People who think this Stuart Gordon directed movie will be a wild horror movie like "Re-Animator" or "From Beyond" will more likely than not be disappointed. Actually, I knew that "Dolls" would be in a more traditional style before sitting down to watch it, but I have to say I was kind of disappointed by the end results. The whole "killer doll" plot has been done in many movies before, which wouldn't be so bad had this movie brought in some fresh twists and ideas to liven things up. But the movie is extremely predictable, from what the dolls will do to who will survive the night. There's another problem with the script. Although the movie is a seemingly lean seventy-seven minutes long, it still feels too long and stretched out. There's only enough material for a short subject film or one segment in a multi-story horror anthology movie.The movie has some merit. The special effects and the sets are pretty good for a low budget movie. And Gordon does manage to build a little mood with the darkened sets and the creepy-looking dolls. So the movie is not terrible, but all the same it's kind of disappointing. I would only recommend the movie to patient viewers who are fans of Gordon and/or the works of Empire Pictures.

Chucky and Annabelle didn't have anything on Mr. and Mrs. Hartwicke's terrifying collection of "unique" toys. Charles Band and Stuart Gordon's 1987 classic "Dolls" reminds horror fans what came first. It's the perfect film if you're looking for a means to help encourage your children to stop playing with their Barbies or action figures.A group of travelers caught in a fierce storm are forced to find refuge at the mansion of an elderly couple. The two live alone in the large house amongst their homemade dolls. As the night goes on, strange occurrences lead the guests to believe something besides the two old folks live in the dark old manor."Dolls" is rated R for violence, language, and adult situations. Surprisingly, there's no nudity to be found. There's talk about sex, but never anything blatantly shown. The film does contain graphic scenes of folks being carved up by the title oddities. I'd have to say this is pretty tame in comparison to what we're used to seeing now or even back then when it comes to nudity or sexual situations."Dolls" is the perfect blend of haunted house Gothic thrills and fairy tale frights. Its classic storm-drenched setting and creepy cast of characters guarantee the film to go down in horror history as a 1980s classic.

Yep found another doll film but this time from Bands Empire film company and not directed by the man himself. Surprisingly this doll flick is different from all the rest with its plot, this time its very much like a fairytale or even a Stephen King story. An old couple that make dolls in a big mansion in the middle of nowhere take in lost or stranded folk and shrink them down turning them into dolls depending on the persons character, if they're good or bad.So a slightly different spin with this film which is nice and gives it a fresher feel. The dolls are not weird looking killers either they are just normal looking old fashioned toy dolls from various periods, almost 'Pinocchio-like' in design style and feel.Cast is good in this too with the old couple being especially well performed, no one really well known but they all play their parts well enough to make the film seem much better than you'd expect. In fact the whole film looks good with decent well lit sets, dark hallways, plenty of shadows and the classic thunder and lightning gimmick, all giving the right spooky atmospheric glow.Not really scary, the film has more of a 'Scooby Doo' creepy feel to it. Just right as its obviously hard to make killer dolls like this come across as genuinely scary.7/10

dad and step-mother too one-dimensional and annoying--like caricatures--same with the new wave girls great stop-motion "Dolls" is not the sort of movie I usually watch. I am not a huge horror film--particularly if the movies are bloody and violent. However, I am glad I saw the film--it was a lot better than I had imagined. Now I am not saying it was a great film--it had a lot of problems. But, the overall film was quite enjoyable...and creepy.The film is a story about six people who are stranded in the middle of no where during a bad storm. They all seek refuge in a strange house which is filled with dolls as well as a seemingly kindly old man and his wife. However, during the night, the dolls in the house come to life. For the bad people, they will distribute punishment and to the good, they will come to no harm. Unfortunately for these people, most of them are pretty bad and in need of retribution! The special effects and scary story are the best things about this film. Using 1980s technology instead of CGI, the dolls seem to come to life through traditional stop-motion. But, considering they are supposed to be dolls, it works really well. But the film also suffers BADLY from some of the most one-dimensional and stupid characters you could imagine. Yes, you want to see bad people punished, but these folks were so obviously bad that they seemed more like caricatures than real people. I think the word 'subtle' would certainly not be used to describe these folks!! Had the bad folks been better written, the film could have been much better. It's odd, though, that everyone else in the film seemed well written and likable--even the old man and lady. Well worth seeing and enjoyable if you don't mind the gore and can look past the occasional writing lapses.