Film festivals are a blast. There are the known titles and the early premieres that everyone is excited to check out. But there are also the small titles that are making their debuts or just building momentum, and suddenly there is a new film that you are excited about that hadn’t been anywhere near your radar the day before. Finding those films is one of my favorite parts of any fest, and Dolly is one of those movies. It had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest and was one of the most talked-about films at the festival. Directed by Rod Blackhurst, Dolly is a mean, bloody film that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats and have even the most ardent horror fans covering their eyes.
Chase (Seann William Scott) and Macy (Fabianne Therese) are taking a romantic hike in the woods. Chase has plans to propose. It's supposed to be a surprise, but Macy found the ring while packing and is trying to figure out what she will say. She loves Chase and his daughter Evy, but marriage is a big step and she has doubts about her ability to be a true mother to Evy.
After hiking for a bit, they come across what can only be described as a creepy doll shrine. Dolls of every size and design have been nailed or tied to a group of trees just off the trail. Though they find it weird and disturbing (and who wouldn’t?), they brush it off as some sort of weird art project and continue on.
They will wish they had turned back when they are attacked by Dolly, a brutal stranger in a babydoll dress, sporting a creepy porcelain doll mask. Dolly jumps them in the woods, dispatches Chase and knocks Macy unconscious. When Macy awakens, she discovers that she has been taken to a strange house in the middle of the woods. A voice in a neighboring room, belonging to one of Dolly’s other victims, guides her and tells her how she can escape, but only if she promises to free him as well. Easier said than done, as Dolly is a brutal force of nature and is dead set on making Macy the newest part of her own doll collection.
Dolly is a dirty, backwoods slasher that feels like it is part The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a little bit Tourist Trap, and a lot of crazy. Shot on 16 mm, the film has a grainy, analogue look to it. It feels very real and very in the moment. Especially during the more brutal scenes where no gory moment is spared. As the story unfolds, every new chapter unveils another layer, giving the audience subtle insights into Dolly and her history. Not enough to get a full mythos, but just enough to layer the story and make things a little more interesting. We get hints and insights here and there into who Dolly is and what earlier parts of her life were like.
Wrestling star Max the Impaler brings the character of Dolly to life. Like Leatherface, Dolly doesn’t really speak, but Max gives a performance that makes the character imposing, frightening, and vicious. They give the character a presence and physicality that fills the whole room, and a brutality to match. Fabianne Therese makes Macy a compelling match for Dolly. Macy is strong and determined and is definitely not the damsel in distress type who will just sit around and wait for something to happen.
Dolly is violent, bloody, and a hell of a lot of fun. I didn’t expect a movie about a gigantic slasher doll would be one of my favorite finds of the festival, but that’s part of what makes festivals so fun. I can’t wait for this one to be unleashed on audiences everywhere.
Movie Score: 5/5
Emily von Seele hails from Seattle, where it rains a lot, which gives her plenty of excuses to stay inside and watch movies. She has written for Bloody Disgusting, Daily Dead, the Women in Horror Annual and Grim Magazine, and is co-host of the Dead Ringers podcast. You can usually catch Emily on Twitter (@horrorellablog), where she has been known to gab excessively about movies and tweet adorable pics of her two cats - seriously, they are the cutest ever.
Emily von Seele hails from Seattle, where it rains a lot, which gives her plenty of excuses to stay inside and watch movies. She has written for Bloody Disgusting, Daily Dead, the Women in Horror Annual and Grim Magazine, and is co-host of the Dead Ringers podcast. You can usually catch Emily on Twitter (@horrorellablog), where she has been known to gab excessively about movies and tweet adorable pics of her two cats - seriously, they are the cutest ever.
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