Dolls
Tags: good versus evil, cult, comedy, psychedelic, violence

Plot synopsis:
Jody Bower (Carrie Lorraine) is an imaginative child on holiday with her annoying father, called David Bower (Ian Patrick Williams), a man only worried about the money of his second wife and Jody's stepmother, Rosemary (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon), a wealthy lady who finds Jody annoying. This lady is so mean that she throws Jody's teddy bear into the bushes - Jody imagines her teddy to become a huge real teddy who kills both her father and stepmother. Their car gets stuck close to a countryside house. Nobody answers when they knock the main door, but a storm breaks out, it's dark, they're lost, tired and cold, so they enter the place through a broken door.When the elderly owners of the house, Gabriel Hartwicke (Guy Rolfe) and Hilary Hartwicke (Hilary Mason), startle them. They are kind, they look like an old-fashioned marriage and they prepare dinner.There are three more people who appear that night at the mansion: two hitchhikers, Enid (Cassie Stuart) and Isabel Prange (Bunty Bailey), who are a kind of punk best friends - Isabel has the look of Madonna in her  Who's That Girl? phase - and the childish man who pick them up, a kind young man called Ralph Morris (Stephen Lee). The Hardwickes say that they used to be toy makers. After dinner, they distribute everybody in different bedrooms. Isabel and Enid play loud music in their room, but Ralph is sent to another different room, and Jody is sent to her own room. Hilary gives Jody Mr Punch, a puppet-looking doll. There are weird dolls in every room.Isabel wants to steal the antiquities at the mansion, because Gabriel and Hilary they were old. Isabel is attacked, and bleeds after being pushed against the walls. We never see who the killer is.Jody sees the bloodied body. She tells her parents, but they don't pay any attention to her. She tells Ralph, who dismisses her, until he notices Jody's blood-stained slippers. He goes with Jody to check on Isabel. They don't find the body at first, but when they try to tell Enid, she panics. She blames Ralph, the same as Rosemary and David. David especially accuses Ralph of being a pedophile.Ralph and Jody ran away in separate ways. Rosemary is the next one to be attacked by the dolls. She is killed while she's in bed by tens of dolls who jump onto it and cut her in many places. When David comes back to their room, he tries to get intimate with her. He panics when he realises that he's dead and all bloodied. He blames Ralph. In fact, next opportunity he has, he tries to kill Ralph. All this doesn't mean that David believes Jody or even cares for her - they will punish her if she continues to misbehave.By then, Ralph has realised that the dolls may be the ones killing people. He has even heard Mr Punch speak to him directly. Although he panics at the beginning and he's attacked by the dolls, they accept that he's still a child at heart, so they won't hurt him. As soon as he realises that the dolls won't hurt Jody, he stops destroying the dolls.Meanwhile, Enid is attacked by the alive dolls. She manages to burn many of them, but they are too many, attacking from all directions at once, so she is eventually killed as well.Ralph has become such a friend of the dolls, that he won't use one to defend himself when David attacks him in a rage. David tries to fight him in spite of Jody's cries trying to stop him. Finally, Gabriel and Hilary appear. David says that Hilary is a witch, which Gabriel admits. They say that every visitor to their home is given the opportunity to be friendly to the dolls. If they are kind to the dolls, they won't be hurt at all; but visitors will be killed if they are nasty people. Hilary transforms David into another Mr-Punch-like doll.The Hardwickes tell Ralph and Jody that they are free to go. Jody gives Jody her teddy bear, but Jody decides that it should be left behind, as it would be happier at the Hardwickes', until she and Ralph come back for the following summer holidays. Ralph leaves in his now-running car. From now on, he'll be the one taking care of Jody, as her biological mother doesn't care about her either. Ralph cannot be more eager to leave.As Ralph and Jody leave, some new people have their car stuck in mud. The man who leaves the car to try to solve the situation looks as snobbish and rude as David used to be.-- written by KrystelClaire

Review: Since the movie is about toys that come to like and kill, well its only fitting that we see most of the film through the eyes of Judy, the little girl.
In fact the movie does manage to squeeze in a gory scene or two in there, just so you don't forget that this is a Stuart Gordon film you are watching.The special effects are pretty good.
Distinguished character actor Hilary Mason plays off him well, and the two have a wonderfully morbid benevolence about them; like Gomez and Morticia Adams in their twilight years.Working the other end of the spectrum are Ian Patrick Williams and the always excellent Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as the little girl's abusive and shallow father and "wicked" stepmother.
The Dolls was truly an enjoyable little horror film which never got the recognition it deserved unlike the evil Chucky from the Childs Play movies.
The film borrows its structure from "The Old Dark House" and realizes its ambitions with a cast and crew of highly talented individuals.Gordon, who directed the entertaining "Re-animator" and perverse "From Beyond" brings a deliciously eerie and playful tone to this novel story of a group of adults who are sentenced to death for losing the child-like aspects of their personalities.
A scene in which various doll characters huddle together to discreetly discuss the fate of a human character is priceless.Mac Ahlberg's cinematography is moody and beautiful, perfectly capturing a toyland ambiance within a house of horror; and Lee Percy, who cut the Americanization of the "Baby Cart" films, "Shogun Assassin", delivers another tight, intuitive piece of work here.Hats must come off to Gordon for the casting of Mr. Sardonicus himself, Guy Rolfe, as Gabriel Hartwicke, the eccentric, twisted toymaker and owner of the film's pivotal location where the nasty events transpire.Producer Charles Band has made dozens of horror films, but none are as classy as the three above that he made with the talented Stuart Gordon..
This movie came out in the wake of Stuart Gordon's ground-breaking "Re-Animator." It was pitched as yet another low-budget 80's "pseudo-horror" video-rental, along the lines of the PuppetMaster series; not scary, NOT ground-breaking but generally entertaining.
Remember horror movies that had a "moral code?" Where lots of nasty things happen but ultimately the good guys, the people who demonstrate courage and honor, "win," and those who are rude, unpleasant and nasty, "lose?" You don't see that much anymore, even Gordon's films aren't usually so "moral," for want of a better word.
Along the longest night in the world, the toys get rid off those that are evil persons and only those with pure heart will survive."Dolls" is a highly entertaining horror movie directed by Stuart Gordon.
i first seen this film back in 1988 when i was 12 and it really scared the hell out of me so much so that i threw all my teddies out of my bedroom i swear it really freaked me out, i think what makes this film so scary is that it uses something as innocent as dolls and teddie bears and turns them into such evil incarnations in much the same way as the 2 little girls in the shining or the kid in the omen are used to scare us we assume anything childlike or innocent looking wont harm us and when that is turned on its head its very unnerving.i don't usually like horror films as they are usually full of teenagers and are very boring and to be honest quite silly yet i really liked this as it was so well filmed in this gloomy old mansion it put me in mind of the shinning with its sense of entrapment in a big old building and the acting was really very good especially by the little girl she was very convincing.i really recommend this film and i am always trying to come across it to purchase as it seems to have just vanished off the face of the earth but i keep my fingers crossed that they will release it on DVD soon..
I will just say that although Child's Play may have been scarier, and Puppet Master may have been more creative, Dolls is by no means "just another killer toy movie." You will not find another film out there that delivers hundreds of evil, porcelain-faced Victorian dolls...the scariest kind!The clever, semi-dark humor is a real treat, the story and characters are classic, the doll effects (Though low-budget and often revealing) still hold up today and are a thousand times better and creepier than anything a computer could dream up.
"Dolls" is an enjoyable horror film made by Stuart Gordon("Castle Freak","Re-Animator").Gordon mixes the fairytale atmosphere with splatter effects.The child-like score by Richard Band is effectively creepy,especially during the opening credits.The acting is rather good and the atmosphere is pretty creepy and uncanny.The gore effects are well-done and the dolls look amazing.The film surely isn't as memorable as Gordon's cult hit "Re-Animator",but it's worth checking out for horror fans.My rating:8 out of 10..
I dont put this film in the horror category because their his such a lovely message in that film that it would be a crime.Yes their his a lot of blood and violence in that film but it's used in good purpose,(it's only the bad guys who die anyway!!!)it's to make you understand that everybody should keep in touch with the child inside of them because(if you dont you'll get killed by a few angry dolls hahahaah only joking!!) it's the best part of us without it we will be like those freaks (the two rock girls and the couple).
Directed by Stuart Gordon who also directed the brilliant "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", the special effects are also very well done, the dolls are pretty scary and vicious too, but the ultimate star of this film is Mr Punch, he puts in an amazing performance!!!
I give this film 10/10, it's fantastic and highly entertaining, and it's one of those movies you can watch over and over again and never get bored with, in my opinion this is the best killer doll horror movie that was ever made, even superior to "Childs Play" and "Puppet Master"..
Dolls is an obvious and can't be more straightforward name for a killer doll movie in which it actually happened in 1987 and directed by Stuart Gordon after he take a break with the Lovecraftian genre that make him a household name in the horror community and it a nice change of pace much like his take on the old gothic horror genre "The Pit and the Pendulum" a few years later.I honestly think Dolls is a movie that need to be talk about more when it already make the audience fear their toys before Chucky from Child's Play series crash into the screen with good use of suspense and the old fashioned stop motion animation technique to make the doll movement look as realistic as possible and still maintain the malicious look.The only mistake I can think of is how the movie waste the awesome killer teddy bear on a fricking hallucination scene in the beginning.
This leads you to believe you know what to expect, but Gordon and company throw a few curveballs your way, crafting a horrific fairy tale of sorts that strikes just the right balance between fun and frightful.After their car breaks down in the middle of a bad storm, The World's Worst Parents (the comical and on-point Ian Patrick Williams and Carolyn Purdy Gordon) and their instantly adorable young daughter, Judy (Carrie Lorraine), seek refuge in the home of an elderly doll-maker and his wife (Guy Rolfe and Hilary Mason).
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).
A group of people stop by a mansion during a storm and discover two magical toy makers, and their haunted collection of dolls.While this is a Stuart Gordon film, and therefore one of Empire's better pictures, it has the classic signs of a Charlie Band film, too.
Somewhere along the way their car gets stuck and they find themselves stranded out in the middle of nowhere, that is until the lightning splits the sky to reveal what they believe to sanctuary in the guise of an old dark house, which just happens to be home sweet home to Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke..Of course this being an Empire Pictures/Stuart Gordon movie we all know all will not go to plan.
Back in the eighties this movie along with numerous other Empire productions dating back to 'Trancers' had become a staple of my viewing delights.Every aspect of this movie had me in complete rapture, from the atmosphere that pervaded the movie, to the acting of all the principles, the pretty slick scripting, plus the fact that the movie was directed by Stuart Gordon.Although once again the movie was low budget, every attention to detail was there on screen, of course I never knew at the time that this movie shared the same sets as another Empire/Gordon movie, 'From Beyond' but having watched both over many many years, plus having listened to the audio commentary on 'From Beyond' all was revealed.I've often wondered if this was the movie that kick started Charles Band's fascination with all things small, if such was the case, then let this movie serve as the best example of what he achieved when it came to presenting us the viewers with thought that small things could indeed kill at will.With all the advancements in on screen technology, the special effects on show here really have stood the test of time, and setting aside the doll effects, the gore set pieces stood out as well, especially Ian Patrick Williams tortured demise toward the tail end of the movie.All in all, this was another great example of Empire Pictures on full power when it mattered, and no collector of horror movies should be without it in their collection.10/10.
'Dolls' isn't 'Child's Play', but it is a very creepy movie about 2 parents, a child, and 2 hitch hikers who encounter killer dolls who will stop at nothing to get them.Stuart Gordon succeeds at making the dolls creepy and scary.He also does a good job at adding a little humor into the movie.Most of it comes from a character in the movie named Ralph.Boy, is he clumsy.But he's also a wonderful addition to the cast as well as the little girl's parents, who are not your average day parents.If you don't have parents like the little girl's, then you might as well give yourself a pat on the back for not having such cruel people to care for you.But besides from the cruel characters, this is a nice and spooky horror film that will send chills down your spine, just like what happened to me.What this movie needs is a sequel or a remake.Now, that would be scary..
Next Time You Visit We Will Have the Place All "Dolled" Up. Despite its "R" rating (some bad language and a bit of gore) "Dolls" could be reasonably classified as a family horror film; a cross between "Toy Story" and 1932's "The Old Dark House" starring Boris Karloff.
It is one of those great horror comedies that aren't laugh- out-loud funny but are still extremely amusing.On the other hand if you don't want your seven year-old freaking out each night about her Barbie collection coming to life you may want to wait until the kids are little older before letting them view this one.Director Stuart Gordon made "Dolls" just after he made "Re-Animator", which is best described as a glorious exercise in bad taste.
When her "Matilda-like" family, mean father and abusive stepmother (Ian Patrick Williams & Carolyn Purdy-Gordon), are stranded in a storm they take refuge a mansion owned by an old couple (Guy Rolfe & Hilary Mason).
Their memory is surprisingly complete of a production process from some 20 years ago (at the time of the commentary recording), and it is good to hear from actors who, now much older, give credit to the evolution of horror films not from computer technology but from classic horror plots revisited like in this one (car breaks down in the rain, an old mansion nearby, child adjacent to peril but not within in, lots of lightning, storms, etc).
David now becomes Judy's new doll, Judy picks Ralph to be her new dad and she leaves for home.Meanwhile, we see all the evil folks as dolls on the shelf as new people get stuck outside the house and the cycle begins again.Dolls is a Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Castle Freak) film and feels like a test run for the Demonic Toys movies.
And because the violence is so minimal the film is probably suitable for most teenagers and they would probably enjoy the film as well mostly because it almost plays out like a children's fairy tale at time and keeps all the elements such as good guys and bad guys and mysterious characters as well as evil things coming to life we know would never happen outside of the movies.
Thing is the dolls are alive...and have very nasty tempers...I thought I might enjoy this--director Stuart Gordon had made "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond" right before this--two GREAT horror films.
Dolls (1987) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Stuart Gordon's rather strange horror film has six people getting caught up in a bad rain storm so they take shelter in the home of an elderly couple.
Whilst Chucky was still a gleam in his mould-maker's eye, director Stuart Gordon was already bringing dolls to life in this creepy and fun 80s horror that owes more than a little to the classic tales of the Brothers Grimm.The story sees six travellers, trapped by a storm, happen upon a remote house in the woods owned by elderly toy-makers Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke (Guy Rolfe and Hilary Mason).
After accepting an invitation to stay the night, the visitors—7 year old Judy (Carrie Lorraine), her nasty father and stepmother (Ian Patrick Williams and Carolyn Purdy-Gordon), nice guy Ralph (Stephen Lee), and a pair of slutty, Madonna wannabe hitchhikers Enid (Cassie Stuart) and Isabel (Bunty Bailey)—are shown to their rooms, but find their rest disturbed by the Hartwicke's dolls, who come to life at night to punish the wicked.Gordon, who is best known for his excessively gory H.P. Lovecraft adaptations Reanimator and From Beyond, allows the inherently unsettling nature of his toys to create an initial feeling of unease (the mere presence of a glassy eyed doll being enough to disturb this viewer), and then carefully builds the atmosphere through the subtle use of special effects (to create barely noticeable transitions in expression and movement).
Here the toys are going at the humans and somehow managed to kill majority of them, well give it to them they were numerous while Chucky was just a single evil doll.Stuart Gordon, the man behind this film tried to put you on the edge of your sit (emphasis on the word tried); there were scenes where we get to see side glances from the toys as they sat on their shelves (smh).Like most horror movies that seem to have a kid in the picture acting like a go between for the adults and the evil creatures, the child is initially not believed and often silenced when he or she airs their views on the strange happenings, with some other grownups giving out logical explanations to defeat what the child is saying.
A young girl named Judy Bower( Carrie Lorraine)with her father ( Ian Williams) and stepmother ( Carolyn Purdy Gordon) and a salesman ( Stephen Lee) and two punk chicks ( Bunty Bailey and Cassie Stuart) seek shelter from a rain storm after their cars break down to a creepy mansion owned by a elderly couple ( Guy Rolfe and Hilary Mason) who collect and make special dolls that seem nice at first but later during that night they are attacked by them as they are alive.From Brian Yuzna and Stuart Gordon ( makers of "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond") and Charles Band ( creator of "Puppet Master") brings a modern day horror fairy tale for mature audiences that is well crafted and has good special effects for it's time by David Allen ( "Puppet Master" and "Young Sherlock Holmes") and John Brunner especially the creepy " Mr. Punch" doll, the film is a very interesting story about the innocence of youth with toys protecting them from the badness of adulthood.It predates "Puppet Master" about a couple years earlier and is one of the most underrated cult Gothic horror comedy gems of the 80's that is one of the finest killer doll flicks there is.Most recommended movie if your into horror, horror comedies and killer doll flicks or one who wants to see a modern fairy tale.Also recommended: "Trilogy of Terror", "Tales from The Hood", "Pinocchio's Revenge", " Puppet Master", "Magic ( 1978)", " Child's Play", " Bride of Chucky", "Dolly Dearest", " Re-Animator", "From Beyond", " Poltergeist", " The Amityville Horror", "The Company of Wolves", "May", " Devil Doll ( 1964)", " Dead of Night", " Deep Red" (Dario Argento), "Phenomena", " Poltergeist", "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Nightmare on Elm Street 3", " Tourist Trap", " Castle Freak", " Burnt Offerings", " Troll", "Legend of Hell House", "Making Contact ( a.k.a. Joey)", " Ghost House", " Evil Dead II", "Saw", "Beetlejuice", " Demonic Toys", " Blood Dolls"..
Stuart Gordon's 1987 horror film features a group of people taking shelter in an old couple's home during a rain storm and become terrorized by their killer doll creations.