Dolls (1987 film)
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''Dolls'' is a 1987 American
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
directed by
Stuart Gordon Stuart Alan Gordon (August 11, 1947 – March 24, 2020) was an American filmmaker, theatre director, screenwriter, and playwright. Initially recognized for his provocative and frequently controversial work in experimental theatre, Gordon is perh ...
, written by
Ed Naha Ed Naha (born June 10, 1950) is an American science fiction and mystery writer and producer. His first known publication was artwork that appeared in the first issue of ''Modern Monsters'' magazine, dated June 1966. Education and early career ...
, and starring Stephen Lee,
Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British actor. Career Rolfe was born in Kilburn, London. Before turning to acting at the age of 24 he was a professional boxer and racing driver, making his stage ...
,
Hilary Mason Hilary Lavender Mason (4 September 1917 – 5 September 2006) was an English character actress who appeared in a wide variety of roles, mainly on UK television. Mason was born in Birmingham and trained at the London School of Dramatic Art ...
, Ian Patrick Williams, and
Bunty Bailey Therese "Bunty" Bailey (born 23 May 1964) is an English former model, dancer and actress. Bunty started her career as a dancer in the dance group '' Hot Gossip'' in the early 1980s. She became known as the girl in the music videos of a-ha's singl ...
. Its plot follows six people who seek shelter during a storm in the mansion of an elderly puppetmaker and his wife, only to find that the various puppets and dolls in the home contain the imprisoned spirits of criminals. It was produced by
Charles Band Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies. Career Band entered film production in the 1970s with Charles Band Productions. Dissatisfied with distributo ...
and
Brian Yuzna Brian Yuzna is an American producer, director, and writer. He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror film genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as ''Re-Animator'' (1 ...
through Band's
Empire Pictures Empire International Pictures (aka Empire Entertainment) was an American small-scale theatrical distribution company. Charles Band formed Empire in 1983, prompted by his dissatisfaction with distributors' handling of films made by his previous b ...
. The film grossed $3.5 million worldwide against a budget of $2 million and received mixed reviews from critics.


Plot

A violent thunderstorm strands young Judy, her father David, and her stepmother Rosemary in the English countryside. Seeking shelter, the trio break into a nearby mansion, where they meet the owners, a kindly older couple named Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke. Learning that Judy has "''lost''" her beloved stuffed bear Teddy (in fact, the cruel Rosemary threw Teddy into the bushes), Gabriel gives Judy a doll named Mr. Punch. Three more people arrive at the mansion, also seeking shelter from the storm: Good-natured American businessman Ralph and English hitchhikers Isabel and Enid. Gabriel invites them all to stay the night. Judy soon discovers that the mansion is full of beautifully detailed
toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
s and
doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
s like Mr. Punch; Gabriel explains that he and his wife are toy makers. Judy and Ralph are both overjoyed, and the latter is something of a child at heart who has never given up his love and fondness of toys. Isabel and Enid are actually petty thieves who hitchhiked with Ralph intending to pick his pocket. That night, Isabel sneaks out of her room to rob the mansion. Instead, she is brutally attacked by dolls who caught her in the midst of her thievery who then drag her into the darkness. Judy, in the hallway, briefly sees the attack and she rushes to tell her father David. However, David is a neglectful and uncaring father; both he and Rosemary accuse Judy of making up stories. Instead, Judy convinces Ralph to check out the hallway with her. Ralph is initially very skeptical, but he eventually begins believing Judy after her Mr. Punch doll briefly speaks to them. Rosemary is later attacked by the dolls; in the midst of escaping them, she ends up accidentally overleaping out of a window to her death. Enid searches for Isabel and finds her almost entirely transformed into a doll version of herself. A horde of toys attack and kill Enid as she attempts to escape. Meanwhile, Ralph gets accidentally caught in a trap the dolls set for the other adults before Judy convinces them to save him; because he is her friend and has done nothing wrong. David discovers Rosemary's dead body placed in his bed and believes that Ralph killed her. Now safe from the dolls, Judy and Ralph enter the workshop where the irate David finds them. Ralph tries to explain that the dolls attacked the others for their actions, but David refuses to listen, knocking both his daughter and Ralph unconscious in his rage. Then, Mr. Punch comes to life and attacks David. Other dolls intervene, dragging the unconscious Ralph and Judy away to safety as Mr. Punch is destroyed by David after a fierce struggle. The Hartwickes appear and explain that they are a magician couple who see toys as the heart and soul of childhood. Gabriel and Hilary dislike the bitterness of adults, and when people seek shelter at their mansion, the dolls serve as a test for the visitors. People like Ralph (who appreciate the joy of childhood) and children like Judy are spared and leave the house with a fuller appreciation of life. However, those who refuse to change their ways (like David, Rosemary, Enid, and Isabel) can never leave and have to start all over and play a new role in the world as toys forever. As the Hartwickes explain this, the incredulous yet insane and threatening David is slowly (and agonizingly) transformed into a doll to replace Mr. Punch. The next morning, the Hartwickes convince the reawakened Ralph and Judy that the night's events were just a dream. Gabriel reads a fake letter from David explaining to Judy that he and Rosemary are changing their names and leaving the country with Enid and Isabel. Judy will be able to stay permanently with her caring mother in Boston and that "''David''" has left Judy and Ralph enough money to buy plane tickets to
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. Ralph and Judy leave the house, and as they drive away, Judy hints to him that if he would like to stay with her and her mother, he could be Judy's new father. Ralph seems interested in the idea. The film ends with dolls of David, Rosemary, Enid, and Isabel sitting on a shelf while outside another car with a set of obnoxious parents gets stuck in mud near the mansion.


Cast


Production

Director
Stuart Gordon Stuart Alan Gordon (August 11, 1947 – March 24, 2020) was an American filmmaker, theatre director, screenwriter, and playwright. Initially recognized for his provocative and frequently controversial work in experimental theatre, Gordon is perh ...
came across
Ed Naha Ed Naha (born June 10, 1950) is an American science fiction and mystery writer and producer. His first known publication was artwork that appeared in the first issue of ''Modern Monsters'' magazine, dated June 1966. Education and early career ...
's script for ''Dolls'' at
Empire Pictures Empire International Pictures (aka Empire Entertainment) was an American small-scale theatrical distribution company. Charles Band formed Empire in 1983, prompted by his dissatisfaction with distributors' handling of films made by his previous b ...
and became interested in directing it. Inspired by the book ''
The Uses of Enchantment ''The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales'' is a 1976 book by Bruno Bettelheim, in which the author analyzes fairy tales in terms of Freudian psychoanalysis. The book has been a subject of controversy regarding possibl ...
'' by
Bruno Bettelheim Bruno Bettelheim (August 28, 1903 – March 13, 1990) was an Austrian-born psychologist, scholar, public intellectual and writer who spent most of his academic and clinical career in the United States. An early writer on autism, Bettelheim's wo ...
, Gordon conceived the film as horror
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
in the vein of "
Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hansel ...
". ''Dolls'' extensively uses
stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
animation by David W. Allen.


Reception

''Dolls'' received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 60%, based on reviews from 15 critics. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 55%, based on reviews from five critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
's review of the film was mostly negative, commenting that ''Dolls'' lacks the energy and unapologetic excess of Stuart Gordon's two previous films. He also opined that dolls are intrinsically not frightening due to their cute appearance, writing, "The haunted house looks magnificent, but so what, if it's not haunted by great and frightening creatures? At some point ''Dolls'' remains only an idea, a concept. It doesn't become an engine to shock and involve us." He gave it two out of four stars. 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." 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". ''
Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
''s review of the film was mildly favorable, calling it "a serious-minded, lovingly-crafted modern fairy tale that only misses classic status by a few clumsy, low-budget moments."


Home media

''Dolls'' was released to DVD by
MGM Home Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC (d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. History 1 ...
on September 20, 2005, as a Region 1 widescreen DVD and by the Scream Factory division of Shout! Factory (under license from MGM) on November 11, 2014, as a Region A widescreen Blu-ray.


Cancelled sequel

Stuart Gordon Stuart Alan Gordon (August 11, 1947 – March 24, 2020) was an American filmmaker, theatre director, screenwriter, and playwright. Initially recognized for his provocative and frequently controversial work in experimental theatre, Gordon is perh ...
was, at one point, interested in directing a sequel to this film. The initial story would have followed Judy and Ralph back to Boston in which Ralph would have married Judy's mother and they would become a family. One day Judy would receive a box sent from England that contained the toy makers, Gabriel and Hilary, as dolls. The sequel never entered production.


See also

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Killer Toys Killer toys are fictional characters based on toys, dolls or puppets that come alive and commit violent or scary acts. Reasons for these actions have included possession by demons, devils, monsters, ghosts, supernatural creatures, dark magi ...


References


External links

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''Dolls''
at iHorror {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolls (1987 Film) 1987 films 1987 horror films American satirical films American dark fantasy films Empire International Pictures films 1980s English-language films Films about dolls Films directed by Stuart Gordon Films set in country houses Films set in England Films about hitchhiking Films about sentient toys American supernatural horror films Supernatural fantasy films Films about witchcraft Sentient toys in fiction 1980s American films