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Prequel? Supernatural? William Brent Bell Teases What’s Really Going On in ‘Brahms: The Boy II’
If you want to go into the movie blind, maybe avoid reading this article.
Those who have seen William Brent Bell‘s The Boy (2016) already know that the real Brahms is a grown man living inside the walls of Heelshire Mansion, with the doll named Brahms serving as little more than a creepy red herring. The film’s bonkers final act revealed that there was nothing supernatural going on with the doll, and that it was the real Brahms who was responsible for all the spooky happenings inside the mansion. So where does a sequel go from there? Well, the trailers for Brahms: The Boy II have been a bit confusing, to say the least.
This year’s sequel seems to be about a kid who moves into Heelshire and becomes somewhat possessed by the doll known as Brahms, which doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense given what the first movie told us about the doll. So is The Boy II some sort of prequel, we’ve been wondering, or is it for some reason going to disregard The Boy‘s surprising twist?
Speaking with Bloody Disgusting’s Boo Crew Podcast this week, director William Brent Bell brought some clarity to the sequel’s plot. Again, there are light spoilers down below….
“It’s not [a prequel] but it’s kind of a parallel,” the filmmaker explained. “In the first film, the twist was ‘oh it’s not supernatural, it’s a guy coming out of the walls.’ Well this time, as you see in the trailers, there’s a supernatural element. And so the conceit really was like, no it was always the doll. The doll is what turned the guy in the first movie into that…that’s what drove him insane, to become murderous and evil…ultimately had to be hidden in the walls. Because this doll had an effect on him. And now, it’s having an effect on our character in this movie.”
“So the question becomes, is he gonna become that guy? And has that happened before?”
Brent Bell also noted that he views Brahms: The Boy II as a bit of a standalone story, but that the two films do complement one another and, he hopes, make each other better.
Brahms: The Boy II arrives in theaters nationwide tonight, February 20th.
You can listen to the Boo Crew’s full chat with William Brent Bell below.
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As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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