Brahms: The Boy II Getting In-Home Release This Friday

When movie theaters closed across the world earlier this month, new releases like The Invisible Man and The Hunt were offered to audiences with early in-home rental options, with Brahms: The Boy II also earning an early in-home release, as it will be available this Friday, April 3rd, which is earlier than its original Digital HD release. Given that the film will land on physical media in May, the upcoming release won't cost the same premium rental rate as newer releases, though it won't come with all of the special features included on the physical home video release, such as the alternate ending.

In the film, "Unaware of the terrifying history of Heelshire Mansion, a young family moves into a guest house on the estate where their young son soon makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily lifelike doll he calls Brahms. Katie Holmes stars as a mother who increasingly becomes uneasy and terrorized by her son's new supernatural 'friend.'"

If you prefer to wait for the film's Blu-ray release, it will include the following special features:

• Alternate Ending
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes

The film was originally slated to hit theaters last summer, only to be delayed to last winter before ultimately opening this past February. While some films earn release date delays for reasons unrelated to a film's quality, Brahms' 10% positive critical score on Rotten Tomatoes might confirm that the studio struggled with delivering audiences a product they were proud of.

William Bibbiani at TheWrap noted, "The film has no suspense, wit, or shock value. It's too ploddingly paced to elicit a proper jump scare, and it's nowhere near insightful enough to get under the skin. The only thing interesting about this disappointing follow-up is how it takes the original film down with it, retroactively hurting the chances of The Boy becoming a beloved cult classic."

Meagan Navarro at Bloody Disgusting revealed, "The plot beats and scares all feel stale. The horror plays much too safe. The idea of giving audiences exactly what they thought they were getting in the first film seems smart on paper, but this sequel is too afraid to take any real risks. Brahms might have made for a fun playdate before, but his game has become all too predictable.

As far as positive reviews go, Eddie Harrison at The List rated it a 3 out of 5, while detailing, "Without any notably tense or memorable sequences, The Boy II manages to creep audiences out in this traditional fashion; horror aficionados, at least, should enjoy the ancient yet effective tactics employed here."

Brahms: The Boy II hits Digital HD on April 3rd and Blu-ray on May 19th. Pre-orders are live on Amazon now.

Will you be adding the film to your collection? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!