The world of filmmaker Stuart Gordon is wide reaching in tone and content; crime thrillers to cosmic horror have filled the screen for decades. And then there’s Dolls (1987), which occupies a special place for lovers of fairy tales with dripping meat on its bones; it’s as weird as you expect it to be, but with a sweet underbelly that refuses to stay down.
Made quickly after Re-Animator (’85) but before From Beyond (’86) to utilize Charles Band’s Italian studios for Empire Pictures, Dolls didn’t see release until release stateside until March of ’87, and quickly came and went with little fanfare. Perhaps folks were still attuned to Gordon’s very specific Lovecraftian vibrations to appreciate something so different at the time. Time has been kind however, and the film is generally regarded now as one of his better efforts from a varied (and storied) filmography.
Our tale goes something...
Made quickly after Re-Animator (’85) but before From Beyond (’86) to utilize Charles Band’s Italian studios for Empire Pictures, Dolls didn’t see release until release stateside until March of ’87, and quickly came and went with little fanfare. Perhaps folks were still attuned to Gordon’s very specific Lovecraftian vibrations to appreciate something so different at the time. Time has been kind however, and the film is generally regarded now as one of his better efforts from a varied (and storied) filmography.
Our tale goes something...
- 5/4/2019
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Dolls is the latest cult horror title to receive the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray treatment from Scream Factory and they’ve provided us with the final list of bonus features for the November 11th release:
“Do you like handmade puppets, toy soldiers, ballerinas and dolls? Charming elderly toymaker Gabriel Hartwicke and his wife Hilary have the perfect play toys just for you! From celebrated cult filmmaker Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), executive producer Charles Band, producer Brian Yuzna (Society) and screenwriter Ed Naha (Troll) comes a campy, horror cult classic that combines the pint-sized playmates of childhood with bone-chilling fun. The 1987 horror film Dolls is a bloody good terror trap that delivers its frights, fun and fantastic effects in equal measure. The film stars Stephen Lee (The Pit and the Pendulum), Guy Rolfe (Puppet Master III, Mr. Sardonicus), Hilary Mason (Don’t Look Now), Ian Patrick Williams (Re-Animator), Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (From Beyond...
“Do you like handmade puppets, toy soldiers, ballerinas and dolls? Charming elderly toymaker Gabriel Hartwicke and his wife Hilary have the perfect play toys just for you! From celebrated cult filmmaker Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), executive producer Charles Band, producer Brian Yuzna (Society) and screenwriter Ed Naha (Troll) comes a campy, horror cult classic that combines the pint-sized playmates of childhood with bone-chilling fun. The 1987 horror film Dolls is a bloody good terror trap that delivers its frights, fun and fantastic effects in equal measure. The film stars Stephen Lee (The Pit and the Pendulum), Guy Rolfe (Puppet Master III, Mr. Sardonicus), Hilary Mason (Don’t Look Now), Ian Patrick Williams (Re-Animator), Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (From Beyond...
- 9/11/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
At the San Diego Comic-Con back in July, Scream Factory announced that Stuart Gordon's Dolls would soon be getting the Collector's Edition Blu-ray treatment, and today full details have revealed all the stuffing that'll be found inside the release. Read on!
From the Press Release
Do you like handmade puppets, toy soldiers, ballerinas, and dolls? Charming elderly toymaker Gabriel Hartwicke and his wife, Hilary, have the perfect play toys just for you!
From celebrated cult filmmaker Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), executive producer Charles Band, producer Brian Yuzna (Society), and screenwriter Ed Naha (Troll), comes a campy, horror cult classic that combines the pint-sized playmates of childhood with bone-chilling fun. The 1987 horror film Dolls is a bloody good terror trap that delivers its frights, fun, and fantastic effects in equal measure. The film stars Stephen Lee (The Pit and the Pendulum), Guy Rolfe (Puppet Master III, Mr. Sardonicus), Hilary Mason (Don...
From the Press Release
Do you like handmade puppets, toy soldiers, ballerinas, and dolls? Charming elderly toymaker Gabriel Hartwicke and his wife, Hilary, have the perfect play toys just for you!
From celebrated cult filmmaker Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), executive producer Charles Band, producer Brian Yuzna (Society), and screenwriter Ed Naha (Troll), comes a campy, horror cult classic that combines the pint-sized playmates of childhood with bone-chilling fun. The 1987 horror film Dolls is a bloody good terror trap that delivers its frights, fun, and fantastic effects in equal measure. The film stars Stephen Lee (The Pit and the Pendulum), Guy Rolfe (Puppet Master III, Mr. Sardonicus), Hilary Mason (Don...
- 9/11/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
I can’t wait for this release to finally come to fruition. It has been a long time since I have seen Stuart Gordon’s magical killer dolls film, so when Scream Factory announced it, they had my attention immediately. This is a “Collector’s Edition” so it looks as if it is getting the appropriate treatment. The artwork has been revealed, and the extras exposed. There appears to be a good mixture of both old and new. Including, but not limited to - all-new retrospective featuring interviews with director Stuart Gordon, producer Brian Yuzna, stars Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Ian Patrick Williams, executive producer Charles Band, and special make-Up effects artists Gabe Bartalos, andJohn Vulich and more! Check out the press release below, and pre-order your copy by either clicking here for Shout!’s website, or here for Amazon.
Scream Factory™ Presents
A Film by Stuart Gordon and Executive Produced by...
Scream Factory™ Presents
A Film by Stuart Gordon and Executive Produced by...
- 9/11/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
Stars: Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Carrie Lorraine, Guy Rolfe, Hilary Mason, Bunty Bailey, Cassie Stuart, Stephen Lee | Written by Ed Naha | Directed by Stuart Gordon
The second collaboration between Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and Charles Band, Dolls was originally lensed as a “stop-gap” feature between Gordon’s debut feature Re-Animator and its follow-up, From Beyond – a filler piece if you will, to be shot at Charles Band’s newly purchased Italian soundstage (bought from Dino De Laurentiis no less) – from a script by Ed Naha, who had already penned one monster movie, the infamous Troll, for Band’s Empire Pictures shingle. Little did anyone know that the low-budget, quickly shot film would still, to this day, be regarded as one of the highlights of Empire Pictures horror output in the 80s…
And did I mention it just happens to still be one of my all-time favourite 80s horrors?...
The second collaboration between Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and Charles Band, Dolls was originally lensed as a “stop-gap” feature between Gordon’s debut feature Re-Animator and its follow-up, From Beyond – a filler piece if you will, to be shot at Charles Band’s newly purchased Italian soundstage (bought from Dino De Laurentiis no less) – from a script by Ed Naha, who had already penned one monster movie, the infamous Troll, for Band’s Empire Pictures shingle. Little did anyone know that the low-budget, quickly shot film would still, to this day, be regarded as one of the highlights of Empire Pictures horror output in the 80s…
And did I mention it just happens to still be one of my all-time favourite 80s horrors?...
- 4/19/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
If you grew up in the 80s, you remember the first time you watched Halloween and Friday the 13th; you remember how dark the room was, how the popcorn tasted, and how many times you almost peed your pants from fear. You also probably remember the first time you saw Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator and From Beyond. Call me crazy, but I have much more vivid memories of watching Gordon’s not-so-popular horror gem, Dolls (1987). Picture this: during an all-girls sleepover in the heart of suburbia, my friends and I walked to the video rental store with a few dollars. While browsing endless titles, out of the corner of my eye, I caught the front cover of Dolls on VHS with the skeletal doll holding her gouged eyeballs – I couldn’t resist. That night I became the bravest girl in the fourth grade; I stayed up to watch Dolls alone in the dark,...
- 5/13/2013
- by Lianne Spiderbaby
- FEARnet
If you have Netflix and are a horror fan in need of something to watch this Labor Day weekend, one look at this gargantuan list I compiled of the new terror titles Netflix has added for instant streaming in just the first three days of this month should keep you busy until Labor Day next year. You'll find something for everyone, from older titles to recent releases, famous to obscure, classic to not-so-classic, monsters to maniacs - you name it.
For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.
For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.
- 9/3/2010
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
Here's an old Paramount Pictures memo that was in the archives of Paramount, or maybe they found it behind a desk while moving offices. The memo was written on April 13th 1987 to the head of Network Television. It gives us a look at the actors who were being considered for certain roles in the series. One of the most interesting names on the list is Wesley Snipes being considered for the role of Georgi! He was actually the frontrunner for the part. Could you imagine!
Check out a transcript of the list below and let us know what you think.
Transcript:
To: John Pike
Date: April 13, 1987
From: John Ferraro
Subject: Star Trek/Casting
Per your request, following is a list of actors who are being considered for their respective roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Picard
Patrick Stewart
Mitch Ryan
Roy Thinnes
Yaphet Kotto
Patrick Bauchau
Tasha
Lianne Langland...
Check out a transcript of the list below and let us know what you think.
Transcript:
To: John Pike
Date: April 13, 1987
From: John Ferraro
Subject: Star Trek/Casting
Per your request, following is a list of actors who are being considered for their respective roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Picard
Patrick Stewart
Mitch Ryan
Roy Thinnes
Yaphet Kotto
Patrick Bauchau
Tasha
Lianne Langland...
- 8/27/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Letters Of Note have uncovered an old memo from the archives at Paramount, written on April 13th 1987 to the studio's Head of Network Television - detailing the actors being considered for the various roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is interesting to see some of the names that were inconsideration for the cast, but didn't end up getting the part (for whatever reason). Hit the jump to see the full memo. Transcript: To: John Pike Date: April 13, 1987 From: John Ferraro Subject: Star Trek/Casting Per your request, following is a list of actors who are being considered for their respective roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Picard Patrick Stewart Mitch Ryan Roy Thinnes Yaphet Kotto Patrick Bauchau Tasha Lianne Langland Julia Nickson Rosalind Chao Leah Ayers Bunty Bailey Data Mark Lindsay Chapman Eric Menyuk Kevin Peter Hall (also for Geordi) Kelvin Han Yee Ryker Michael O'Gorman Gregg Marx...
- 8/27/2010
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
Dolls! Oh, how I hate them. Their flat little frozen faces might appear to say nothing, but they’ve never fooled me! Sure, they don’t move; at least when you’re looking directly at them. They sit still and polite, dressed in their Victorian gown, clown suit, or whatever ridiculous garb they hope is charming enough for them to seem harmless. Don’t be fooled! Dolls wouldn’t only kill you if they could; they’d fry your liver with onions and feed it to your cat. Dolls would steal your mail and forward any porn to your mom.
Dolls are, in every single way, evil incarnate and deserve nothing more than be melted down into small itsy bitsy plastic lumps and force fed to death row inmates prior to execution in order to better expedite their quite necessary trip to hell. Egads!
There have been many instances of...
Dolls are, in every single way, evil incarnate and deserve nothing more than be melted down into small itsy bitsy plastic lumps and force fed to death row inmates prior to execution in order to better expedite their quite necessary trip to hell. Egads!
There have been many instances of...
- 11/3/2008
- by Tristan Sinns
- DreadCentral.com
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