Such a frustrating disappointment

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Any good horror fan of the eighties would have heard of the film production company "Empire International" which specialized in low budget horror films mostly containing little devils, demons, monsters and as this movie states dolls. "Dolls" however, is not your average slasher horror film like "Child's Play". It has elements of family love and respect interwoven throughout the movie in much the same way as a Grimm's Fairy Tale (to bluntly put it "a moral"). The films starts as a young girl, her father and step mother become stranded in the middle of a forest during a storm. They seek shelter in an old, spooky house which is owned by an elderly couple who have a mass collection of dolls. They are later joined by three other people who have also been taken by surprise by the storm. When the people tuck in for the night, the dolls start to come alive and only a certain few will survive the night.I thought this a pretty entertaining film, one that plays out like a fairy tale, complete with a moral element (never lose touch with your inner child). There are a few gruesome parts within the movie (the teddy bear mauling sequence in the beginning for one), but there was a lot less gore than I would have expected, especially from a Stuart Gordon production. The aspects I really appreciated were the creepy sequences, of which there were a few, including the old woman with the baby carriage, Isabel in the attic, and the dolls, especially their facial expressions... at certain points in the movie we'd see dolls sitting on a shelf, motionless, that is until their eyes move, along with displaying a sinister grin. I didn't feel the film was soaked in atmosphere, but there was definitely an effort, one that pays off if given a chance. One element that stands this movie apart from others featuring killer dolls is there's not much focus given to any particular doll, the exception being perhaps the 'Punch' doll. There are hundreds of dolls in the house, and all seem to be of the same mind, driven by the same force.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

I just can't give this film a higher rating on its horror, because it wasn't scary. The comedic side though, it was so funny the entire way through that I just had to give it a 7/10.Judy is an imaginative little girl whose snobby, lazy step-mom and neglectful piggy dad take a trip with her to rural England. When their car breaks down, they have to spend the night in a creepy old house with two elderly old crones who build millions of dolls for no apparent reason. Two teenage punk rockers, a Goth and a girl who looks like a hippie Miley Cyrus, along with a kind and friendly trucker named Ralph, join the party, and pretty soon it is obvious who the antagonists are. Ralph is suspected by the dad of being a pervert, although he certainly isn't, and Rosemary, the step-mom, claims that the old man who owns the place is a sex fiend. Soon Judy and Ralph are left to find out what's going on, and to escape the house of the killer dolls.Dolls is a halfway decent movie, the dolls themselves are pretty creepy, but to the point where it was obviously intended. The soundtrack was pretty good, as was the acting, although the film was a little cheesy with all the stuff about elves and faeries. It's definitely not a bad movie, but not one of my favorites.

I've been watching 'Dolls' every few years since I first saw it near its original release in the eighties. It's fair to say that it's a classic (for what it is). That doesn't mean that everything about it is perfect, but it does do the job if you're looking for something short, sweet and pretty scary.As a guy, I've – obviously! – had very little interest in children's (or should I say girls'?) dolls. I always did find their blank, staring expressions, their perfectly-powered rosy cheeks and their overly-chiselled cheekbones a little unsettling. Perhaps that makes me the perfect demographic to get the most out of this film? Basically, during one of those types of storms you only really get in horror movies, various strangers all seek refuge in one of those creepy old mansions in the middle of nowhere (that also always seem to turn up in horror movies). There, they encounter more than they bargain for when they meet the occupants. And I'm not talking about the softly-spoken, perfectly polite old English couple who live there. It's their murderous 'creations' who cause the problems. And guess what they create? (Clue: there's a hint in the title) So, what you're left with is a quite a short film that charts the survival of the humans as they taken on a whole swarm of Barbie's evil cousins. If you like the sound of that, you'll probably enjoy it. As I mentioned, it's not perfect. Some of the actors' performances are pretty atrocious and others seem to try and over-act as if to compensate.But we don't really watch horror films for great acting performances, do we? It's the dolls who steal the show. And they do it well, even without any formal acting lessons behind them. The gore flows nicely, as you'd expect from an eighties B-movie and everything rolls along nicely.Special mention to the human 'villains,' who, despite creating hordes of evil, murderous dolls, seem to be strangely likable – a rarity in any film, let alone a horror film.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

A group of strangers take shelter from a storm in an old house only to find themselves hunted down by a collection of dolls, from old-fashioned china dolls and porcelain dolls to dolls that talk and move.Written by Ed Naha 1987's Stuart Gordon's Dolls remains creepy and scary and is certainly not for viewers with a pediophobia. Fuzzbee Morse's great score is atmospherically fitting with its melodic cues and stings there's also a touch of 80s synthesiser thrown in.The set design and locations set up the eeriness from the outset. Mac Ahlberg's cinematography coupled with Gordon's old school camera tricks and some fantastic blood, gore and practical special effects from an array of craft masters sell the horror. Watching the unsavoury characters getting picked off one by one, meeting their demise is horror fun throughout.Choppy continuity and a spate of dodgy acting aside Gordon's offering for the most part is excellent. The tone is more oppressive than that of Charles Band's PuppetMaster (who was also one of the producers on Dolls) and those familiar with Brian Yuzna's horror work will notice his producer touch on the production.Even though some optical effects and Dave Allen's stop motion has dated slightly they still add an uneasy air to the proceedings. The death scenes are effective and credit to the special effects team when it's revealed what's under the dolls it's enough to send shivers up and down the spine.Amongst the dark corridors, antique furnishings, storms and lightening there's a handful of standout scenes, Hillary Hartwicke with a pram; killer toy solider death squad; Teddy bear attack to name a few. Aside from Mr. Punch and Teddy the dolls act as more of a collective.With some dark humour perfectly cast Hilary Mason's (no stranger horror roles including Don't Look Now and The Haunted) timing and subtle delivery as the old woman Hartwicke is outstanding. Carrie Lorraine's Judy, an imaginative little girl is very effective. Stephen Lee's (Robocop 2) innocent Ralph fits the part in contrast to Guy Rolfe spooky character(who would later play Toulon in Puppet Master 3 to name a few) is on fine form.A recommended moralistic adult fairytale highlighting that being a parent is a privilege not a right.