Lauren Cohan, best known for her role as Maggie Rhee on AMC’s The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Dead City, has long been associated with survival in a world overrun by walkers. But in the 2016 horror film The Boy, she trades the zombie apocalypse for something far creepier.
We're talking an isolated manor, a strange doll, strict rules, and a house full of unnerving secrets. For fans who only know Cohan from the high-stakes world of The Walking Dead, this film reveals an unexpected side of her talent and range.
A new kind of horror role for Lauren Cohan
Directed by William Brent Bell from a screenplay written by Stacey Menear, The Boy presents Cohan with a role that relies less on physical heroics and more on psychological tension. She plays Greta Evans, a young American woman seeking a fresh start after a troubled past. In search of a new beginning, Greta accepts a nannying position at a remote English estate. She expects a typical child care job. Upon arrival, however, she discovers that her charge is not a living child but a life-sized porcelain doll named Brahms.
The elderly Heelshires, who employ her, insist that Greta treat Brahms as a real boy and provide a detailed set of rules she must follow in caring for him. Feeding him, reading to him, maintaining his schedule, and adhering to strict daily routines become part of her unusual work environment. The manor itself, sprawling and shadowy, adds to the sense of unease, making Greta’s task feel both bizarre and increasingly unnerving.
But as she settles into her duties, subtle, unsettling events begin to occur. Greta starts to feel that she is being watched, even when she is alone. Through interactions with local townspeople, particularly Malcolm, a friendly grocer who delivers supplies and shares his observations about the Heelshire estate, Greta begins to gather pieces of the manor’s strange history and the unusual devotion the Heelshires have toward Brahms.
She then begins to suspect that something sinister is going on with the doll, even if she cannot yet put her finger on exactly what it might be. Without entering full-on spoiler territory, just in case you haven't watched the film yet, there's a twist that you won't see coming. While The Boy presents itself as your typical creepy doll story, the twist completely upends expectations. You're definitely going to want to see how things wrap up in the end!
Besides Cohan, The Boy's cast is made up of other actors such as Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, Stephanie Lemelin, Jett Klyne, James Russell, and Lily Pater.
Take a look at the movie's thrilling official trailer below for a sneak peek!
With The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 currently being edited to perfection in post-production, it's going to be a while before we see Maggie back on our screens. That said, fans can revisit Cohan’s impressive work in The Boy in the meantime. With this unsettling horror flick, Cohan proves that her talent extends far beyond the zombie apocalypse!
You can rent or purchase The Boy right now via digital platforms.