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!

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.

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.

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

Becoming lost in the wilderness, a stranded woman finds shelter at a remote mountain lodge where a group preparing for the owners' arrival take her in, only to find themselves beset by a ravenous, psychotic serial killer who escaped from a local voyeur and try to get out of the situation alive.

This here proved to be quite the enjoyable and exciting slasher. Much like the other entries where it improves with each effort, this one offers a strong improvement over the previous entries. Most of that is the fact that this one decides to improve the atmosphere of the settings that really ramps up the suspense featured in the scenes. The opening ambush in the underground mines is a fantastic, chilling opening with the killer not only stalking the performer in the game but the team trying to keep him in line as he escapes in a daring fashion setting up the rest of the film. This sets up the tone rather nicely by moving onto the main action of the film with the attacks on the cabin, including the ambush in the garage where he picks on the helper attempting to prepare a vehicle to leave, the first few surprise attacks in the cabin where he appears in some quite frantic and chilling scenes while the main battle in the house where the two survivors engage in some fine stalking and battling throughout the house. The finale outdoors in the snow is just as enjoyable with the continuous cat-and-mouse games and escape attempts that take place here which has a really strong driving energy to the whole affair and has some nice action to go along with the blood and gore during the kills. Given the fine house featured for the majority of the film alongside the snowy wilderness and the continuation of the fun generated by the killer, there's quite a lot to like here that holds it up over the few minor flaws featured here. What really seems to undo this one is its lack of overall clarity with what's going on. Hardly anything is explained at all here, from what the purpose of the killer's official reasoning for the rampage in the catacombs, why the decision to remove the original employer at the computer monitors from the occasion and why the whole group is coming up to the cabin in the first place. This is a common problem in the series where it never explains anything and the trend continues here with this one not only leaving these questions unanswered but leaving so many elements changed around from the other entries is a bit of an issue. As well, the moments where it's obvious the low budget comes shining through are what holds this one back, but it's not enough to completely through this one out.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity.