Ten Best Evil Doll Movies

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ORIGINAL HEADING:

Here’s another blog I made.  Another one?  Really?  Oh well, I like lists so this blog contains lists only.  Unlike my Best/Worst of the Year lists posted on my other blog (one of many), Best and Worst Films Archive, this one will contain top ten lists for specific genres.  Whenever people ask me what my favorite movie is, I never have a definitive answer so these entries will give you a general idea of what some of my favorite films are.  Agree or disagree, I don’t give a ‘eff’ (that’s your right)…

*Read any previous lists in the archive section at the bottom or by clicking on arrow at top left*

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Dolls.  Just like clowns, some people are frightened of them while some are fascinated with them, like me.  I’ve always had a fascination with dolls, especially creepy ones.  Living Dead Dolls are a favorite; I own nine of them but would like to own the entire collection one day (I’m at least 100 short, if not more).  I liked playing with dolls as a kid, some would say that’s the queer in me, but I liked playing school with them (me being the teacher) and putting them in other scenarios, and that was with toys in general whether geared towards boys or girls (yeah, there was no non-binary category back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s).  I don’t like ugly dolls either, there’re lots of them.  I like cool creepy ones, like LDD’s and Victorian era ones to name a few.  Ever since seeing Child’s Play 2 in elementary school, it was actually my younger brother that got me to watch it, I’ve been even more fascinated with evil dolls.  I thought it was totally cool despite being completely preposterous how a little plaything could harm and/or kill people.  When most people think of killer dolls, they automatically think of Chucky.  I do love Chucky and could probably put all seven titles of the franchise on this list, but I wanted to leave room for other doll movies.  Plus, I didn’t like parts five through seven as much as the first four, Seed of Chucky being my least favorite although I did grow to like it a little better and it’s good to include in a Chucky marathon.  Child’s Play 2 is my favorite, not just because it was the first one I saw even though nostalgia plays a part, but it still holds up and is the most fun of the series.  Other titles on this list are due to nostalgia as well, like Dolls, Dolly Dearest and Pinocchio’s Revenge.  Dolls is actually a pretty brutal movie though, making me like it more as I got older.  Dolly Dearest is the kind of movie I wished Annabelle was; they both deal with satanic themes but Annabelle doesn’t actually walk and kill like Dolly (Dolly talks too and I would’ve been okay with Annabelle not talking).  Annabelle had a bigger budget too, so it could’ve been the better Dolly Dearest.  On the topic of Annabelle---I wasn’t going to include either movie when compiling this list because the doll doesn’t actually cause any of the harm; it’s just a conduit for a demonic presence.  After much thought, I gave in to including the sequel, Annabelle:  Creation, because I liked it much better than the first one (although the sequel was actually a prequel) and the doll is part of both titles.  Plus, she’s a cool kind of creepy.  Pinocchio’s Revenge is strictly nostalgia but is actually pretty decent regardless of the action likely all being in the little girl’s head.  Magic is a slow burn but I had to include it since Fats is iconic.  I didn’t include any of the Puppet Master films.  A good portion of them in that franchise were decent, none I would call my favorites, and I think I like some of the dolls themselves better than the actual movies.  I’ve seen nine out of the twelve (yes, there are 12 Puppet Master movies) and my favorite one would have to be Puppet Master II; I thought it had more action than the first and it introduced Torch, my favorite creation, and I liked Leech Woman better as a homicidal Barbie over someone that “pooped” leeches from her mouth.  The Robert movies, based on the real legend, have a pretty cool and slightly creepy version of Robert which looks nothing like the real one located in Key West, Florida, and are simply decent but far from grand (I’ve seen three of the four released).  There’ve been good television episodes featuring dolls, examples being “Really You” (The Haunting Hour, Season One), “Living Doll” (The Twilight Zone, Season Five), and “The Doll” (Night Gallery, Season One).  “The Tale of the Dollmaker” (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Season Three) was more about girls becoming dolls in a dollhouse but still involved dolls somehow and was good (it was also the first Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode I saw).  Talky Tina from “Living Doll” has become iconic, at least for Twilight Zone and evil doll fans, but pales in comparison to what would be frightening today; allegedly that episode is what inspired Child’s Play!  There have also been decent segments for anthology films, but surprisingly not as many as there should be, like the slave doll segment in Tales from the Hood and “Amelia” in Trilogy of Terror featuring that Zuni warrior doll.  It’s a shame there weren’t too many doll movies to choose from, at least decent ones.  Chucky needs someone to share the spotlight with.  I know his competitor could still be out there, but until then, there’re always my ten favorites below as well as what was mentioned above…

Ten Favorite Evil Doll Movies

1.            Annabelle:  Creation

2.            Bride of Chucky

3.            Child’s Play*

4.            Child’s Play 2*

5.            Child’s Play 3

6.            Dead Silence

7.            Dolls*

8.            Dolly Dearest

9.            Magic

10.          Pinocchio’s Revenge

*indicates a standout title

---Sean O.