Dolls (1987)

A group of people stop by a mansion during a storm and discover two magical toy makers and their haunted collection of dolls.

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writer:

Ed Naha

Stars:

Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Carrie Lorraine

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ian Patrick Williams	...	David Bower
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon	...	Rosemary Bower
Carrie Lorraine	...	Judy Bower
Guy Rolfe	...	Gabriel Hartwicke
Hilary Mason	...	Hilary Hartwicke
Bunty Bailey	...	Isabel Prange
Cassie Stuart	...	Enid
Stephen Lee	...	Ralph Morris

Storyline

A group of travelers spend the night in the mansion of an elderly couple who are dollmakers. However, one of the travelers' children discovers that the dolls the couple makes are actually humans that the couple has miniaturized and turned into tools for their evil plans.

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Plot Keywords:

inanimate object comes to life | inanimate object motion | talking inanimate object | talking to inanimate object | stabbed in the back | 

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Taglines:

They want to play with you.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Doll

Filming Locations:

Empire Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Empire Pictures, Taryn Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film originated with the poster image of a doll holding its own eyeballs and producer Charles Band's simplistic pitch of a movie about a killer doll. Writer Ed Naha was given total creative freedom, though producer Brian Yuzna was insistent that the poster art would correlate to a scene in the film.

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Goofs

When Punch comes to life near the end the strings and puppeteer's hand are plainly visible.

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Quotes

Ralph: Ya know, I can remember every toy I had as a kid.
Gabriel: And they remember you, Ralph. Toys are very loyal, and that is a fact.

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Crazy Credits

During the beginning of the end credits, we see another group of people having car problems and eventually heading towards the mansion.

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Connections

Featured in Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)

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Soundtracks

Dolls Theme (Bad Babies)
Written by Victor Spiegel

User Reviews

The Longest Night in the World

While driving in a stormy night, the car of Rosemary Bower (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon), her husband David Bower (Ian Patrick Williams) and his seven year-old daughter Judy (Carrie Lorraine) get stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere. The family is traveling on vacation and Judy, who lives in Boston with her mother, daydreams many times irritating her stepmother. They break in an old house and the owner, the toy maker Gabriel Hartwicke (Guy Rolfe) and his wife Hilary (Hilary Mason), welcome the invaders. While they are having soup, the driver Ralph Morris (Stephen Lee) and the hitchhikers Isabel (Bunty Bailey) and Enid (Cassie Stuart) also get stuck and come to the house.

The old couple invites the guests to spend the night in the house. Isabel decides to steal the couple and Judy sees Leprechauns taking her to the attic. She tries to tell to her father, but he believes that she is daydreaming. Ralph, who has the heart of a kid, is the only adult that gives attention to the little girl. 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. The story alternates creepy and funny moments with witty dialogs, such as when the little girl explains that she is not afraid of the dark, but what is in the dark. The special effects with stop motion animation are great and the sets with the dolls and toys that change positions and faces are scary. This movie is better and better than the recent "Annabelle". My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Dolls"