In the cinema world of horror, certain canons have been established for a long time and on which almost all movie novelties are based: vengeful ghosts, bloody maniacs, carnivorous zombies and werewolves, ominous toys, etc. The list goes on and on.
Favorably different
The American horror film "Doll", which was released in 2016, was no exception. The audience has already had the pleasure of watching on the screen animated dolls, which scare fear not only for children, but also for adult heroes. But this tape compares favorably with other intriguing plot twists, so the viewer, while watching, does not focus on the obvious horror cliches. The film “Doll” (2016) was renamed several times in the production process, the first version of the name was In a Dark Place, after The Inhabitant. The casting of the project was also accompanied by ups and downs, initially the leading actress was supposed to be Jane Levy from the remake of The Evil Dead.
Restless toy
The film "Doll" (2016) is the fourth work of American director William Brent Bell, who gained worldwide fame after the premiere of "Obsessed". This horror movie about exorcism with a budget of $ 1,000,000 raised $ 101 million at the world box office, which pleased the studio administration and prompted thinking about a new stage in the development of the genre. In addition to this horror, Bell created the tape “Werewolf” (2013) and an instructive horror film about the role-playing computer game “Lost”. Such a demonstration of commitment to the genre did not go unnoticed, so the producers of a film about a mysterious toy without a bit of doubt suggested that Bella take a director's chair in a new project. The only thing the director of the movie “Doll” did not agree with was the soft rating of PG-13, by the way, many viewers and critics did not really like this producer condition either. But the efforts of the film crew were generally rewarded, with a budget of $ 8 million, cinema raised $ 64 million at the box office. Although the reviews of the movie "Doll" is more neutral or rather restrained. The rating of the picture according to IMDb is 6.00.
Brief description of the main intrigue
The plot of the film "The Doll" is frankly secondary, it was actively exaggerated by many filmmakers, starting from the British classic tape of 1945, "Deep at Night", to the epic about the bloody tricks of Chucky in the 80-90s and still fresh in Annabelle's memory from The Spell and Curses of Annabelle. "
According to the idea of the authors, the main character Greta hastily leaves America for England, hiring a job for an elderly couple as a governess. The girl is sure that she will deal with a little tomboy, however, on the spot it turns out that she will look after the doll, which the couple affectionately call Brahms and consider their offspring. Greta’s responsibilities are listed in 10 paragraphs that regulate her every action with respect to toys, have instructions on what to do and what not to do. In fact, the boy died in early childhood, but the events that begin to occur with the arrival of the young governess make Greta believe in the presence of a paranormal entity.
Illusions are a magnet, they attract uncontrollably
Further, the plot of the film “The Doll” informs the audience about the presence of Greta’s difficult background, the past haunts her in the face of an aggressive ex-boyfriend. It was from him that the girl tried to escape, agreeing to the work of a governess in a provincial British village. And her employers almost immediately leave home for a long vacation. After that, a string of mystical incidents unfolds, for which, as it turns out later, there is a quite distinct and convincing explanation.
Almost everything described above, the viewer could imagine after watching the trailer. It is not surprising that many preliminary reviews of the movie “Doll” expressed concern that the authors ’imagination might run dry in the original eyeballs. But after the premiere, it became clear that the worries were in vain. The script, released from the pen of debutant Stacy Menia, contains a chic plot twist that completely changes the semantic background of what is happening. Of course, such an author’s move cannot be called exclusively innovative, there are films that have something similar, but in this movie it is organically integrated into the general outline, it looks bright and unexpected. In the modern film industry in general and in horror in particular, the successful synthesis of already known and realized ideas of the past has become almost the main virtue.
Doll mysticism
According to reviews, the film "Doll" is a mix of established traditions of puppet horror with the famous psychological story of Henry James "Turn of the Screw." The drama about parental hearts tormented by the death of a child is “implanted” in a detective story, which afterwards smoothly and organically transforms into natural puppet mysticism. Most critics considered the director's work quite successful. For Bell, whose previous films contained a lot of cheap special effects and not always on time applicable pseudo-documentary style, the 2016 film is the first experience in creating a solid, classic film product. Experts from the cinema, analyzing the film "The Doll", noted in reviews that it was performed at the highest professional level, and there was not a trace of amateur trash in the film. The tension in the course of the narrative is pumped up gradually, efficiently, but succinctly, and at key moments the audience’s nerves really agitate. It was safe to say that the project is the best in the filmography of the director, if not for one “but”.
Criticism
Many reviewers in reviews of the horror film "Doll" annoyingly indicate that the end of the tape completely disappoints. At that moment, when the audience freezes in anticipation of the final act, the climax of emotions in front of a relaxing gloom of captions, nothing happens. The picture ends where at least a few more minutes of intriguing action are simply needed. This is surprising, given that Hollywood knows how to comply with unwritten standards. American industry products are often blamed for the lack of fiction, grace and soul, but very rarely for not observing the right dose of entertainment. And Bella’s brainchild suffers from just that. It is not known for what reasons and at what stage of production the failure occurred, but the audience does not get the full amount of impressions that it expects. Naturally, viewers expressed their dissatisfaction in the reviews of the horror film "Doll".
Acting Ensemble
The main role in the film was played by the charming Lauren Cohan (“The Vampire Diaries”, “American Family”), which very convincingly demonstrates the whole spectrum of emotions of her heroine Greta. The director in an interview with the media repeatedly emphasized that he immediately gained mutual understanding and a common language with the actress. Lauren showed herself as a gifted and efficient actress, ready to meekly play even 20 takes in a row if necessary.
The role of the caring seller of Malcolm, helping to cope with the main character with horrors, went to the charismatic Rupert Evans ("The Man in the High Castle", "Hellboy"). One of the producers, Harry Lucchesi, immediately noted the "chemistry" that arose between the performers. The spectacular monologues of the character of Rupert are considered especially memorable in the film.
The old couple, Brahms' parents, was played by Diane Hardkesley ("Good Woman") and Jim Norton ("American History X"). Actors and the roles of “Dolls” were selected for each other by the types of creative tandem of the producers, taking into account the preferences of Brent Bell.
No computer effects
During the creation of the porcelain doll, a real boy Jett Kline posed for the master. His image appears in the horror in photographs carefully kept by Brahms parents. In his appearance, the director discerned the necessary type: at first glance, a cute baby, but you can easily believe that in a minute he is able to turn into a real monster.
The doll was created by Todd Masters, a famous Hollywood make-up artist. He realized a difficult task. The doll should have had a cute, childish expression, but with different lighting it should change so that it takes on sinister features. By the way, the crew of the project managed to do without computer special effects, they were sure that a miracle could only be man-made.
New Teen Horror
The filming process of the film took place in the walls of the gothic mansion Craigdarroch Castle, located on the island of Vancouver. Thanks to the efforts of cameraman Daniel Perle, who worked to create the legendary Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror movie and its remake, the atmosphere of the building was filled with real tangible horror.
If we consider the film "Doll" from the point of view of the younger generation of viewers who are unlikely to watch classic horror films about Chuckie, then the picture of Bell could well replace it with the classics. Perhaps in a few years the project will receive the status of a classic teenage horror, such as "Scream" for today's adults.