Dolls (1987)

63% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
52% of users liked it
(7,583 ratings)

Young Judy Bower (Carrie Lorraine) is spending the summer with her stupid, abusive father, David (Ian Williams), and nasty stepmother, Rosemary (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon). On a dark and stormy night, their car breaks down on a lonely road in the woods and they are forced to seek shelter. As they walk,… More Young Judy Bower (Carrie Lorraine) is spending the summer with her stupid, abusive father, David (Ian Williams), and nasty stepmother, Rosemary (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon). On a dark and stormy night, their car breaks down on a lonely road in the woods and they are forced to seek shelter. As they walk, Rosemary throws Judy's beloved teddy bear into the woods, and the imaginative child envisions it coming to life as a great fanged beast which slaughters her tormentors. The idea of loyal toys protecting their young owners from the ravages of the adult world is forcefully made, and imbues the rest of the film. They come upon a creepy old house owned by elderly Gabriel Hartwick (Guy Rolfe) and his wife, Hilary (Hilary Mason). Gabriel is a doll-maker and dazzles Judy with his collection of exquisitely detailed creations. Another car breaks down in the storm as well, bearing amiable Ralph Morris and two trampy hitchhikers. What they and the Bowers don't know is that the dolls are alive, and protect the young (Judy) and the young at heart (Ralph) from the evils of adulthood. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Stuart Gordon
Written By: Ed Naha
Genres: Horror

In Theaters: Mar 1, 1987 Wide
On DVD: Sep 20, 2005

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
At some point Dolls remains only an idea, a concept. It doesn't become an engine to shock and involve us.
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com
Dolls is as warm and sincere as it is dastardly and spooky.
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
Feels like it was made by a trio of monkeys with a $20 budget.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Odd, sadly overlooked little horror film from Stuart Gordon. A kind of variant on The Old Dark House.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
Cheesy horror B-movie with a surprisingly clever script, more than a few laughs, and creepy moments.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
So-so effort from creepmesiter Stuart Gordon.

Read all 6 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Phil H

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… More
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 times, almost 'Pinocchio' 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 too make the film seem better than it maybe should be, infact the whole film looks good with decent well lit sets, dark hallways, plenty of shadows and the classic thunder and lightning all giving the right atmospheric glow. Not scary but more of a 'Scooby Doo' creepy feel to it which is just right as its obviously hard to make killer dolls come across as genuinely scary.
Alexis N

Oh who doesn't love a good horror flick about evil dolls?! Really the dolls helped get rid of the evil in this old bed and breakfast.. it's so creepy and classic.
AJ V

If you think of the dolls from Barbarella and Chucky from Child's Play, these dolls are sort of a mix of the two. They're just creepy dolls who kill, pretty much. The story is simple and ridiculous, the actors are bad, and I didn't care much for it, but it's not… More
If you think of the dolls from Barbarella and Chucky from Child's Play, these dolls are sort of a mix of the two. They're just creepy dolls who kill, pretty much. The story is simple and ridiculous, the actors are bad, and I didn't care much for it, but it's not too bad.
Lafe F

Dolls! A great adult horror fantasy movie for those who still have a child living inside them - and a need to see some gore. I enjoyed this fantastic film a lot! A little girl named Judy travels the English countryside with her father and step-mother Rosemary. Their car breaks down on… More
Dolls! A great adult horror fantasy movie for those who still have a child living inside them - and a need to see some gore. I enjoyed this fantastic film a lot! A little girl named Judy travels the English countryside with her father and step-mother Rosemary. Their car breaks down on a rainy night and they find shelter in a huge antique mansion where an old toymaker and his wife live with their collection of antique dolls. Soon a goofy American tourist and two punk rocker girls drop in from the storm. Once everybody is tucked in for the night, the dolls come to life and pay visit to the guests of the house... These walking toys will only hurt those who disrespect them or their masters. Great musical score and well-done stop motion animation effects for the creepy antique dolls. I love this quality horror film.
Patrick D

Well it's not very logical, even when you forgive the fact that dolls are coming alive and killing people. But goddamn it! It really is fun as hell in that great 80s horror kind of way. It's interesting too how the film begins with you cheering for the dolls, but then your… More
Well it's not very logical, even when you forgive the fact that dolls are coming alive and killing people. But goddamn it! It really is fun as hell in that great 80s horror kind of way. It's interesting too how the film begins with you cheering for the dolls, but then your side changes when they attack and kill the best character in the film, who also fittingly has the best death scene. If you like this kind of stuff, you'll love this, if you don't, don't even check this out.