‘Dolls’: A Disturbing Fairy Tale From A Horror Legend Streaming For Free [The Overlooked Motel]
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Today’s pick is a morbid fairy tale from Master of Horror Stuart Gordon. His 1986 film Dolls may not be as well-known or revered as standout efforts like Re-Animator and From Beyond. But the flick is nonetheless an enchanting effort sure to charm and chill in equal measure. A dark sense of humor and a strong moral message make this a macabre delight you surely won’t want to miss.
What is Dolls About?
The film follows young Judy (Carrie Lorraine) and her deadbeat dad (Ian Patrick Williams) and wicked stepmother (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon) as they find their travel plans foiled by nasty weather on a dark and stormy night. Accordingly, the trio takes refuge in a spacious mansion with a pair of elderly toymakers (Guy Rolfe and Hilary Mason). Shortly after their arrival, Judy and her worthless guardians are joined by the well-meaning Ralph (Stephen Lee) and two brassy hitchhikers (Cassie Stuart and Bunty Bailey) he picked up along his journey. The evening starts off uneventful enough for the refugees, but Judy quickly learns that these are no ordinary toymakers. The elderly couple creates magical playthings with designs on making the world a better place by swiftly dispensing with the morally bankrupt.
Dolls is a story that harkens back to the darker origins of the fairy tale. This isn’t a sanitized take that eschews violent imagery in favor of family-friendly fun. No, Dolls is dark and macabre, much like the chilling output of the Brothers Grimm.
Although the film leans into the darker aspects of classic fairy stories, it offsets that with a hefty helping of dark comedy and a surprisingly sweet dynamic between Judy and Ralph. The way the pair bond over a shared sense of childlike wonder is touching.
The film is anchored by engaging performances from relatable protagonists.
Child actor Carrie Lorraine is tasked with carrying much of the film on her shoulders, but she’s up for the task. She comes across as precocious without being aggravating. And she manages to be relatively convincing despite the outlandish nature of the narrative. Dolls is actually Lorraine’s final screen credit. She displayed promising talent at a young age. Had she kept with it, she may have been able to carve out a niche for herself.
The late Stephen Lee is another great addition to the core cast. He was a smart choice to play Ralph. His baby face and gentle demeanor suit the character, making Ralph a breath of fresh air amidst some of his more cynical adult counterparts. It’s touching to see him pretend he’s outgrown toys, only for his face to light up with excitement when confronted with an enticing plaything. We quickly learn that although he is grown, Ralph has never lost touch with his inner child. That piece ties into one of the film’s core messages. More on that coming right up.
Dolls features a moral message I can get behind.
The moral of the story is this: Don’t be an a-hole, lest you should wind up eternally miniaturized as a pint-sized plaything at the behest of a pair of elderly toymakers. Now, that’s a message I can get on board with. In all seriousness, the core takeaway seems to be a reminder that it doesn’t cost anything to be a kind and decent human. Additionally, the film encourages the viewer never to abandon their inner child. Though we all have to grow up, we don’t have to become callous or jaded.
I think of Dolls as an escape from the cynicism of the real world that melds the whimsical with a bit of the old ultra-violence. It’s a somewhat unlikely juxtaposition. But the pairing works remarkably well here, thanks to Gordon’s good-natured humor and Ed Naha’s screenplay. The narrative has a clearly defined sense of right and wrong and very little tolerance for bad behavior. Naha’s script doles out punishment to the naughty while protecting the innocent. It might be basic of me, but I like to see the wicked punished for their misdeeds. That’s something we don’t always see in real life, but movies like this provide us an escape from the harsh realities of the present. That’s surely a large part of why Dolls has become a beloved comfort film for me in the years since I first discovered it.
If you have a penchant for killer playthings, you’ll have a great time with this one.
If you count yourself a fan of the Puppet Master films or the Child’s Play series, you’ll likely find a lot to appreciate about Dolls. It’s campy and surreal like both of the aforementioned franchises, and the late Stuart Gordon’s whimsical charm permeates the feature from start to finish.
Are you sold yet? If you’re not yet convinced, allow me to mention that Dolls is not a major time investment. In fact, it clocks in at around 77 minutes, which is just the right length for the story Gordon and company are telling. There’s no filler, ensuring the audience doesn’t have time to grow weary with a meandering narrative.
So, there you have it. If you’re in the mood for a whimsical and blood-soaked good time, look no further than Stuart Gordon’s Dolls. You can scope the flick for free (with ads) on Pluto as of the publication of this post.
Because I am a physical media fanatic, I also have to mention that Scream Factory and Arrow Video have each released the picture on collector’s edition Blu-ray. Sadly, each of those releases appears to be out of print. But you can still snag either option on a number of popular e-commerce sites.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you would like to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram.
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