Dolls (1987) - A Traditionally Grimm Fairy Tale

Dolls (directed by Stuart Gordon, 1987) is a film that has all of the elements of a classic Grimm fairy tale – including the grisly details, and that makes it all the more enjoyable.

The premise – a family break down in the middle of nowhere, and take shelter in an elderly toy-making couple’s Scooby-Doo-esque house.

We follow Judy (Carrie Lorraine), a girl with an almost laughably awful father (Ian Patrick Williams), and a cartoonishly evil stepmother (Caroline Purdy-Gordon). And the sets seem like something out of a fantasy too – crammed full of lavish furniture and of course, lots of dolls. This has two dimensional biker girls out to scam the seemingly kind, but slightly creepy old couple, and the naïve yet loveable Ralph (Stephen Lee). Surprisingly, the movie juggles this all well. Is it believable? Maybe not. But it maybe it's not meant to be. The familiar storybook narrative we find ourselves in, complete with the creepy backdrop, is a treat for any fan the brothers Grimm. We follow along with the archetypes because there is a catharsis in seeing a familiar story play out. The good are rewarded and the bad get their due.

This film is a careful juggler of the ‘mean one is the first to die cliché.’ These deaths are gory and brutal, and only some of the time do we feel sympathy for these people. This brutality works in the films favour – we care about what happens to Ralph – we don’t want him to meet this same terrible fate. The binary of the adults comes into play here – every time that Ralph is onscreen, we know we are meant to like him. He’s the adult that we are meant to want to be - the nice grown-up. And that’s where the moral, much like a real fairy tale, comes in – stay young at heart. Keep the magic of childhood, because it may still be out there. Maybe its that idea that makes me enjoy this movie so much. It’s a grown-up version of Narnia – an adult version that fantasy is out there, if you know where to look.

Dolls is another movie with a good child actor and character. Judy is a classic fairy tale heroine in her kindness, with the twist that she doesn't put up with her father and step-mother's nonsense. We like her spunk because it's authentic, and like her relationship with the dolls because she's sweet. This contradiction only serves to have her feel authentic, not contradictory.

Who are the real villains of this film? We never do seem to be truly creeped out or intimidated by the Hartwickes. They aren’t presented as antagonists. We can see that they are on Judy's side, and as she is our protagonist, we trust her judgement. Sure, they know there’s something more sinister going on – but they were the ones getting robbed, right? Overall, our antagonist is the neglectful parents – another Grimm-esque moral to the adults watching.

The effects must also be mentioned. This movie knows just how much to show of these dolls moving that we believe it. And for the most part, these effects still hold up and are still spine chillingly creepy. Judy's father’s end fate isn’t horrible to watch because it’s dated, but still because it’s horrible to watch. The final farewell with (!!) is also touching. The only one who looks a bit worse for wear is Teddy – but we can get around that by saying he was never meant to be a real bear, anyway – just a more ferocious toy. (Death of the Author includes Death of the Filmmakers, right?)

Overall, Dolls is a film to get lost in. Its mix of horror movies and fairy tales is seamless and enchanting and perfect for anyone who enjoys a retelling of Alice in Wonderland and the like. This is a universe that we are left dying to explore. (Please don’t let the credits stop, because then the scene behind it would end!) The sequel that never was will always be mourned along with its clever director.