Dolls : Les Poupées

It isn't super great mind you, but it is rather interesting from what I remember. A group of people stranded in a rain storm come upon a house and seek refuge there. Like many other movies that have this premise, things are a bit odd, as the house is the home of a man and his wife who are very avid doll makers. You can see where this is going, this is a killer doll story sort of like "The Puppet Master" and "Demonic Toys" only this one is better than those. Though it still has humor in it like those two as well. Still though it is an okay horror movie and it does have one memorable scene that was rather funny...the one where the little girl imagines her stuffed bear getting big and killing her step parents (I don't remember if either parent was her natural one). Also stuck in the house some guy and a couple of hitchhikers (at least I think there was two). As you can tell it has been awhile since I saw it. I do remember it ended okay. Like I said nothing to great, but worth checking out.

Under-appreciated gem from director Stuart Gordon and screenwriter Ed Naha, who in a previous incarnation wrote film review books such as 'Horrors - From Screen To Scream'. Ed may have learned a thing or two from the turkeys he encountered in his reviewing days because his script for "Dolls" is rich in homage and character. The film borrows its structure from "The Old Dark House" and realizes its ambitions with a cast and crew of highly talented individuals.

Gordon, who directed the entertaining "Re-animator" and perverse "From Beyond" brings a deliciously eerie and playful tone to this novel story of a group of adults who are sentenced to death for losing the child-like aspects of their personalities. The "dolls" of the title are the executioners and they love their bloody work, which is depicted in fine, crimson detail.

The special effects sequences featuring the dolls are realized with stop motion animation and puppetry. For the most part, they are extraordinarily convincing. A scene in which various doll characters huddle together to discreetly discuss the fate of a human character is priceless.

Mac Ahlberg's cinematography is moody and beautiful, perfectly capturing a toyland ambiance within a house of horror; and Lee Percy, who cut the Americanization of the "Baby Cart" films, "Shogun Assassin", delivers another tight, intuitive piece of work here.

Hats must come off to Gordon for the casting of Mr. Sardonicus himself, Guy Rolfe, as Gabriel Hartwicke, the eccentric, twisted toymaker and owner of the film's pivotal location where the nasty events transpire.

Producer Charles Band has made dozens of horror films, but none are as classy as the three above that he made with the talented Stuart Gordon.

It's barely 70 minutes with a wafer thin story but there are some genuinely creepy moments, a bit of good gore, and a kind of fairly tale weirdness to it that all work well. Simple but effective.

Title: Dolls (1987)

Director: Stuart Gordon

Cast: Carolyne Purdy Gordon, Guy Rolfe, Hilary Mason, Stephen Lee and Carrie Lorraine

Review:

Stuart Gordon. The name is synonymous with gruesome acts of myrth, gore, violence and other on screen mayhem. Normally his films are loaded with buckets of blood and gore, yet somehow in the middle of all the gory mayhem he manages to maintain a nice level of drama and character development. Here he decided (along with writer Ed Naha) to go a different rout. Something more along the lines of a fairytale.

The story is about these two rich snobs who go on vacation with their daughter. Along the road they are encountered by a storm that makes their car sink in the mud. So they decide to try and see if they could stay for the night at a nearby old mansion that they see from the road. A few minutes later three other people wonder into the house, Ralph a man who is a child at heart and the two punk rock girls who he gave a lift to. Unbeknownst to them, this is a spooky old mansion that has dolls that come to life. And kill.

Dolls came out around the time in which killer doll movies were extremely hot. Dolls appeared in 1987, one whole year before Childs Play did in 1988. After that in 1989 the Puppet Master series from Full Moon began. Dolls is a worthy addition to this list of killer doll movies because even though it is a low budget production, it doesn't feel like it. Gordon somehow managed to make the film look more expensive then it really was. So kudos for that to Gordon.

Right off the bat this movie got some things right. First off we get a real nice setting, perfect for this sort of horror film. We get a nice storm that never stops. We get the thunder and the lightning through out 90% of the film and we get a huge mansion with dark hallways filled with antiques. To top all that we also get two kooky and weird old folks who are the owners of the mansion and also happen to be doll makers. So as you can see, we get a nice setting for a spooky old fashion film, which in my opinion Dolls is. An old fashion dark fairy tale.

Thats one of the things I liked about this movie. How it emphasized the fact that it was a fairy tale. At one point the old man starts talking about magical nights that go on forever and never stop. That whole conversation right there kind of like gets you in the mood. You know your in for a spooky old time. Since the movie is about toys that come to like and kill, well its only fitting that we see most of the film through the eyes of Judy, the little girl. And since its told from her point of view, its only fitting that the movie is told in the fairy tale atmosphere that I've been talking about.

What we have here is a nice movie to get your little brothers, cousins, nephews etc. all scared with. Id put in the same category as films like Monster Squad, Invaders from Mars, Troll and The Gate. You know, kiddie horror. And that doesn't lessen to the coolness of the movie for me. Since it does manage to be a creepy flick in spite of its child like atmosphere. In fact the movie does manage to squeeze in a gory scene or two in there, just so you don't forget that this is a Stuart Gordon film you are watching.

The special effects are pretty good. Its a mixture between stop motion animation (like the one seen on the Puppet Master movies) and the use of puppets. I think it was very well achieved for a low budget horror flick. The dolls end up looking really creepy, specially in one scene where they all suddenly come to life and turn their heads. That scene was priceless for me.

All in all, this isn't the type of film you'd normally expect from Gordon since it does have a certain innocent charm to it. Its sort of a big departure from his previous films like Re-animator and From Beyond. Those films were drenched in blood and gore. Dolls is not as gory or violent but its creepiness still makes it quite effective. Good thing it is finally out on DVD with a couple of cool extras like a commentary with Stuart Gordon and storyboard to film comparisons. Now if they only released Stuart Gordons other lost film From Beyond (wich I hear MGM is getting ready to release) I could die happy.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Wow, I remember watching this movie as a kid...it has to be one of my all time favorites. If you're looking for a great scary-doll movie, before the whole "Chucky" thing came about, this is for you. It's fun with great effects (for the time mind you) and blends together the right amount of gore and laughs...a must see in my book!