Playing with Dolls: Havoc

I have had the misfortune to sit through the first two Playing with Dolls movies, in fact I own them on DVD. The first was passable as a gory but poor movie, the second is an absolute abomination. Havoc is an improvement over that but that is hardly a compliment. "The World's most brutal killer" - a cross between slasher faves Jason and Leatherface - is back, creeping around a plush woodland cabin in the snow. The first scene has a guy get hit in the head by a rubber rock, that kind of sets the tone. On the plus side there were a few jump scenes when the maniac strikes, plus there is a lot of graphic gore. Some of the effects combine practical and CGI, they are not great but I have seen far worse. The acting is poor at best, at times abysmal, as is some of the script. Night scenes were filmed in the day. At 78 minutes it felt longer. Totally unremarkable slasher movie but passable as a gore fix. Just!

This right here is the perfect example of what not to do when you make a film. The directing is horrible, the actors look like they were pulled off the street with a "wanna make quick money in a movie?" The women in this movie are there for one reason, to show their boobs so that teen dudes will watch this movie so it can get views. The dudes are there literally just to even the playing field so that the killer kills men and women. If you want to ruin your night, watch this film.

Where do I start? There is so much wrong with this movie. Lack of atmosphere, awful acting, weak soundtrack to start with. It runs for 76 minutes so that should indicate how bad this movie will be. Intro with blonde bimbo with fake breasts was cringeworthy. The only good thing about this is the killer, Havoc, who looks fantastic. I'm struggling to even finish this movie. I'm tempted to paint a wall so I can watch it dry - it'd be more interesting than this movie.

Playing With Dolls (2015) and Playing With Dolls: Bloodlust (2016) were really poor slashers with an interesting premise and amazing looking killer. The latter didn't even have an ending, it just rolled the credits mid fight scene.

Understandably I expected more of the same with this third (And likely final) offering.

Our killer Havoc returns, breaks free from the "Master" and sets about picking up where he left off going after a bunch of innocents in a secluded cabin.

I get the impression that the creators had a bigger budget to play with, either that or they'd gone to film school and mastered the art.

Havoc is a surprisingly good slasher flick and one I'd actually recommend to fans of the genre. I would perhaps suggest they skip straight to it and dismiss the first two.

Richard Tyson does not return which I found strange, maybe the budget was higher because they didn't need to pay for his star power? Either way I was impressed. Great kills, looks solid and the execution is impressive. I'd like to see the franchise continue if they maintain this quality.

The Good:

Killer still looks awesome

Story is vastly improved

Kills are great, much better than before

Nicole Stark is a decent lead

The Bad:

Quite misandric

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

A chainsaw to the balls looks fairly uncomfortable