Day 74: Dolls

Dolls

I'm sticking with G.I. Joes

I remember seeing a box for Dolls in my local video store. That first sentence probably doesn't make sense to anyone under 18. Well, back in the old day, people use to drive to a store that allowed them to rent videos and video games in exchange for money. Movies came on video cassettes and were played in a VCR (or Betamax if you were one of the 10 people to own one) This was before laptops and Netflix, and torrents. Now that I'm done with the old man talk, I remember seeing this movie in the store. It didn't particularly scare me, but it managed to stick with me all these years. It was finally time to watch Dolls.

Directed by Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, The Pit and the Pendulum), Dolls takes place at an eerie English manor. Young Judy is on vacation with her jerk of a father, David, and nasty stepmother, Rosemary. Their car gets stuck in the mud when a freak thunderstorm occurs and they are forced to take refuge in the old mansion. The mansion is inhabited by an kindly if not strange old couple named Gabriel (Guy Rolfe, Puppetmaster series, Ivanhoe) and Hilary. To Judy's delight, Gabriel explains that he is a doll maker and the house is filled with dolls. Gabriel gives Judy her own doll, named Punch. They are soon joined by friendly Ralph (Stephen Lee, War Games, Quantum Leap) and British punk rockers Isabel and Enid. Ralph is very nice to Judy, far nicer than her parents. Meanwhile, Isabel decides to rob the house of it's antiques and goes off on her own. While she's ransacking the house, she is viciously attacked by the now-animated dolls in the house. Judy sees Isabel being dragged off and tells Ralph. He believes her, but her parents and Enid do not. Soon Enid and Rosemary are both murdered by the dolls. David thinks Ralph is the cause of the murders and tries to kill him. Will Ralph and Judy be able to survive her father and the killer dolls?

I'm cheering for the dolls in this one

With a name like Dolls, you have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen in the movie. It's no secret that dolls are going to come to life and start killing people. It certainly brings to mind other killer doll movies, such as Child's Play, Puppetmaster, and Demonic Toys. The real challenge is to make it an entertaining movie and for the most part, the movie succeeds. Dolls has a fairly good fear factor especially the creepy animated faces of the dolls. The slight grins and moving eyes can make you shudder in their sheer evilness. There is a decent amount of blood and some creative violence. There is some humor to lighten to the mood, but it's not particularly funny. References to Punch and Judy are particularly maddening to me. A movie from 1987 referencing a puppet show with roots tracing back in 1662. 1662! It's even more dated in 2012. That's like a LOLCats reference in a movie made in 2317.

The acting is good for the most part. Guy Rolfe is particularly great and the doll maker, combining an uneasy creepiness with a grandfatherly kindness. Stephen Lee is pretty is pretty lovable in his role as the child-at-heart Ralph. He wins the audience over with his innocence and attention towards Judy. Unfortunately, Dolls does suffer from the curse of the annoying child in horror movies. Judy is supposed to be a sympathetic character because of her awful parents, but she's just too annoying. Most of blame should go to the writers and not the young actress. Horror movies need to learn that not every kid is stupid and not every kid is annoying. 

But references to Madonna are

Dolls may not be on most horror movies lists, but it certainly has some good horror moments. It has a scary atmosphere and enough violence to keep the audience entertained. The story is basic, which can either be a blessing or curse, depending on the viewer. The acting is good, though some characters are overly annoying. The humor can be forced and painful at times. While it's not a must-see movie, it's still worth your time if you're in need of watching something different.

7/10

Day 44: Demonic Toys

Demonic Toys

Now play nice

When you watch a movie called Demonic Toys, you pretty much know exactly what you're going to get. There isn't going to be a deeper meaning. There aren't going to be serious questions that will make you think. No Oscar-worthy performances or fantastic cinematography. Just a bunch of possessed toys killing the shit out of people. It's just a matter if it will be horrible or tolerable.

Demonic Toys begins with police officers Judith Gray and Matt Cable talking about their relationship while waiting for illegal gun dealers to arrive. Judith tells Matt about a strange recurring dream she is having involving two children surrounded by clocks, playing a game of cards. She also reveals that she is pregnant. The deal with the criminals goes south, leaving Matt dead and one of the dealers critically wounded. A chase ensues into a toy warehouse, where the wounded criminal crawls away into a bizarrely lit shaft of light. The toys come to life and brutally kill him while Judith captures the other criminal. At the same time, a delivery boy, Mark, arrives at the warehouse to deliver security guard, Charneski, his dinner. They find Judith and the captured criminal and when Charneski goes to call for help, he is also attacked by the demonic toys. The toys terrorize Judith, Mark, the criminal, and a young runaway girl that was staying in the warehouse. It is revealed that the spirit of a demon, in the form of the Kid from Judith's dream, is the cause for all the mayhem. The Kid wants to become human and in order to do so, he wants to impregnate Judith so his spirit can transfer to her egg and be born of flesh and blood. Will Judith and Mark survive the toys and stop the Kid demon?

I think I just possessed myself

Like I said before, you pretty much know what you're getting with a movie like this. It's very similar to Puppet Master, and for good reason; Demonic Toys and Puppet Master are both produced by Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment. The toys themselves are actually pretty cool. You have the foul-mouthed Baby Oopsy Daisy, which reminds me of Chucky, Grizzly Teddy, Mr. Static, and Jack Attack. Sadly, Oopsy Daisy is the only toy with any personality, which is a shame, because it's hysterical. The demon is also full of personality, almost to the point of people more likable than the heroes. The acting is decent all around, but special props go to the Kid for being just the right amount of creepy and charming. There are some fun kills and an acceptable amount of blood. The movie has decent effects for the early 90's and the detail to all the toys is appreciated.

The story itself gets far more complicated that it needs to be. The whole demonic “have sex with a woman to give birth to myself” plot is convoluted and confusing. There's a bizarre flashback meant to explain the process and why the demon is at the warehouse, but it just left me confused. In a movie this simple, it should be impossible to confuse the audience, but they managed to accomplish that task. It also doesn't help that there are lots of plot holes in the movie. Why is there only one point of escape in the entire warehouse? At one point, Grizzly Teddy turns into a huge monster. If the demon could do that, why didn't he just turn all the toys into large monsters? The ending itself is downright baffling and I won't even attempt to explain it. I know it's silly to over-think a movie called Demonic Toys, but I just can't help myself.

When your laundry needs a vicious fabric softener

Demonic Toys is a fun movie as long as you don't think too much. There is plenty of excitement and action with an interesting cast of villains. The acting is fine, which is actually a huge compliment when it comes to direct-to-video horror movies. The story itself does get over-complicated and can be confusing at times. If you like Child's Play and Puppet Master, you'll get a kick out of Demonic Toys.

6/10