Never go camping again! This chilling horror flick serves up a terrifying reason why nature might just be your worst enemy.
If you've ever romanticized the idea of a wilderness getaway, prepare to have those dreams shattered. This gory thriller boldly asserts that venturing into the woods, seeking picturesque hilltop vistas, or immersing yourself in nature can lead to nothing but dread. It's a persuasive argument, to say the least.
The unfortunate souls who learn this harsh lesson firsthand are the seemingly perfect, and therefore doomed, couple: Macy, portrayed by the increasingly prominent scream queen Fabianne Therese, and Chase, played by Seann William Scott, forever etched in our minds as Stifler from American Pie. The film kicks off with Chase orchestrating a grand romantic gesture – a mountain-top proposal after a hike. For anyone who's ever seen a horror movie, this is a classic setup for disaster, making Chase's plan seem rather foolish.
But here's where it gets interesting: Macy harbors her own reservations about commitment, particularly concerning the prospect of becoming a full-fledged stepmother to Chase's daughter, Evy, played by Eve Blackhurst, who might be related to the film's writer-director, Rod Blackhurst. These maternal anxieties seem to foreshadow the escalating terror that's about to unfold.
And this is the part most people miss: the mayhem truly erupts when the couple is ambushed by a deranged individual. This antagonist is disturbingly costumed as a six-foot doll, complete with a blonde wig and a mask that mimics a pseudo-ceramic, infantile face. One eye socket is eerily open, revealing a dark void from which faint, unsettling babyish whimpers can be heard. This figure, brought to life by the non-binary wrestler Max the Impaler, communicates not through words, but through gestures that suggest a disturbing fixation on childhood games and a desire to claim Macy as their new plaything.
Dolly, as this doll-like entity is known, already possesses a collection of creepy dolls in a dilapidated house. To this unsettling abode, Dolly drags the incapacitated Chase and a terrified Macy. The narrative then devolves into a relentless cycle of escape and recapture. Characters flee, only to be caught again, leading to brutal confrontations involving shovels and other unsanitary household items, inevitably risking tetanus. While this repetitive structure might induce a bit of a lull, Therese's performance is a standout. She masterfully channels raw terror and distress, culminating in a prolonged, unhinged sequence that serves as a clear homage to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Though, one might argue, aren't most films of this ilk paying tribute to that iconic slasher in some way?
What do you think? Is the doll-as-killer trope overused, or does Dolly manage to bring a fresh kind of terror to the screen? Let us know in the comments below!
