Set Visit Part 1: Brahms The Boy II. Lets talk about that mask!

In 2016, William Brent Bell and Stacey Menear brought us one of the great possessed doll films of the decade, The Boy. For a sub-genre that has always made me a bit uneasy, I was more than ecstatic to be invited to the set for its sequel, Brahms: The Boy II. There is plenty to tell about Brahms and his gothic mansion, and you will get everything you'd want to know about the upcoming sequel, but today I'd like to share a neat tidbit unbeknownst to the world, regarding the first movie. I should mention there will be SPOILERS ahead, so proceed at your own risk!

The plot of The Boy goes as follows.

An American nanny is shocked that her new English family's boy is actually a life-sized doll. After she violates a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is really alive.

The first time we see the mask is at the end of the movie. It's revealed that Brahms survived the fire that we were told took his life at the young age of eight. He has since been living in the passages behind the walls. At the first reveal of adult Brahms, we see him sporting a porcelain mask identical to the doll we were led to believe was alive the entire time. An impressive feat that separates these filmmakers from others in the genre is that the mask isn't real: it's an eleventh-hour CGI add-in!

During my visit, Director William Brent Bell talked about the test screenings and how that helped shape the film's villain.

When we shot the movie, he had no mask on. You know, he just was a guy with a beard. When we tested the movie, we asked about the third act twist, and if they were scared about the guy that came out of the wall. The response was yeah, but you know not that scary.

It was that unenthusiastic reaction added to the fact that the actor who plays adult Brahms was a bit too attractive to be a terrifying wall dweller that made the team sit back and consider their options.

Producer Roy Lee came up with the idea of adding in a CGI mask, and without markers or any pre-planning, they added the mask in post. It is subtle, and something no-one would probably notice, and I can tell you I did not, and Director William Brent Bell knew it was the right move when he recounted…

I was so impressed by these guys because I was like, 'That's a great idea.' We have a hundred twenty-seven shots at five hundred dollars a shot, which was the first estimate, and then I brought in producer Gary Lucchesi and asked: 'What do you think?' But the thing was if we do this right, it will make the movie much better.

The mask wasn't originally a copy off of the doll as we found out during our visit. On an Apple laptop upon a collapsible table positioned next to the big ending set piece, we are guided through the scene where Brahms climbs out of the wall in his big reveal. With the click of the mouse, his mask changes, and we see the same scene with a variety of different masks.

The range of different styles was impressive and everyone fit seamlessly into the scene as it was the final product. With the sequel, the director and producers made their lives much easier and have made a practical mask for the shoot. Hindsight is always 20/20 but still, the idea of all of this being last-minute movie magic brings out the kid in me. Check out below for some of the other mask concepts that the team played around with before they decided on the iconic Brahms mask.

The mask gave the character his identity, and it made the movie if you ask this humble movie buff. If you look into Brahms fan fiction on the internet (do it at your own risk), you will see there is a good amount of Brahms erotica. And if that doesn't mean not only has your character made it in pop-culture but that you have also made it in Hollywood, I don't know what does.

There is more info on Brahms: The Boy II, my friend. Check back here tomorrow Wednesday, January 6th for the Trailer launch and later in the week for more on my time on-set. Until then please enjoy the official poster below!

 

 

 Brahms: The Boy II haunts theaters on February 21, 2020