On March 11, 2015, more cast was announced, which included Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, Rupert Evans, and James Russell. On January 23, 2015, Lauren Cohan signed on to star for the lead role in the film, which by then had been retitled The Boy. On July 14, 2014, it was announced that The Devil Inside 's director William Brent Bell was set to direct a supernatural thriller, The Inhabitant, which Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi would produce through Lakeshore Entertainment, along with Roy Lee, Matt Berenson, Jim Wedaa, through Vertigo Entertainment. James Russell as adult Brahms HeelshireĬraigdarroch Castle, used as the filming location for The Boy.Later, someone is seen repairing the doll on the stairs. Greta rescues Malcolm and they escape the house. Brahms tries to choke her but she pushes the weapon in deeper and he collapses. He asks for a good night kiss when he tries to kiss her, she stabs him.
Arming herself with a screwdriver, she invokes the rules and forces Brahms to bed. Greta is able to escape the house but returns to save Malcolm. Brahms knocks out Malcolm, threatening to kill him if Greta leaves.
Brahms kills Cole, then turns on Malcolm and Greta.Īs they are pursued, Greta and Malcolm discover Brahms' room a doll made from Greta's missing dress, hair, and jewelry sits in Brahms' bed, and Greta finds the goodbye letter from the Heelshires, revealing their plan of leaving Greta behind as a mate for Brahms. The mirror explodes from a hole behind it emerges the real, now-adult Brahms wearing a porcelain mask identical to the doll's face after surviving the fire, Brahms has been living in the walls of the house and is abnormal. The house begins to shake and they hear noises behind the walls. Believing it was done by either Greta or Malcolm, he angrily smashes the doll to pieces. Cole wakes up and sees a message written in blood telling him to leave. For Greta's safety, Malcolm stays nearby. One evening, Cole arrives, intending to force Greta back home. Elsewhere, the Heelshires write a goodbye letter to Brahms before drowning themselves. Malcolm warns her not to stay, but Greta, having previously suffered a miscarriage after being beaten by Cole, feels obligated to care for Brahms. Before the police could question Brahms, the Heelshires' house was burnt down with him in it. He informs Greta that a girl Brahms was friends with was found in the forest with her skull crushed. Remembering that the Heelshires said Brahms was shy, she realizes that the doll only moves when she isn't in the room with him she demonstrates this to Malcolm, who becomes worried. Believing that Brahms' spirit lives within the doll, Greta begins to take the rules seriously. She then finds a peanut butter and jelly sandwich outside her door, her favorite, and the child's voice promises he will be good. After receiving a phone call in which a child's voice urges her to follow the rules, Greta locks herself in her room. Strange events occur: a child's sobs are heard in the hallways, phone calls are cut off, and the doll seems to move on its own. She explains to Malcolm what happened, and they discuss the real Brahms, whom Malcolm says Mr. While preparing for the date, her dress and jewelry vanish while she is in the shower she is lured to the attic by strange noises and locked inside, and is mysteriously let out the next morning.
Malcolm, the local deliveryman, stops by often, and Greta learns that the real Brahms was killed in a fire 20 years ago on his eighth birthday. She regularly calls her sister, who tells her that Greta’s abusive ex-boyfriend Cole has been trying to find out where she is. The Heelshires coach Greta on taking care of Brahms and their house while they are on holiday leaving her a list of strict rules to follow, including reading to Brahms in a loud, clear voice and playing loud music for him.
Upon her arrival, the couple introduce Greta to her charge: a lifesize porcelain doll named Brahms that they treat like their son. Greta Evans, an American from Montana, travels to the United Kingdom after being hired as a nanny by the elderly Heelshires.