Dolls

Directed by Stuart Gordon, Dolls follows several strangers as they wind up at a remote mansion during a violent thunderstorm and are quickly (and eagerly) welcomed by its elderly owners (Guy Rolfe’s Gabriel and Hilary Mason’s Hilary) – with violence ensuing after said owners’ various dolls come to life. It’s a fairly straight-forward premise that’s executed to watchable yet erratic effect by Stuart Gordon, as the filmmaker, working from Ed Naha’s screenplay, delivers a relatively one-note narrative that strains to fill its already (and appreciatively) brief running time of 77 minutes – although, by that same token, there are certainly enough positive attributes here to ensure that the movie remains, at the very least, entertaining from start to finish. Director Gordon does an effective job of establishing the movie’s handful of characters and the opulent estate in which the proceedings unfold, and it’s clear, certainly, that Dolls is at its best when focused on the demonic toys’ murderous antics (and it’s impossible, as well, not to get a kick out of Rolfe’s unapologetically broad, mustache-twirling turn as the larger-than-life villain). The end result is decent-enough horror effort that undoubtedly exploits its absurd setup to an appropriately larger-than-life degree (ie those dolls are as vicious as one might’ve hoped), although the obvious shoestring budget ultimately prevents Dolls from becoming the balls-to-the-wall camp classic for which Gordon is obviously striving.

**1/2 out of ****