Plot
Greta Evans, a young American from Montana, is hired as a nanny by the Heelshires. Upon arriving in their small town in the United Kingdom, the elderly couple show Greta her charge: a porcelain doll named Brahms that they treat like their son. Over the next day, the couple coach Greta on taking care of Brahms and their house, leave her a list of rules to follow, then leave for a holiday.Initially, Greta ignores the rules and the doll and follows her own routine. She regularly calls her sister Sandy, who tells her that her abusive ex-boyfriend Cole has been trying to find out where she is.
Malcolm, the local grocery dealer, stops by to deliver groceries, and Greta learns that the real Brahms was killed in a fire 20 years ago on his eighth birthday. Greta accepts Malcolm's offer to show her the town, and prepares for the date. However, her dress and jewelry vanish while she is in the shower, and she is lured to the attic by strange noises and locked in.
She is mysteriously let out the next morning. She explains to Malcolm what happened, and they briefly discuss the real Brahms, whom Malcolm said Mr. Heelshire described as "odd."
Strange things begin to happen—a child's sobs are heard in the hallways, phone calls are cut off, and the doll seems to move on its own, vanishing and reappearing elsewhere in the house. After receiving a phone call in which a child's voice urges her to follow the rules, Greta locks herself in her room. She later finds a peanut butter and jelly sandwich outside her door.
Elsewhere, the Heelshires write a goodbye letter to Brahms, then drown themselves.
Believing that Brahms' spirit lives within the doll, Greta begins to take the rules more seriously. After Greta demonstrates the doll's ability to move by itself, Malcolm becomes worried. He informs Greta that the real Brahms was friends with a young girl about his age. One day, she was found in the forest with her skull crushed. Before the police could question Brahms, the Heelshires' house was burned down with him in it. Malcolm warns Greta not to stay in the house, but Greta, having previously suffered a miscarriage after she was beaten by Cole, feels obligated to care for Brahms.
One evening, Cole abruptly appears in the house and announces his intention to bring Greta back home, by force if necessary. Malcolm makes an early delivery and decides to stay nearby. As she puts Brahms to sleep, Greta asks Brahms for help. Cole wakes up and sees a message written in blood urging him to leave. Believing it was done by either Greta or Malcolm, Cole angrily snatches the doll from Greta and smashes it.
The house begins to shake and the lights start flickering. Cole hears noises behind a mirror and investigates. The mirror explodes and knocks Cole to the ground. A strange voice calls Greta's name from the hole behind the mirror and a grown man wearing a porcelain mask of Brahms emerges. It is revealed to be the real Brahms who apparently survived the fire and now has been living in the passages behind the walls of the house. Brahms attacks and kills Cole, then turns on Malcolm and Greta.
A chase ensues throughout the house. Greta and Malcolm discover Brahms' room while trying to find an exit. A doll made from Greta's missing dress, hair and jewelry is in Brahms' bed. Greta finds the final letter from the Heelshires revealing their plan of leaving Greta as a mate for Brahms. Brahms catches them and severely beats Malcolm, threatening to kill him if Greta leaves.
Greta flees anyway, but then she returns with the intention of saving Malcolm. Arming herself with a screwdriver, Greta invokes the rules to force Brahms to go to bed. He asks for a good night kiss, and when he tries to kiss her she stabs him with the screwdriver, but he throws her across the room and tries to choke her. While he's choking her she pushes the screwdriver deeper into his organs and he collapses. Greta drags Malcolm to his car and sighs with relief as they leave the estate.
Later, Brahms, who has survived, is seen repairing the shattered doll.
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