4 out of 5

Directed by: Stuart Gordon

You’ll recognize Charles Band’s hand in the production thanks to the Puppet Master-esque setup, and you’ll recognize Stuart Gordon’s glorious b-movie camera work.  What else will you recognize?  Well, if you haven’t seen a horror flick prior to 2000, probably nothing, because this falls wonderfully in the ‘don’t make ’em like they used to’ category.  The setup is pretty simple: old house, young girl with an imagination, doubting parents, old, eccentric homeowners, and… dolls.  Dolls that are probably coming to life, and, because it’s an R-rated horror movie, killing people by bashing them into walls and sawing through their legs.  However, as is usually the case with such things, certain details help it to stand out.  First and foremost is the production.  With Band’s experience and Gordon’s frequent-partner Brian Yuzna helping to set the stage, you’re (mostly) guaranteed things will at least look entertaining… but in this case they actually look pretty good!  A lot of films that do layered work with miniatures end up looking embarrassing, despite the era.  However, the Dolls team smartly chose short cuts for blending shots, using (it seems) string-manipulated puppets elsewhere, or some pretty impressively creepy and fluid stop-motion for key scenes.  The bloody eyeballs and rubbery skin are a little hokey, but it matches the b-level appeal.  Similarly to the sets: although we really don’t see too much of the mansion our lost family winds up in, what we do see gives it the desired endless-hallway, ancient feel.  Secondly, equally important here: the cast.  There are several party-crashers that extend beyond the main family, including some British (?) punk-rock chicks who are way over the top, but only the roles that need to be ridiculous stereotypes are ridiculous stereotypes – one bratty teen, two evil parents.  The kindly Ralph, who befriends little Judy, is believably goofy but brave, and the homeowners – Gabriel and Hilary – play up the lightning-in-the-background dramatics, but otherwise perfectly balance friendly with weird.  And Judy, man, what a great kid for the role.  Most important rule for kid casting: please don’t make them annoying.  Judy (Carrie Lorraine) passes that test, and adds to it a cute frankness that thankfully doesn’t undermine the scares.  Yeah, there’s some rough spots in ‘Dolls,’ and it probably won’t exactly scare you, but it’s the kind of dedication to quality camp supported by a good director (for this kinda stuff), great production, and a fitting cast that makes for some classic horror.