Dolls (1987 film)

For the 2002 Japanese film, see Dolls (film).

Dolls
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stuart Gordon
Produced by	Charles Band, Brian Yuzna
Written by	Ed Naha
Starring	Stephen Lee Guy Rolfe Hilary Mason Ian Patrick Williams Carolyn Purdy Gordon Cassie Stuart Bunty Bailey introducing Carrie Lorraine
Music by	Fuzzbee Morse Victor Spiegel
Cinematography	Mac Ahlberg
Editing by	Lee Percy
Distributed by	Empire Pictures
Release date(s)	March 1987
Running time	77 min
Country	USA
Language	English

Dolls is a horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, shot in Italy in 1985 and released in 1987.

Plot summary

A violent thunderstorm strands six people in the gothic English countryside including Judy, who's traveling with her thuggish father and her cold, self-centered, stepmother. They are accompanied by a kind, modest, and mild-mannered businessman Ralph, who has picked up two hitchhikers, both British punk rock girls. They all wind up at a mansion inhabited by Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke, charming elderly people who appear to be toy makers; their house literally abounds with dolls, puppets, and other beautifully detailed toys.

One by one, the overnight guests are attacked by dolls who turn out to be cursed, immoral people that have been killed and imprisoned in toys to pay for their crimes by the owners of the house, who are actually witches. Judy's father and stepmother end up being punished by the dolls for their lack of love towards their daughter (the stepmother ends up being tortured by the toys before leaping to her death out of the window into a mutilating mess while the father was transformed into a doll to replace the one he destroyed in self-defense for attacking him), while the two female punks are also punished for trying to steal antiques from the house. One of the punks is brutally beaten by the dolls, smashing her into the bottom of the wall before dragging her into the attic to become one of them, the other is killed by a group of toy soldiers. However, since the dolls like those who are pure at heart (like Judy) or young at heart (like Ralph), they are spared, although Ralph was almost also killed by the dolls for trying to prove the dolls are not alive out of fear, but was saved by Judy's pleading for his life.

The movie ends with Ralph and Judy, who were knocked out by Judy's father during a brawl at the climax of the movie, leaving the house together after being bid farewell by Gabriel and Hilary, who even invite them to come back whenever they want, knowing they show respect to the childhood world and its mysteries. As they both drive away from the mansion, another car with another family with a set of obnoxious parents suddenly arrives and their car breaks down, seemingly stuck in the mud, yards from the mansion.

Cast

• Ian Patrick Williams as David Bower
• Carolyn Purdy Gordon as Rosemary Bower
• Carrie Lorraine as Judy Bower
• Guy Rolfe as Gabriel Hartwicke
• Hilary Mason as Hilary Hartwicke
• Bunty Bailey as Isabel
• Cassie Stuart as Enid
• Stephen Lee as Ralph Morris

Sequel

• Stuart Gordon was, at one point, very interested in directing a sequel to this film. The initial storyline would have followed Judy and Ralph back to Boston in which Ralph would have indeed married Judy's mother and they would all become a family. Until, one day Judy would receive a box sent from England which would contain the toy makers, Gabriel and Hilary, as dolls.

Reception

Critical reception for Dolls has been positive, with the movie holding a 71% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Ain't It Cool News reviewed the DVD, calling it "a movie that really stands above the type of film you might expect from this era, with this subject matter." Roger Ebert panned the film, writing "At some point Dolls remains only an idea, a concept. It doesn't become an engine to shock and involve us." HorrorNews.net's Jeff Colebank listed the toymaking couple as one of the "13 Best Horror Movie Couples", stating that Rolfe was "the creepiest toymaker of them all".

External links

• Dolls at the Internet Movie Database
• Dolls at AllRovi
• Dolls at Rotten Tomatoes