Blood Dolls

This movie has and is far more fun than anyone has any right to expect. It doesn't follow any set formula and just does its own thing. None of it really makes sense or has context, but at no point does it try to be anything serious.

This is what schlocky cinema should be, you'll never be taken seriously as a real movie so why not have some fun with it?! Have a protagonist with a shrunken head, have a feminist rock band in an electrified cage, have offensively stereotypical murder dolls and acknowledge that this is purposeful in the first five minutes of the movie!

All of these things appear and more, it is a bit of schlocky fluff, but it knows what it is and uses its lack of rules to make something fun and strange, give it a watch!

With BLOOD DOLLS, Director Charles Band has done it again! Another triumph for FULL MOON productions! Eccentric, masked billionaire, Virgil Travis (Jack Maturin) loses big money, and must have revenge against those who've tried to destroy him and his empire.

Aided by his trusted servant / henchman / spiritual advisor, Mr. Mascaro (William Paul Burns in a three-piece suit and full clown makeup), he sends a trio of his latest creations to deal with his rivals.

Uh oh!

Virgil never counted on the brilliant dominatrix, Moira (Debra Mayer) getting involved! Can twisted love win out against her plans for world dominion?

This movie offers non-stop lunacy, a caged, all-girl rock band, an eeevil dwarf (Phil Fondacaro), gore, BDSM, mad science, a drill murder, and a novel use of piano wire! For those looking for something VERY different...

Well, granted, as I sat down in 2021 to watch the 1999 movie "Blood Dolls" from Full Moon Entertainment, I pretty much had an idea of what I was in for here, as I have seen most of the movies in the "Puppet Master" series.

And true enough, the 1999 "Blood Dolls" definitely was fitting right into that particular genre. So if you enjoyed the "Puppet Master" movies, then you will also enjoy "Blood Dolls".

The storyline in "Blood Dolls" was entertaining enough. It wasn't exactly rocket science here and it was a pretty straight forward storyline that really didn't offer much of any surprises or ups and downs along the way really. And that was something that essentially made the movie seem mediocre.

The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the type of movie that it is. It was fun to watch Naomi McClure in the movie, just a shame that she didn't have a bigger role though.

Visually then "Blood Dolls" is definitely fun to watch. Sure, the effects are not ones that have aged gracefully, but they are still watchable today, 22 years later. Sure, it is not special effects that will knock you backwards, but they were adequate enough, albeit a bit wobbly.

If you are expecting a proper horror movie when you sit down to watch something like "Blood Dolls", then you are in for somewhat of a surprise. While listed as a horror comedy, the elements of both these genres are few and far in between.

For better or worse, then this 1999 movie is an archetypical Charles Band movie. Trust me; once you've seen one of the "Puppet Master" movies you will know what "Blood Dolls" is going to be like.

My rating of Charles Band's "Blood Dolls" lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.

Entertaining low budget freaky film where the protagonist Virgil is an eccentric freak with a head the size of an avocado.

Virgil is biological inventor and his latest creations are the BLOOD DOLLS, who he uses to kill his enemies! There's a 'little person' for a butler. Four leather-clad rock and roll girls-in-a-cage that play on Virgils command.

William Paul Burns as Mr. Mascaro leaves a lasting impression, Phil Fondacaro is on his usual underrated fine form as Hylas, however, the stars of the show are the dolls themselves created by the late Mark Williams. The movie has B written all over it, it's like a rehash of Charles Band's own 80's killer puppet movie Puppet Master (1989).

There'some flamboyant acting, good doll designs and imaginative special effects. If you like B movies and killer dolls with hearts, it's not terrific, but it's fun and does rate outlandish cult status.

Though they are the title characters, the Blood Dolls are, surprisingly, not the film's main focus. As the film continues, it turns from a simple killer doll film to a twisted romance. The transition is smooth, and adds a sense of freshness to the story; there are even two endings, one for the romantically inclined and another, more typical ending. The plot innovations are believable because of Maturin's great facial expressions and delivery during his interactions with other characters. Unfortunately, the practical effects budget barred Maturin from being in any shots other than close-ups; a well-used puppet head (it's not totally apparent, and is used sparingly from careful angles to prevent it from becoming so) takes his place in a couple shots. Like many Full Moon releases, CG-effects were ditched in favor of practical effects, and though they worked well for Virgil and the rest of the film, the Blood Dolls are not as animated as their fellow killer-puppets in the Puppet Master series; they look fantastic but move more stiffly. Perhaps this is partially why Band made this film more story-oriented than death-oriented.

Though not all professional musicians, an original idea was for the actresses playing Virgil's band-in-a-cage to record a soundtrack CD and go on tour after the film's release as The Blood Dolls. This was scrapped, but the majority of the movie's soundtrack is provided by the band (along with a music video on the DVD), is quite good (it could certainly fit in with some o