point of a scary movie that isn’t scary?

The acting was also a major let-down; despite her established status, Katie Holmes gave a monotone, boring performance that was further hindered by the trainwreck of a script. Owain Yeoman’s performance was no better, which points more fingers towards the writing. Even Christopher Convery’s performance was nowhere near where it should be as the traumatised child, haunted by a doll.

The Boy should not have had a sequel, but now that it does, it definitely should have been better than Brahms: The Boy II.