Brahms: The Boy II (2020)

Viewers of the original movie, The Boy, in 2016 were either dismayed by the ending which undid the classic "creepy doll" horror they thought they were watching or like me thought the ending clever - a way to freshen up a stale old "creepy doll" b-horror movie - and now, this sequel, presumably hoping that that dismayed half of viewers might be able to be coaxed back and get behind another creepy doll franchise, creates a backstory that serves to revert to a mere creepy doll horror the events of the original film, with Katie Holmes, as concerned mom watching her son develop far too strong a bond with a doll, valiantly trying to disguise the movie's staggering lack of originality, its utter hohum-ness.

★☆☆☆☆

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS

The Witch: A New England Folktale (2015)

** SPOILER VVARNING **

An early scene confirms a vvitch inhabits the vvoods on the edge of the farm of young Thomasin's Puritan family but the greater horror of this movie is having to spend ninety minutes in the family's company - like a Jerry Springer "Help! My Puritan family thinks I'm a vvitch!" episode, they stand around shrieking unproductively at each other and it is little vvonder the vvitch stays vvell avvay (almost 'not-in-the-movie' avvay), leaving it to a random, introduced-at-the-last-minute Black Phillip (no, I don't knovv vvho or vvhat he is either) to step in and violently bring some vvelcome quiet to proceedings, in time for the visually stunning but miserable movie to end on its self-congratulatory note: a titlecard assuring vievvers vvhat an authentic Nevv England horror exercise it has been. 

★★☆☆☆

CYNECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEVVS