Death Doll

Death Doll came out two years after Stuart Gordon's Dolls, one year after Child's Play and the same year as Puppet Master, but despite its title and video cover (an evil looking doll's head with glowing red eyes), the film doesn't feature a deadly living doll: the inanimate porcelain dolls in this zero-budget horror are merely the calling cards of a crazy killer who wants pregnant widow Trish Keller (Andrea Walters) dead for reasons that should become abundantly clear way before the 'big reveal' in the final act.

Written by Sidney Mims and directed by William Mims, Death Doll is an amateurish and disjointed mess that is lacking in scares, atmosphere, gore, and originality. The poor direction and crap editing make it hard to work out what is happening for much of the film, but when the pieces eventually fall into place, it becomes apparent that Death Doll is little more than a very weak slasher with a dime store Norman Bates responsible for the film's virtually bloodless murders. The only effective part of the film is the opening scene, in which Trish and her soon-to-be-dead husband have their future predicted by Madame Zerba, a creepy penny arcade fortune telling machine - but any early promise soon goes out the window.

"Death Doll" is one of those "lost" movies I heard about for so many years as a teen. It was a 1989 production (although some research uncovers an actual 1984 production date) shot and directed by a man named William Mims.

The story is simple: after the death of her husband, young Trish is stalked by a madman leaving Dolls in his footsteps. There's a handful of deaths, but this film relies more on suspense than gore.

There's several things that rise this film above other standard 80s slasher fare. For one, it's got atmosphere and lots of it. If you like creepy little potboilers from the 80s (the made for TV variety) then you'll probably really dig the set-up and execution. There's also a really freaky looking hand-crafted Fortune Telling machine in the movie that predicts future terrifying events in the film. Every time she appears on screen I get the chills. After the first premonition came true, Trish goes back to the antique mall to find the machine again. What follows is a suspenseful game of cat and mouse with Trish and the Killer.

This movie sort of exists in it's own world. I've seen 2 cuts of the movie. What I assume to be the original 1984 cut with the 1984 copyright date, original opening credits and music as well as an alternate opening shot of the actors outside the antique store. The other cut from 1989 has a different shot-on-VHS opening sequence, alternate title screen and credits and for some odd reason there's even a re-shot opening scene, but using two different actor doubles (shot from behind and far away). I'm guessing Mims wanted to approach the opening scene differently later and must have not been able to get the original actors.

But what really attracts me to this film is the combination of the eerie artwork (both versions: the doll getting stabbed in the chair and the big evil Doll face) combined with the fact you pretty much can't legit get this film anywhere. It's my understanding the 1989 version was released on VHS in the UK and the 1984 cut was released in Poland I believe. Although when I questioned Mims himself about the two different versions, he seemed confused and unaware of the 1984 version...so that still remains a mystery. And to date, there hasn't been a U.S. release, although it's a U.S. production. The real reasons are unclear, but I gather from Mims it had something to do with a poor distribution deal.

I've spoken to William several times over the years and even came close to Directing a "Death Doll 2" (which could still happen, you never know). But after all my questions to him and all my viewings of both cuts of the movie, the whole thing still remains as mysterious as ever to me and I highly recommend this movie to fans of obscure 80s slashers, especially those involving Dolls. It's a film I found myself increasingly obsessed with over the years, and it's likely to have the same effect on other rare 80s horror fans. Pretty much the perfect horror film for the fan looking for the ultimate lost slasher. Seek it out, if you know the right places to look.

I loved the intimacy of this film As compared to so many horror films today, which I find too pretentious and nothing but special effects, this film in its simplistic approach grabbed my attention. The music was a little synthetic, but I am sure that was because of the budget. I felt the actors were convincing. Chucky the film seemed to have borrowed the entire concept of the story. I would suggest you see it if you can get your hands on it. What other movies has this director done. Have I seen the leading lady on some TV shows? The doll wouldn't die, as she continued to live long after Dillon died. I would not suggest children see this movie. If you collect dolls, I think you will be creeped out.

Garishly adorned with a visually arresting, albeit disingenuous poster, strongly suggesting that Death Doll's content is luridly centred around the murderously ambulatory machinations of a child's demonic doll, à la Stuart Gordon's 'Dolls', independent filmmaker William Mims's engaging, unfairly neglected VHS-era horror obscurity provides, in actuality, some pleasingly eerie 'Woman Alone' melodramatics, essentially being a paranoid, dark-edged, slow-burning psychological thriller, rather than a vapid, Top-popping, blood n' guts teen-screamer.

The beautiful, if somewhat fragile Talia Shire-lookalike Trish Keller (Andrea Walters) and husband Bobby (Philip Boatwright) have a brief, Amicus-style foreshadowing event with the mechanical, grim-voiced Madame Zerba, an ancient-looking, coin-operated soothsaying automaton, bluntly prophesying that a rather grim future might be in store for the young, affable couple. Closely following this delightfully quaint Roald Dahl interlude, 'Death Doll' settles into the cosily familiar trope of lone female protagonist tormented by a malign, unseen threat, the stock narrative given a little extra pathos by the fact that big-eyed, sweet-natured Trish is heavily pregnant and is frequently alone, this angsty estrangement boosting her tired 'TV Movie of the Week' plight with some additionally potent emotional ballast.

'Death Doll' is, on occasion, a trifle tepid, but, it can also be said that it frequently makes for an enjoyably hokey late night shocker, with splendidly spooky, dark-corridor'd interludes, with no a less foreboding, skin-jangling jeopardy to maintain more open-minded genre fans interest, not least being the fine performances, Trish being an entirely sympathetic imperilled lead and her shadowy brother in-law Dillon (William Dance) being no less of a three dimensional figure. Even with its obvious budgetary and narrative limitations, 'Death Doll' has a number of surprisingly effective 'don't-go-in-there!!!!' moments, and poor beleaguered Trish's heightened anxiety and increasing paranoia is given greater verisimilitude by the menacing swell of Bruce Miller's exceptionally fine music. William Mims's video-dazed 80s curio 'Death Doll' isn't essential, but proved to be strangely compelling in its creepy-creaky 'Tales of The Unexpected' fashion!

This was a very boring low budget horror flick that amazingly had some suspenseful moments. At first it looks like they were using 8mm camera...but then it seems more professional. There is no gore at all apart from a slit throat which is only shown briefly, and a woman is stabbed with a knife (it isn't shown in detail though). The fortune telling machine is actually quite creepy, but the actual "death doll" is pretty pathetic. The scene where the woman is being stalked inside the house is quite suspenseful, as is the scene at the end where she is being stalked around the shop. Sadly this is spoilt by the killer talking for what seems like forever before he dies, and they tried to do a rip-off of Psycho with the explanation of the killer...but you'll have to watch it to see how. Also, don't watch this expecting an actual "killer doll", as the doll is really just a symbol of death that is present when the killings happen. The doll doesn't move or talk or anything.

It seems that this film is quite rare so I must be lucky that I found a VHS copy. If you manage to find one be sure to snap it up!