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Late to the Party: ‘Dolls’ (1987)

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Welcome back to another weekly edition of Late to the Party, the review series that pits iHorror writers against the cult classics and fan favorites we somehow haven’t seen. This week’s film is 1987’s “Dolls,” directed by Stuard Gordon, produced by Charles Band and Brian Yuzna, and written by Ed Naha.

If you’re like me and your earliest memories of horror fandom are from perusing the cover art in your local video rental store, then you probably remember this one:

Late to the Party: Dolls

Empire Pictures

Despite that amazing cover always sticking out to me, I never actually got around to seeing it until now. I’m particularly ashamed since I’m a big Stuart Gordon fan. Sadly, there’s no Jeffrey Combs here. He could’ve done so much with this wacky script, in a number of different roles.

Welcome to the Dollhouse

For a lean 77 minutes, “Dolls” takes a while to get started. It takes place in the English countryside, but we can only be certain it’s in Britain because everyone drives on the left side. The characters seem split between English and American.

We meet young Judy, her father David and her stepmother Rosemary. David and Rosemary just got married, and they’re spending their honeymoon driving through the country in a Rolls-Royce with Judy in tow. Rosemary is your typical evil stepmother, who considers Judy a burden and wants nothing to do with her. What’s a real surprise is that David doesn’t want her there either, and keeps reminding Rosemary that he only has custody of her for the summer. We learn that Rosemary is rich, so I don’t understand why David doesn’t just pay child support and leave Judy with her mother. Then again, this whole movie feels like it’s told from a child’s point of view. More on that later.

One of the best scenes in the film happens early on, when Rosemary throws Judy’s teddy bear, Teddy, into the bushes during a rainstorm. Teddy comes to life and emerges as a giant stuffed bear with actual teeth and claws, and slaughters Rosemary and David. However, that’s revealed to be Judy’s imagination, unfortunately.

They look for a place to hunker down and wait out the storm, and stumble upon a spooky old mansion inhabited by an elderly couple, Gabriel and Hilary, along with a buttload of dolls. They have no children of their own, but Gabriel is a toymaker who makes creepy dolls while Hilary puts the dolls in a baby carriage and walks them around the house in the middle of the night. Charming!

Late to the Party: Dolls

“I’m having a fucking tea party, what does it look like?”
Empire Pictures

The mansion itself does a lot of the heavy lifting for this film: It’s a gorgeous old house that would be at home in any gothic story. Each room has dozens of dolls, and you notice early on that the dolls eyes move.

Ralph, Enid and Isabel storm the party next. Enid and Isabel are two punk girls who are hoping to rob Ralph, and Ralph is an American tourist who’s hoping to score with one or both of them. Ralph also looks like a budget Sean Astin.

The punk girls seem out of place in this setting, even more so than the American characters. I don’t think they gave any explanation as to what they were doing in the middle of nowhere. Then again, no one really does. We see Isabel and Enid briefly hitchhiking in the opening scene. Then Ralph picked them up, and then his car died near the house.

Everyone ends up staying the night, and it’s only at this point that things start to pick up. It took a lot to bring this diverse cast of characters to this place, and that took me out of the movie more than the killer dolls. It reminded me of “Spookies” from the previous year, which had multiple unrelated groups wandering into an old house for various reasons just to add more fodder for the monsters. However, “Spookies” was one movie awkwardly shoehorned into another after the original creators bailed. I don’t think “Dolls” had the same issues to explain all the questions.

Late to the Party: Dolls

This “Little Rascals” remake is awfully dark.
Empire Pictures

The Valley of the Killer Dolls

The real stars of this film are the dolls. The stop-motion animation works well, and the dolls come off as vicious when they attack our human characters. They bite, they stab and some of them even use little toy guns, with lethal results.

I do have some questions about the dolls themselves, and most of their backstory is left to the viewer’s interpretation. When people fight back, some of the dolls are hollow and shatter easily, while others seem to have little skeletons inside them. It’s not entirely clear why some dolls are different, but one character gets turned into a doll as punishment. Are these humanoid dolls the souls of bad people, trapped in this house for eternity? It’s never really fully explained.

I’d almost classify “Dolls” as a dark fairy tale rather than a straight-up horror. It has a dreamlike quality and its own sense of morality. Children and adults who remember their childhood wonder are spared, while cynical adults are brutally murdered. Do the dolls know the difference? Are Gabriel and Hilary, the kindly old toymakers trapping people here in the bodies of dolls? Probably. What else are you going to do in a big old house in the countryside?

Overall, this film is uneven, and it seems to drag in places despite its short runtime. While it has its faults, but it’s still worth watching if you enjoy creepy dolls, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and dark fantasy. There isn’t a lot of gore, but the few gory scenes are impressive. For a relatively low budget of $2 million, the special effects by John Carl Buechler are impressive.

“Dolls” wasn’t a commercial success, but recently it’s become a cult favorite, thanks in part to a new collector’s edition Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

Watch the trailer here:

Let us know what you thought of “Dolls.”

Stay tuned next week for more Late to the Party, or check out our past reviews here!

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“Mickey Vs. Winnie”: Iconic Childhood Characters Collide in A Terrifying Versus Slasher

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iHorror is diving deep into film production with a chilling new project that’s sure to redefine your childhood memories. We’re thrilled to introduce ‘Mickey vs. Winnie,’ a groundbreaking horror slasher directed by Glenn Douglas Packard. This isn’t just any horror slasher; it’s a visceral showdown between twisted versions of childhood favorites Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh. ‘Mickey vs. Winnie’ brings together the now-public-domain characters from A. A. Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ books and Mickey Mouse from the 1920s ‘Steamboat Willie’ cartoon in a VS battle like never before seen.

Mickey VS Winnie
Mickey VS Winnie Poster

Set in the 1920s, the plot kicks off with a disturbing narrative about two convicts who escape into a cursed forest, only to be swallowed by its dark essence. Fast forward a hundred years, and the story picks up with a group of thrill-seeking friends whose nature getaway goes horribly wrong. They accidentally venture into the same cursed woods, finding themselves face-to-face with the now monstrous versions of Mickey and Winnie. What follows is a night filled with terror, as these beloved characters mutate into horrifying adversaries, unleashing a frenzy of violence and bloodshed.

Glenn Douglas Packard, an Emmy-nominated choreographer turned filmmaker known for his work on “Pitchfork,” brings a unique creative vision to this film. Packard describes “Mickey vs. Winnie” as a tribute to horror fans’ love for iconic crossovers, which often remain just a fantasy due to licensing restrictions. “Our film celebrates the thrill of combining legendary characters in unexpected ways, serving up a nightmarish yet exhilarating cinematic experience,” says Packard.

Produced by Packard and his creative partner Rachel Carter under the Untouchables Entertainment banner, and our very own Anthony Pernicka, founder of iHorror, “Mickey vs. Winnie” promises to deliver an entirely new take on these iconic figures. “Forget what you know about Mickey and Winnie,” Pernicka enthuses. “Our film portrays these characters not as mere masked figures but as transformed, live-action horrors that merge innocence with malevolence. The intense scenes crafted for this movie will change how you see these characters forever.”

Currently underway in Michigan, the production of “Mickey vs. Winnie” is a testament to pushing boundaries, which horror loves to do. As iHorror ventures into producing our own films, we’re excited to share this thrilling, terrifying journey with you, our loyal audience. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to transform the familiar into the frightful in ways you’ve never imagined.

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Mike Flanagan Comes Aboard To Assist in Completion of ‘Shelby Oaks’

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shelby oaks

If you have been following Chris Stuckmann on YouTube you are aware of the struggles he has had getting his horror movie Shelby Oaks finished. But there’s good news about the project today. Director Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Doctor Sleep and The Haunting) is backing the film as a co-executive producer which might bring it much closer to being released. Flanagan is a part of the collective Intrepid Pictures which also includes Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka.

Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks

Stuckmann is a YouTube movie critic who’s been on the platform for over a decade. He came under some scrutiny for announcing on his channel two years ago that he would no longer be reviewing films negatively. However contrary to that statement, he did a non-review essay of the panned Madame Web recently saying, that studios strong-arm directors to make films just for the sake of keeping failing franchises alive. It seemed like a critique disguised as a discussion video.

But Stuckmann has his own movie to worry about. In one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns, he managed to raise over $1 million for his debut feature film Shelby Oaks which now sits in post-production. 

Hopefully, with Flanagan and Intrepid’s help, the road to Shelby Oak’s completion is reaching its end. 

“It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago,” Flanagan told Deadline. “It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”

Stuckmann says Intrepid Pictures has inspired him for years and, “it’s a dream come true to work with Mike and Trevor on my first feature.”

Producer Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Pictures has been working with Stuckmann since the beginning is also excited about the collaboration.

“For a film that had such a hard time getting going, it’s remarkable the doors that then opened to us,” said Koontz. “The success of our Kickstarter followed by the on-going leadership and guidance from Mike, Trevor, and Melinda is beyond anything I could have hoped for.”

Deadline describes the plot of Shelby Oaks as follows:

“A combination of documentary, found footage, and traditional film footage styles, Shelby Oaks centers on Mia’s (Camille Sullivan) frantic search for her sister, Riley, (Sarah Durn) who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her “Paranormal Paranoids” investigative series. As Mia’s obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley’s childhood may have been real.”

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New ‘MaXXXine’ Image is Pure 80s Costume Core

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A24 has unveiled a captivating new image of Mia Goth in her role as the titular character in “MaXXXine”. This release comes approximately a year and a half after the previous installment in Ti West’s expansive horror saga, which covers more than seven decades.

MaXXXine Official Trailer

His latest continues the story arc of freckle-faced aspiring starlet Maxine Minx from the first film X which took place in Texas in 1979. With stars in her eyes and blood on her hands, Maxine moves into a new decade and a new city, Hollywood, in pursuit of an acting career, “But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.”

The photo below is the latest snapshot released from the film and shows Maxine in full Thunderdome drag amid a crowd of teased hair and rebellious 80s fashion.

MaXXXine is set to open in theaters on July 5.

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