The Devil's Dolls

'Worry Dolls' drew me into seeing it, with a cool and creepy poster, an intriguing idea and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

Actually found 'Worry Dolls' fairly watchable, if not an easy film to rate or review. Had to think long and hard about what my thoughts were and how to articulate them. 'Worry Dolls' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however some decent, even good, qualities in 'Worry Dolls', at least it wasn't intelligence insulting or inept (unlike some films seen recently) and the potential is not completely squandered.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is very atmospheric, likewise with the very nice way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it.

'Worry Dolls' is another example of a film that started off very promisingly. There are some genuinely scary and suspenseful moments and the atmosphere has creepiness.

However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained. The more 'Worry Dolls' progressed, the duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary, and too many characters are too sketchy. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it.

Acting is never amateurish, there has been far worse acting before and since, but nobody is good let alone note-worthy.

Dialogue can be stilted while the pace is uneven, dragging in some of the second half. Found the supposedly shocking moments not so surprising or scary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense, and the end felt not much of a climax.

In summary, not unwatchable but unremarkable. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I watched this after reading a synopsis and was expecting something much darker than this offering.

Contrary to other reviewers I thought the acting was OK. It was the production that took the edge off the film. There was no atmosphere to speak of and the lighting set up and colourisation could have been applied to any genre of film.

It is not the kind of movie that can draw you into the story and make you believe anything in it - which is the whole point of a horror movie.

It is not a terrible film, just one that I wouldn't bother watching again.

A serial killer leaves behind a box of "worry dolls" after he is killed by cops. Basically, you tell your worries to a worry doll and supposedly it takes them into itself thus liberating you. Anyhow (yawn), the dolls (4 or 5, I believe) accidentally get distributed while in transit to police headquarters. Not a good thing for the new owners whose fears and insecurities become amplified to paranoia by the dolls.

The good news: Movie could have been longer. But don't take this to mean it was a terrible movie. It was just a straight-forward, "nothing new or surprising" movie. Once you learn about the dolls in the earlier part of the film, your brain just coasts thru some bloody, but unremarkable deaths until the end where there is a little bit of the unexpected. Before I close, let me say this: A human being on fire is not funny. But I think that if in a movie said human is made to run a considerable distance while aflame....well...you know. I'm only human, folks! Love, Boloxxxi.

So, this is another indie, small horror project, that took itself serious, and had some good parts to offer. But do bare in mind the budget and the possibilities.

The acting was overall satisfying from my point of view, better than expected for this kind of movie, actors were nicely chosen I'd might say, the dialogue worked OK. The deaths were also good enough, you get your share of blood, violence, pretty much the usual. There is a plot to it, you most likely seen it before but this is a small step up from all the others I've laid my eyes on lately.

You could watch it if you have absolutely nothing better to do. Or if your wifi fails and leaves you stranded with only the movies on your computer. Or netflix. Whatever, wherever. I won't recommend it, but I'm not going to bash it either. It's a 4 star movie at best, perhaps, slightly, less, but I'll round it to 4 thanks to the effort put into it.

Cheers!

I was initially lured in by the poster/movie cover for "The Devils Dolls" (aka "Worry Dolls"), and I had no idea what the movie was about prior to sitting down to watch it.

But let's just say that I wasn't impressed with what I witnessed here at the hands of director Padraig Reynolds.

The storyline was lacking contents that would make for an interesting story and it just started to gradually become more and more boring, and my interest and focus gradually started to slip away.

The acting in the movie wasn't particularly memorable, and I can honestly say that I can't remember a single character or performing actor in the movie. Yeah, they were just that bland. And the fact that none of the people in the movie weren't famous had nothing to do with this. But the acting talents just didn't put on a memorable performance.

So who is to blame here? The director? The acting talents? The writers? I can only speculate. I do know, however, that this movie was a wide swing and an equally wide miss. There was just nothing worthwhile to be had here in my opinion.

And for a 2016 release, then it was anything but outstanding, and it will quickly fade into oblivion. There are far better horror / thrillers available, both of 2016 release but also of course by older release dates.

"The Devils Dolls" just didn't make any noticeably dent on the screen.