A young woman returns home after 13 years to her sick mother's crumbling hillside mansion and finds murder and swift death lurking in the dark.A young woman returns home after 13 years to her sick mother's crumbling hillside mansion and finds murder and swift death lurking in the dark.A young woman returns home after 13 years to her sick mother's crumbling hillside mansion and finds murder and swift death lurking in the dark.
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- TriviaOfficially selected for the American Horrors Film Festival in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin U.S.A. October 27th & 28th 2017. Also selected for the 10th Annual San Antonio Horrific Film Festival in San Antonio, Texas U.S.A. October 20 - 22nd 2017. Was nominated in the BEST HORROR category film by MEDFF (The Mediterranean Film Festival) Italy October 31st 2017 and director, Zeda Müller won the JURY SPECIAL MENTION for her realization of the film at the Montevideo Fantastico Film Festival in Uruguay, December 2017.
Featured review
Breathing new life into the horror genre
I have been an obsessive fan of horror films since I was a kid (way back in the 70's). Brought up on Hammer and Universal monster films it wasn't long before I delved into pre-cert exploitation films and that is where my preference has been ever since. Over the last 20 years I have felt that the horror genre hasn't really offered its fans anything new (bar a few exceptions). Having been left despondent, disappointed and bored senseless by the over-saturation of remakes, reboots and just plain dull horror fare, it comes with great surprise that a black and white silent film from Australia would be the breath of fresh air that the horror genre desperately needs. The plot of 13 Dolls is pretty straightforward. Marjorie receives a letter from her ailing mother to return home after a 13 year absence. On her return home Marjorie realizes that things are not what they seem... Written and directed by the talented Zeda Müller, this is a film that demands your attention from the start. With its eerie score and moody camera-work it sets a very atmospheric and claustrophobic feel to proceedings. It's a great take on the 'old dark house' horrors of a bygone era, Robert Wiene and Tod Brownings early work spring to mind... yet it draws on influences from the likes of Dario Argento, Mario Bava's Gothic horrors, giallo and slasher films (there are some nicely placed references for the sharp- eyed viewer). The fact that this is a silent film (I'll get to the score in a bit) actually works in its favour. Gone are the usual mundane dialogue pieces that fill out most horror films these days and the viewer is reintroduced to dialogue cards when required to move the story along. This also means that the actors are given room to act through expression and emotion and they all do a sterling job. The masterstroke of 13 Dolls though is the excellent use of camera-work and soundtrack. The soundtrack is interspliced with sound effects (church bells, howling wind, dripping taps etc), moody piano and tension building synths, all used to full sensory effect. The footage and score intertwine brilliantly together and I found some scenes genuinely eerie and creepy (a rare feeling for me whilst watching a new film these days). Overall 13 Dolls is a mesmerizing experience, interspersed with some cleverly executed gore scenes, and at a scant 75 minutes long, it motors along at a cracking pace. So, you have probably guessed that I liked this film a lot. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you are looking for something different. Shot on a low budget ($200 approximately) it's an outstanding achievement and I for one am looking forward to Zeda Müller & Co's next venture...!
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- tenebrae70
- Jun 26, 2017
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Box office
- Budget
- A$250 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 15 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 16 : 9
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