The Doll Master (2017) Reviews

• I wanted to like this movie, I really did

  darksyde-635082018-01-30

  But, like the first "Annabelle" movie, it is WAY too long on talk, and way too short on killer doll chills. And plus, its way too much of a "Child's Play" ripoff for it's own good. But IF you wanna see a "Childs Play" ripoff that's actually creepy and delivers chills, check out the Mongolian horror flick "The Doll". Its MUCH better than this

• Hugo: The Yugo of films

  nogodnomasters2017-12-01

  There is nothing like a great title and catchy DVD cover to sell a stinker. May have plot spoilers ahead. Norman (Tony Fadil) lives as a shut-in haunted by dreams of dolls and he takes medication. He eats burnt toast with his doll Hugo who talks to him. His doll is stolen and Norman goes to look for him in "the tunnels" which also connect to a home. Somehow connected is a film crew in the tunnels talking to Norman about a secret passageway. The cinematography was bad and looked washed. I had a Redbox rental and I had to crank the sound up to 70 to hear it. Steven M. Smith got a lot of usage out of his red filter. Hugo didn't move other than when someone held him to make it look like he is peaking around a corner. On the plus side, I liked the broken doll face make-up and the girl at the end who had that Harley Quinn element to her. Too bad the film was consumed with dull dialogue. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity

• Didn't really go any where

  n_terelinck2017-10-20

  Purchased this film out of interest and what a film. I didn't know what to expect but found it bitty and very amateur. Good cast but didn't seem to have much of a plot and it all ended rather quickly. Felt like it need extra padding or something more dramatic than a women being beaten with a mannequins arm. Amazed by the rating. If you want something to get your teeth into, this isn't it. Maybe I'm missing something but left disappointed and missing those 77 missing of my life I'll never get back.

• Spoilers follow ...

  parry_na2017-10-18

  What begins as a potentially interesting micro-budget project soon becomes something of a slog, with a collection of some extremely monotonous-sounding characters. Norman (Tony Fadil) is a mentally disturbed 'shut-in' who lives with his solitary friend Hugo. Hugo, of course, is a doll which may or may not be alive. Norman talks to Hugo, makes him tea and toast, and the initially imaginative direction suggests other dolls and mannequins dotted around the rooms may also have corporeal existences. Hugo is stolen and Norman is lured into a television ghost-hunting reality show recording, lead by Sarah Sarah Rose Dentonand peppered with some rather dull characters. "Well, we, er, yes, so we've had incidents. I know that you've, um, come to do this doll mystery thing, so …" says the man who has allowed this team into the 'creepy' vaults. Johnny Rorie Stocktonstrikes up a friendship with Norman, which is bizarre given the way Johnny was the man who tricked Norman into coming here: the man responsible for the cruelty inflicted on this unstable character. "I mean, well, what you've got to remember, you know, er, stuff like that, so …" Quickly, things dissolve into a kind of found-footage tangle where everyone talks at the same time. The only entertaining character is the amusingly detestable Malik (Jon-Paul Gates), who usually ends most sentences with 'd'you know what I mean?' These, and most other scenes, are wearisome to watch, punctuated with shots of Hugo's face, 'watching'. The acting really isn't that bad, but what doesn't help any performance is that there's no depth, no character and nothing to persuade us to invest in them, just a series of tantrums and confrontations. It's all sadly rather gloomy and flat. Written, directed and co-produced by Steven M Smith, with very effective music by Felipe Téllez, this successfully avoids greatness on a number of levels, but has a few redeeming moments. The mix of real mannequins and actors creates a sinister world of the dolls, although their backstory is pretty impenetrable.

• liked this film

  matthew-john2017-10-02

  interesting chucky re-make, with good references to mental health issues. I could see it was low budget, but good quality film. Good performances, especially from the sarcastic security guard played by Jon Paul Gates. Nice to see a good all British cast in a good quality low-budget horror movie. I roughly enjoyed watching this movie and suggest others to watch it also.