The Boy Ending, Explained (2024)

The ending to The Boy movie features one of the most memorable and unexpected twists. Following the life of a nanny named Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan), 2016 horror mystery movie The Boy sees her leave her Montana life behind to work in England. It is no ordinary job, as she is asked to watch over a doll named Brahms. She follows the rules: feed and nurture Brahms, ensure he isn't alone, avoid the attic, and don't invite boyfriends over. However, before too long, Greta realizes 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 twist 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. The fact that the movie eschews the typical demonic doll storyline makes it scarier than it would have been otherwise.

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 movie 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: Brahms was the Heelshire's son, who died in a fire when he was eight years old. It appears that The Boy is another horror movie about an evil doll. However, in a twist, Brahms is still alive and hiding in the house's walls, pretending that the doll is possessed to remain hidden and safe.

Brahms is violent, dangerous, and shows no mercy. When Greta's ex-boyfriend, Cole, destroys the doll, the now-adult Brahms, wearing a mask that matches the doll's, bursts out of the wall and kills him. He then attacks Greta and Malcolm. The Boy could be compared to a typical horror movie about a haunted house where strange occurrences happen in the darkness. The twist makes the story scarier and makes Brahms a frightening villain, having killed many people in the past.

Does Greta Die Or Escape?

Greta Turns The Tables And Escapes The House

While Brahms is part of a long history of creepy horror movie dolls, the human Brahms is just as unsettling as he appears powerful, strong, and ready to destroy. After Brahms murders Greta's abusive boyfriend, Cole, Brahms then incapacitates her friend Malcolm. Brahms threatens to kill Malcolm if Greta tries to leave. He was promised she would stay as his new mate. However, Greta remembers the rules and tells Brahms it is bedtime.

It works and Brahms goes to bed as she requests. He then asks for a good night kiss and when she bends over to kiss him, Greta stabs Brahms, which allows her 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 Heelshire's Take Their Own Lives

The Boy is a great thriller because of Brahms's sinister backstory. Brahms's parents are aware he is still alive, and that he is a killer, which is one of the most disturbing parts of the movie. They leave a note for Greta, which she finds in the final act, and they take their own lives. When she discovers they hired her as a present for Brahms, she realizes the danger she is in, motivating her to survive.

Earlier in The Boy, Greta discovers that a young girl was murdered violently, and it appears that Brahms committed this crime as a child. The fire that supposedly killed Brahms happened after the girl's death, so no one learned the truth. 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?

A Stinger Shows Brahms Might Have Survived

At the end of The Boy movie, Greta seemingly kills Brahms. However, the final scene hints at a sequel as someone fixes the doll in the old house. Brahms: The Boy II ruins the twist of the first movie. It reveals the doll is demonically possessed and is terrorizing more people. The sequel was poorly received because the compelling ending of the original helps it stand out against the crowd of evil, unnerving doll stories.

This storyline is similar to serial killer Charles Lee Ray's spirit being transferred to the Chucky doll in the Child's Play franchise or a spirit possessing Annabelle. The ending of The Boy should have set up a different sequel, and while it might seem unlikely Brahms survived the attack, it would make more sense than shifting the story to make it more paranormal. Regardless of the sequel, Greta's story concludes in a bittersweet manner, and she escapes, which is important.

The Real Meaning Of The Boy's Ending

What Does The Boy Movie Really Mean?

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 abusive boyfriend and hopes to find a better, happier life. The movie is also about family and loneliness. 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 the importance of someone trusting their gut instincts. Although Greta could never guess that an adult Brahms is hiding in the house and terrorizing her, she knows 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 happening in the Heelshire home.

The Boy

Not Rated

The Boy is a 2015 horror-thriller directed by Craig William Macneill. It follows a young boy named Ted who lives with his father at a remote motel. As Ted's disturbing behavior escalates, it becomes clear that his fascination with death is leading him down a dark path. Starring Jared Breeze and David Morse, the film explores themes of isolation and the development of a budding sociopath.

Director

Craig William Macneill

Release Date

August 14, 2015

Writers

Clay McLeod Chapman , Craig William Macneill

Cast

Mike Vogel , Jared Breeze , Zuleikha Robinson , Rainn Wilson , Bill Sage , David Morse , Aiden Lovekamp