10 Brilliant Horror Movie Concepts Not Taken Far Enough

2016's The Boy was a surprising little film. It was marketed as the standard haunted doll flick akin to a male Annabelle. For the first 70 minutes of the film, we are led to believe that is EXACTLY what it is. But a shocking twist reveals Brahms - the name given to the creepy doll - is in fact alive and well and living within the walls of his family home, revealing he and not the doll has been responsible for the mysterious events.

When a sequel was announced, hopes were high that it would follow an unsuspecting family moving into the stately old home unaware that a homicidal man lurks within the walls... Unfortunately Brahms: The Boy II quickly retcons the first film's surprising twist and doubles down on the possessed doll aspect. We learn that the porcelain visage of Brahms is actually an ancient caterpillar-like demon who's been possessing children for years and making them do unspeakable things. The film reverted to a tired and well-worn supernatural premise when it had the chance to do something much creepier, much more original and much closer to home.

One can't help but feel a crushing sense of disappointment as the titular Boy is shattered and an awful CGI demon grows from the pieces and scuttles at the screen... This writer left the cinema angry that the film had pissed away such the clever hook for a tension-filled sequel the previous movie handed them.