I can remember looking at the VHS tape of this way back in the early nineties when I was nine or ten years old. The reverse cover which displayed rows of dolls looked pretty creepy. Watching it now as a 37 year old in 2020, well, that image isn't as effective. Yet, this title holds up.
Never once was I bored. Dolls uses old horror vibes such as the old-castle-with-creaky-floorboards vibe (if there's such a thing). We start off with a family trio who get stuck in the mud during a storm. Quite conveniently, they see a house with lights on just over yonder. It just so happens that said house "houses" an old couple that in my opinion seemed off from the start.
They were already crazy, the warning signs were there, so the sudden sinister turn didn't land. I mean, after this family break into their seemingly empty house, they actually invite them in to stay the night. Even more ludicrous is the fact that another trio break in a while later (two hitchhikers and the driver that picked them up) - practically inviting themselves in.
In a way the characters here deserve the fate that befalls them all. And yes, they get turned into dolls, save for the little girl in the family who earns the trust and respect of the dolls by befriending a Punch doll (yes Judy's squeeze). The girl and the driver escape and live happily ever after.
The old couple in the house picked their victims the second they saw them and let the innocents walk free. Maybe this is a warning for B&E... burglars be forewarned!
6/10 for a decent, atmospheric flick that has aged well enough. Bonus kudos for the final scene which sees a couple who are stranded after their car breaks down almost in the exact same spot as the family before. Sequel bait anyone?
Never once was I bored. Dolls uses old horror vibes such as the old-castle-with-creaky-floorboards vibe (if there's such a thing). We start off with a family trio who get stuck in the mud during a storm. Quite conveniently, they see a house with lights on just over yonder. It just so happens that said house "houses" an old couple that in my opinion seemed off from the start.
They were already crazy, the warning signs were there, so the sudden sinister turn didn't land. I mean, after this family break into their seemingly empty house, they actually invite them in to stay the night. Even more ludicrous is the fact that another trio break in a while later (two hitchhikers and the driver that picked them up) - practically inviting themselves in.
In a way the characters here deserve the fate that befalls them all. And yes, they get turned into dolls, save for the little girl in the family who earns the trust and respect of the dolls by befriending a Punch doll (yes Judy's squeeze). The girl and the driver escape and live happily ever after.
The old couple in the house picked their victims the second they saw them and let the innocents walk free. Maybe this is a warning for B&E... burglars be forewarned!
6/10 for a decent, atmospheric flick that has aged well enough. Bonus kudos for the final scene which sees a couple who are stranded after their car breaks down almost in the exact same spot as the family before. Sequel bait anyone?