There have been so many movies made about evil dolls -- from the classic "The Devil-Doll" (1936), although technically the "dolls" are miniaturized humans, to the "Chucky" film series (1988-2013), to the relatively recent "Dead Silence" (2007). Choosing just one to feature this week was not easy, but I finally settled on a movie called "Dolls" (1987). Even though it was filmed almost 30 years ago, I had never seen this one until just a few years back, very late one night when I couldn't sleep and ended up clicking half-heartedly through television channels. Despite its rather misogynistic tendencies (the goriest scenes all involve female victims), this movie was actually worth watching if you like scary movies, so I thought I would choose it today in case there are others out there who missed it as well.
In "Merrie Olde England", six stranded travelers take refuge from a ferocious storm in a strange old mansion inhabited by an elderly couple (Guy Rolfe, Hilary Mason). Only two of the six, a young man and a little girl, are even remotely pleasant, but the couple welcomes everyone in for the night. The travelers learn that the old man is a doll-maker, and find the interior of the eerie home filled with dolls of all sorts. As the night progresses, the true natures of everyone in the house are revealed, and these revelations seal the fate of each guest. Even the dolls, of course, are not what they appear. This movie has been called a dark fairy tale, and indeed it is. I especially like the introduction, with images of creepy doll faces surrounded by blackness accompanying the credits. Parts of this movie are brutal, and not for the squeamish, but the ending is, surprisingly, really rather sweet -- well, sort of! Watch it if you dare, and judge for yourself:
Interesting Fact: The director, Stuart Gordon, considered making a sequel with the little girl Judy, the young man Ralph, and the unsettling old couple reuniting -- well, sort of! It really is too bad this sequel never got made (and you won't hear me saying that about sequels very often).
Gore Guide (0=none to 5=extreme): 4
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