Curse of the Witch's Doll

It seems like I go into a lot of movies with low expectations because the times I do go in expecting a movie to be fantastic I'm always disappointed. And when I go in with very low expectations I'm pleasantly surprised. Curse of the Witch's Doll was one of those times. I really think the cover does it a bit of a disservice. Going from the cover (and title) it looks like an Annabelle clone. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Unfortunately I can't say too much about Curse of the Witch's Doll because there are quite a few twists and turns that were genuinely surprising and I'd hate to ruin anything. I will only say one thing. The first 'twist' made me roll my eyes a bit but I can guarantee you...stick with it. I promise it's worth it. The pacing is perfect, it always keeps moving forward with no lags at all. This is a movie that relies on acting, atmosphere and mood to scare you and it does it well. I never felt like they were going for the easy scare.

The cinematography is excellent with some truly beautiful and original shots. Combined with some decent CGI the movie is worth watching for that alone. Particularly one scene near the middle. It's a very simple shot but the way its done is just...perfect. The make-up effects are decent. I'm a little torn on the doll itself. I kept going between creepy and goofy. Although there were some genuinely creepy moments with it. There were a lot of times when they didn't go for the obvious jump-scare and used a more subtle effect. I liked that a lot. The sound design was excellent as well. The music is moody in places and only comes to the forefront during the action sequences and never telegraphs the scares. They also mix sounds in very well with the music to give you hints or to just make it creepier.

The acting is great all the way through. Everyone puts their hearts into it and it shows. The dialogue flows smoothly and naturally. There is one speech in particular that Adeline says that I really, really loved. Adeline's words and actions feel very real. You really invest in Adeline's character and, frankly, I was upset with her and for her. The finale of the movie was a bit abrupt. The switch in styles was surprising but understandable. It just left off of one part abruptly so you're a little unsure of what happens next. I mean, you have a pretty good guess but I would have liked a few things cleared up.

I would have liked a bit more information on The Witch. There is absolutely no backstory for her. I would have liked to have known a bit more with that. Presumably she was hung as a witch but how did the doll end up where it did? Was it in the same place? It's hard to say and with the Witch having an obvious French accent I think those parts should have been explained more. Even if it's just through the trusty "ye olde journal" source. All in all I did enjoy it. Enough to want to watch it again and possibly buy it to keep.

Disclaimer: Received from October Coast for review consideration. This in no way affects our reviews.

A large part of me actually wanted to enjoy 'Curse of the Witch's Doll'. The idea for the story was so intriguing, it looked pretty creepy with a very unnerving-looking doll and the cover, while suggestive of the film being derivative of 'Annabelle', was good-looking.

'Curse of the Witch's Doll' was not a terrible film and had its moments and good things. Another good thing is that despite any fears it is not a carbon copy or rip-off of 'Annabelle', despite its deceptive advertising indicating this. Those moments and good things conversely were too few, and not enough to save the film from not doing anywhere near enough with its concept. A shame because there was a decent film in 'Curse of the Witch's Doll'.

Some of the first half actually was pretty good. There are unsettling moments, and a real creepiness and suspense. The doll agreed is genuinely eerie as is the music score.

Moreover, 'Curse of the Witch's Doll' has a slick, atmospheric and unsettling visual look. The acting is better than average generally.

There are issues with the pace though. Creepiness and suspense don't come consistently in the first half, there are dull stretches and it does take a little too long to get going. The characters are sketchy in development, and there is very little interesting or explored with the witch's character or back-story.

Do have to agree that 'Curse of the Witch's Doll' falls apart in the second half, where the creepiness and suspense is minimised further and things get duller, weirder and sometimes plain silly. The ending is one rushed and incomplete anti-climax, where it doesn't really end or resolve much needed questions leaving things hanging in the air.

Overall, lacklustre and doesn't do enough with the promise that it had. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Yes another Robert the doll type movie with bad acting this one has three stories that should come together but fails to do so

Curse Of The Witch's Doll is an odd film, it's set across three generations and arguably tells three connected stories. Trouble is they aren't connected in an interesting way and none of them are even remotely enjoyable.

We see a woman during the 1940's fleeing the bombings with her daughter, a psychologist with a horrifying secret and your usual ghost hunters investigating an abandoned asylum.

The one thing I will say is that the doll in question is genuinely scary, that thing is deeply disturbing which begs the question why they use a different one on the front cover.

It's about half way through when it all falls apart, you can pinpoint the exact moment. Don't get me wrong it wasn't going anywhere special anyway, but it was at least heading for something generic instead of the mess it wound up as.

Curse Of The Witch's Doll is notable only for the doll itself, nothing else is memorable or entertaining.

The Good:

That doll is horrifying

The Bad:

Cover art is deceptive

Falls apart irreparably

Poorly constructed

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

We need a spinoff from this with that doll, made by different people who know what they're doing.

This is the type of movie you get when on a limited budget. Not much horror for a horror movie, but more of a slow burner thriller. It is watchable and the 3 different time periods worked o.k. Acting was decent enough considering the budget restraints they had to pay them with. I'd say give it a shot, just keep in mind this isn't Annabelle.