After getting stuck in a storm, a group of people take refuge at an old house. The owners welcome them in warmly, giving them all rooms for the night. Something in the house isn’t quite right, as their large collection of dolls begin to come to life and kill!
We are introduced to some pretty despicable parents– the father, David (Ian Patrick Williams), the step-mother, Rosemary (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon), and their daughter Judy (Carrie Lorraine). The poor girl is yelled at constantly, almost to the point of abuse. As they leave their car that is stuck in the mud, Rosemary throws Judy’s teddy bear into the darkness, for no reason really, just to be cruel. Judy’s imagination takes over– the bear grows to an outrageous height, walks over to the parents and tears them apart. Judy scolds the bear and he just shrugs. Pretty morbid imagination for a child, but it shows how desperately she wants to get away from this nightmare.
The family is welcomed into the home of Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke (Guy Rolfe and Hilary Mason). As they try to get dry, another group of people come in seeking shelter as well: Ralph (Stephen Lee), Isabel (Bunty Bailey) and Enid (Cassie Stuart). An eclectic group of people all around, Gabriel takes an immediate liking to Ralph and Judy, for they are the most innocent; a child and a child at heart.
Gabriel shows Ralph and Judy his profession– making dolls. The house is filled with them. While Ralph and Judy view the collection with wide-eyed amazement, Isabel is viewing antiques and jewelry to steal in equal amazement.
This is where the fun begins. You wouldn’t think that a bunch of small dolls would pose that much of a threat. You could just jump over them, kick them, or just walk at a brisk pace to get away from them. These dolls would prove you wrong. They are methodical, calculating, armed with tiny knives, axes, saws, even guns! You think you’ve incapacitated most of them only to have double that amount jump on you from above. Yeah, I thought that dolls trying to kill someone would look silly too, but no. They actually take a hacksaw and continuously try to cut off people’s limbs!
The doll scenes are done extremely well with a combination of puppets, stringed marionettes, and stop-motion animation that blends almost seamlessly into the scene. Great effects that add to the creepiness of the film.
I had a lot of fun watching this. There isn’t an excess of blood and gore, but the dark fairy tale-esque/fantasy theme of the movie is rare to see. It is light hearted in a way, with some very funny moments, most of them brought to us by Stephen Lee. There were some great performances in this, especially by Guy Rolfe, but Stephen Lee shines as the innocent, child at heart grown up who gets mixed up in the middle of everything.
The only problem I had with the film was the run time. At only 77 minutes, it seemed way too short. There was plenty of opportunity for more back story on the toy makers and on Ralph. We get some really interesting information on what the dolls are made of, but we don’t get any explanation. That in itself would have added to make this a more suitable run time.
Video
Dolls is presented in 1080p 1.85:1. The transfer looks great, very few defects noticed except for some of the stock lightning shots. These were pretty bad, and very familiar. I’m almost certain they were used in Gilligan’s Island almost every episode. The colors are a little muted, but the picture is clear and sharp, giving us some great detail.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio 5.1 and DTS Master Audio 2.0. The audio sounds good with no problems. We get a good range, especially noticeable during the doll scenes as the whispering travels throughout the surrounds.
Special Features
Shout! Factory brings us some great extras as usual.
Toys of Terror: The Making of Dolls
Audio Commentary with Director Stuart Gordon and Writer Ed Naha
Audio Commentary with Cast Memebers Stephen Lee, Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon and Carrie Lorraine
Storyboard to Film Comparison
Theatrical Trailer
Photo Gallery
Dolls is a great mix of horror, fantasy, and comedy. Setting itself apart from most other horror films, this story will capture your imagination and leave you wanting more, a mark of a great film.