Dolls (1987)

"Toys are loyal." - Gabriel

A family on vacation meet a haunted collection of dolls.
Starring: Carrie Lorraine, Stephen Lee, Ian Patrick Williams, and Guy Rolfe

Link to IMDB

We're introduced to Judy Bower, an imaginative young girl on holiday with her father and stepmother, both of whom are rather cruel idiots that dislike spending time with her. While driving through the countryside a violent storm pushes their car off the road, and the trio are forced to seek shelter at a nearby mansion.
The mansion is owned by a friendly old couple, Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke, and they welcome the Bowers in for the night. Gabriel is a doll maker, and all the dolls scattered around the house thrill Judy's young imagination.

More guests arrive from out of the rain, two crude punker girls and a bashful man named Ralph. Judy and Ralph are the only guests that aren't insufferable fools and they quickly become friends, bonding over their interest in Gabriel's fascinating toys.
From atop their shelves, all the dolls seem to be watching as everyone settles in for bed.


Considering the premise of the movie is incredibly obvious, they sure do take their time getting to the good stuff. It takes 40 minutes before anything weird happens. Eventually, the movie springs into action when the killer dolls are confirmed! And it's freaking awesome!
Using clever puppetry and stop-animation, the dolls come to life and viciously attack the ungrateful house guests. Gabriel pretends nothing wrong is happening, but he has a plan for his victims that is truly creepy.

Gabriel

Ralph

Since this is directed by Stuart Gordon, I was hoping for a much darker and gruesome movie, but instead it's mostly light-hearted fun. There are some creepy moments and a touch of R rated gore, but it never stops being a cuddly comedy that almost feels like a Disney movie if not for the violence. Instead of twisted horror, we are force-fed a moral about the importance of remaining young at heart.

I'm not really sure who the target audience was supposed to be, but I can't imagine anyone besides children accepting the ending as anything other than fairy tale laziness. It is a fun and clever movie, but far too saccharine for my tastes.

Be sure not to miss:
- Bear shrug.

Internet review:
"Top notch effects, but pretty average everywhere else." - EZ Mac

Should I watch it?
Worth a watch, if you're looking for a goofy movie.

Where can I find it?
Links here.

Dolls gets...