|Dolly (2025): The Doll-Masked Killer You Can't Unsee

[Ambrose]Okay, real quick. Before we get into today's review, go follow us on Facebook, Instagram, blue sky, and TikTok at the thingaboutfilms so you can keep up with all our horror takes updates and general unwell behavior.
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[Narrator]Hello, fiends. Welcome to the thing about Films, the horror podcast, where two horror obsessed hosts dig into the movies that disturb us, surprise us, and sometimes completely mess us up. No credentials, no filter, just a love for horror and a need to talk about every scream, every scare, and every. What was that noise in the background? So turn the lights down low, settle in, and let's step into the darkness. Your hosts, Ambrose and Jessica, awaiting.
[Ambrose]Okay, real quick, before we do anything else, I need you to imagine something for me.
[Jessica]This is already suspicious.
[Ambrose]Okay, just follow along. You're in the woods.
[Jessica]Yeah, that's a hard no.
[Ambrose]Just stay with me. You're hiking. It's beautiful. Your boyfriend is about to propose.
[Jessica]Okay, that part's nice.
[Ambrose]He wanders off to find the perfect spot. You're waiting. Birds are doing their thing, leaves are doing their thing. Everything is fine.
[Jessica]Why do I feel a but coming?
[Ambrose]And then you hear it.
[Jessica]Hear what?
[Ambrose]A music box.
[Jessica]In the woods.
[Ambrose]Yep. In the woods.
[Jessica]Just floating out of nowhere.
[Ambrose]You got it. It's just floating. Sweet, soft. Totally out of place.
[Jessica]Yeah, that's making me very uncomfortable. I feel like I'm about to be dead and I don't even want to wait and find out why.
[Ambrose]That is the correct response. That is the only response. But here's the thing. The guy in this movie, he goes toward it.
[Jessica]Of course he does.
[Ambrose]And he finds something.
[Jessica]Oh, I bet he finds something bad, too.
[Ambrose]Oh, something so bad, we're talking a massive woman in a dress wearing a porcelain doll mask, burying a headless body in the dirt.
[Jessica]Wait, a what?
[Ambrose]A headless body.
[Jessica]So she already had a body on deck?
[Ambrose]She sure did. And even before the movie even introduces itself, she's already on body number two.
[Jessica]Now that's aggressive productivity.
[Ambrose]It really is. And that is Dolly. And that's the movie we're talking about today.
[Jessica]Yeah, I've heard about this movie.
[Ambrose]I know. That's why we're doing this review. But I do want to warn you because Dolly is this nasty, dirty, backwoods horror movie from director Rod Blackhurst.
[Jessica]Ooh, I'm getting excited.
[Ambrose]And he doesn't ease you in, it doesn't warm up. It just grabs you by the collar in the first three minutes and goes, buckle up, buttercup. This is going somewhere very, very ugly.
[Jessica]Now, coming from us, this is looking like a five coffin review already.
[Ambrose]Or at least four and a half.
[Jessica]Yeah, well, we'll get to the numbers later. But first, let's set the scene.
[Ambrose]Okay, so Macy and her boyfriend Chase are out on this hike in some remote woods like no one around for miles.
[Jessica]Yeah, all kinds of crazy thoughts are going through my head right now.
[Ambrose]Well, can you just keep your crazy thoughts to yourself?
[Jessica]Whatever.
[Ambrose]So Chase, this sweet little doomed Chase, has this whole thing planned out. He's got the ring, he's got the spot picked out, and he has rehearsed his speech in the mirror more times than he would ever admit.
[Jessica]See, this is what I mean when I say I hate when horror movies give someone a whole plan because, you
[Ambrose]know, the movie is right behind him with a friar frying pan.
[Jessica]Wait.
[Ambrose]What? Patiently. So, as I was saying, Chase wanders off to set up his perfect moment and he hears something weird in the trees. And just so you know, since it's a horror movie, men are biologically incapable of walking away from a strange sound.
[Jessica]What can you say? It's a curse.
[Ambrose]It sure is. And he follows it. And that is where he finds her. Dolly. Huge, masked and in mid burial.
[Jessica]And she sees him, right?
[Ambrose]Oh, she sees him.
[Jessica]And that's it. That's the whole horrible thing right there.
[Ambrose]You got the look, that slow turn and chase. And to his credit, I mean his actual credit, he reacts like a person with a working brain and he just
runs.
[Jessica]Good for him.
[Ambrose]For about four seconds.
[Jessica]A poor Chase.
[Ambrose]That's when Dolly catches him and she hits him with a shovel. And Jessica, this is not like movie fun. Brutal. And it's not, ooh, spooky brutal. Nope. This is the kind of brutal where you go quiet and just stare at the screen.
[Jessica]Like when your body doesn't know what to do.
[Ambrose]Exactly. And the movie does it on purpose right out of the gate. It's basically saying, just so we're clear about what kind of film this is,
[Jessica]no jokes yet, no atmosphere building, just, here she is and here's what she does.
[Ambrose]And I think that's brave, actually, because it could feel cheap, but it doesn't. It feels like a warning.
[Jessica]So where's Macy during all this?
[Ambrose]Ah, she's still waiting. She still thinks everything is just fine. And that's where the movie starts doing something really smart.
[Jessica]I knew there was something tricky about this movie.
[Ambrose]Well, that's because the horror for Macy doesn't start with a jump scare. It starts with just being quiet.
[Jessica]Just. He's not coming back.
[Ambrose]Yeah, no sound, no chase. Just this feeling that something is wrong and she can't explain why yet.
[Jessica]And that's the worst kind of scared, in my opinion.
[Ambrose]That's because you can't even justify it. Your brain is going, don't be dramatic. And your gut is going, I am begging you, be dramatic right now.
[Jessica]Listen to the gut.
[Ambrose]Always. Unless it's asking for Taco Bell at midnight.
[Jessica]Even then, honestly.
[Ambrose]Fair point. So Macy goes looking for Chase, right?
[Jessica]Which already feels like a terrible idea.
[Ambrose]Oh, for sure. And this is where the movie does something with the woods that I really liked.
[Jessica]Okay, what do you mean by that?
[Ambrose]Well, at first it feels like she's outside. Like wide open trees everywhere, fresh air, all that.
[Jessica]So nature pretending to be normal?
[Ambrose]Exactly. But then it starts to feel strange. Like the woods are shrinking around her.
[Jessica]Ooh, that's creepy.
[Ambrose]Yeah, it stops feeling like a forest and starts feeling like a hallway made out of trees.
[Jessica]Nope, hate that.
[Ambrose]And every which way she turns, it's like, cool. Another bad option.
[Jessica]So it feels claustrophobic.
[Ambrose]Kind of. But in the middle of this outside feeling. Yeah, I know how that sounds.
[Jessica]Okay, as long as you do. Because that made no sense at all.
[Ambrose]I know, but this is where Dolly just steps out.
[Jessica]And Macy sees the mask.
[Ambrose]Oh, she sees the mask all right.
[Jessica]See, this is where I would become a ghost immediately. I would simply leave my physical body.
[Ambrose]So wait, you wouldn't even give Dolly the chance to move?
[Jessica]Nope. An instant ghost.
[Ambrose]Wow, that's funny. So anyways, Macy starts to run and she hides.
[Jessica]You know what Dolly reminds me of? Michael Myers. One minute he's walking all normal and then bam. He's right in front of you.
[Ambrose]It kind of feels like that. So Macy tries real hard to hide. And that's when Macy decides she's gonna fight back.
[Jessica]Good for her. Kick her ass, Macy.
[Ambrose]Yeah, but here's the thing about Dolly that this movie establishes really fast. She doesn't operate like a normal person. Doors aren't even a barrier to her.
[Jessica]So what you're saying is that she's like a Mack truck. She runs through everything?
[Ambrose]Pretty much. Because nothing is a barrier for her. Not even size, speed and distance. None of it works.
[Jessica]So what you're leading to is Macy is good as dead.
[Ambrose]I'm not gonna go that far yet. But I will say this. None of it works the way Macy needs it to.
[Jessica]So everything is just a suggestion for her.
[Ambrose]Yeah. A gentle suggestion. And Dolly catches her. And now, now we're inside the house.
[Jessica]Oh, I don't want to be in the house.
[Ambrose]Nobody wants to be in this house. I think even the house wants out.
[Jessica]We'll be right back.
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[Jessica]The house has been trying to collapse for years and nobody will let it.
[Ambrose]That's so true. And you're gonna really love this. Macy wakes up in a nursery.
[Jessica]Wait, a nursery?
[Ambrose]Yes, in a crib.
[Jessica]That's worse than a basement. Because a basement is just scary. But. But a nursery is scary and insulting, right?
[Ambrose]It's fear. Wearing little baby socks.
[Jessica]Oh, I hate that so much.
[Ambrose]And here's where the movie tells you what it's actually about. Because Dolly doesn't want to hurt Macy. She doesn't want money, she doesn't want revenge. She wants a baby.
[Jessica]Oh, no.
[Ambrose]And not like some doll or a pet. No, an actual baby. And she has decided Macy is going to be that baby.
[Jessica]Now, that's a different kind of gross, right?
[Ambrose]Because the violence is there, the blood is there. But the thing that really gets under your skin is the control part. Because Macy isn't just being hunted. She's being remade.
[Jessica]Now that is just plain sick.
[Ambrose]And let me just say this, and this is the reason I love horror movies. Because you have to have a very creative mind to think of shit like
[Jessica]this or you had to have very bad nightmares as a child.
[Ambrose]Either way, I just love that shit.
[Jessica]Me too.
[Ambrose]Anyways, Macy is forced into a role and stripped down until she fits the shape Dolly needs.
[Jessica]So Macy is being erased.
[Ambrose]That's the word. And that idea is scarier to me than any amount of gore. Because it's not just, will she survive? It's how much of herself can she hold onto while someone twice her size is trying to take it?
[Jessica]And Dolly doesn't even think she's the villain, right?
[Ambrose]No, that's the thing. Dolly thinks this is love. And she thinks she's caring for Macy. Like the way she moves around her, the way she reacts when Macy doesn't cooperate. It's not anger.
[Jessica]Are you sure about that?
[Ambrose]I'm pretty sure. Because it's this hurt, needy thing. Like a child whose toy won't do what it's supposed to.
[Jessica]Let's be real for a second. Dolly is a child who can destroy you.
[Ambrose]Which is exactly the nightmare. And Dolly plays this without a word of real dialogue. Just body language, breathing, these strange little sounds. Almost like a child making noises. Coming from this massive, terrifying body.
[Jessica]It makes her unpredictable.
[Ambrose]That's because you can't logic your way through it. And Macy can't appeal to reason. She can't even negotiate. She just has to feel out the mood and try not to set it off.
[Jessica]That's not movie fear. That's like real fear.
[Ambrose]Yeah, the fear of living under someone else's temper.
[Jessica]That hits different.
[Ambrose]It does. So Macy has to play the game because there's a key somewhere in that house.
[Jessica]And she just has to figure out where.
[Ambrose]Kind of. But there are rules, even if they're unspoken. And she figures out really fast that she cannot fight her way out.
[Jessica]Well, yeah.
[Ambrose]And she has to be smart about it. And she has to pretend just enough to survive while she looks for a crack in the wall, which is its
[Jessica]own kind of horror. Because every second she plays along, Dolly
[Ambrose]wins a little more. But if she stops, Golly snaps.
[Jessica]So she's choosing between her body and
[Ambrose]her mind basically every single minute. And meanwhile, and I love this because it broke my heart, Chase is still out in the woods.
[Jessica]Wait, he's alive?
[Ambrose]Barely. He's badly hurt. Really badly hurt. But he's crawling through the dirt, through the dark. Because he came out there to ask Macy to marry him. And now that's the only thing pulling him forward.
[Jessica]Oh, that's crazy.
[Ambrose]That's because this movie is. Is crazy.
[Jessica]Like, sweaty, dirty crazy.
[Ambrose]Yeah, it's Mud and rust and old wood and panic. That's the vibe that should literally be on the poster.
[Jessica]Can you just imagine? Dolly, mud, rust, old wood and panic. That's five coffins from every plumber everywhere.
[Ambrose]Haha. Platinum certified. So inside the house, Macy starts picking up signals that she is not the first. There are dolls, broken things, evidence of people who were here before. And the house itself is doing this thing where every room is a clue that you don't want to read.
[Jessica]So like it has a history and the history is awful.
[Ambrose]It's not haunted
by ghosts. It's haunted by whatever happened there. And that can be way scarier.
[Jessica]Yeah, because ghosts might just knock something off a shelf. This house has a whole system.
[Ambrose]And this is where it gets interesting. Because Macy hears a voice through the wall.
[Jessica]Oh, a voice?
[Ambrose]Yeah, a man trapped nearby talking to her, telling her there's a way out, that he can help, that she's not alone.
[Jessica]Oh, I don't trust that.
[Ambrose]Why not?
[Jessica]Because hope in a horror movie is always bait.
[Ambrose]Yeah, you're not wrong.
[Jessica]Hope doesn't end well in horror.
[Ambrose]True. So Macy keeps moving and she finds the key eventually. And. And it's not on a hook with a little label. It's attached to something that tells her exactly what happened to the person before her.
[Jessica]See what I mean about hope?
[Ambrose]Right? Because someone didn't make it. And the house has kept a little record of that.
[Jessica]Now that's dark.
[Ambrose]And the movie doesn't say a word. You just see it and your brain does the rest.
[Jessica]Your brain goes, this has happened before
[Ambrose]and it can happen again, right?
[Jessica]It sure can.
[Ambrose]So Macy gets the key and she plays along. She waits and she gets a chance. She continues to move through the house and she gets close. Close enough that you're leaning forward.
[Jessica]The cruelest part of horror.
[Ambrose]Yes, indeed. And Dolly catches her again.
[Jessica]Of course she does.
[Ambrose]And now there's a punishment. Because Dolly doesn't just want her back. She wants her to understand. She wants Macy to feel what it means to disobey.
[Jessica]And we all know what that means for Macy.
[Ambrose]And she does this whole thing that's framed like a parent correcting a child. And it is deeply upsetting because she's
[Jessica]not even doing it out of cruelty. She thinks she's teaching.
[Ambrose]Yeah. She thinks she's loving. And that. That is the thing that crawls under your skin and stays there because it's violence dressed up as care.
[Jessica]Oh, that's the worst kind of violence. So what about the man in the wall?
[Ambrose]Okay, so Macy eventually frees him. And I was really hoping he'd be the thing that changes everything.
[Jessica]But he's not, right?
[Ambrose]Nope. He's Dolly's father.
[Jessica]Oh, for sake.
[Ambrose]Yeah. And here's what's worse. He's not even a victim in any clean way. Now, don't get confused, because he is trapped. Yes. But the second he's free, he grabs Macy and uses her like a bargaining chip and tries to get Dolly to let him go.
[Jessica]So he throws her to the wolves.
[Narrator]I.
[Jessica]Can I just say how fucked up this movie is?
[Ambrose]Oh, it truly is. And I love every minute of it. And to answer your question, yes, he does. To the one wolf specifically.
[Jessica]Oh, my God. I hate him.
[Ambrose]But Dolly kills him.
[Jessica]Okay, I don't hate that.
[Ambrose]You shouldn't. And the way the movie plays it, it's ugly. It's not satisfying in a fun way. But there's this moment where you almost understand the rage. Not excuse it, but understand it. There's a wound in this family that goes way back. And the whole rotten thing finally collapses on itself.
[Jessica]That's interesting, because for a second, Dolly isn't just a monster.
[Ambrose]She's a kid who got ruined by someone who was supposed to protect her.
[Jessica]And that makes the mask mean something different.
[Ambrose]We'll get there. Because after all this, and after the father, after the punishment, after everything, Macy hears Chase outside. Yep, outside. He's calling her. He crawled through those woods and he finally made it there.
[Jessica]And she has to go to him, right?
[Ambrose]Of course she does. And you know. You know this is going to cost her something. But you also know she can't not go.
[Jessica]Because if she doesn't try, she already lost.
[Ambrose]True. So she gets out and she finds him. And for one second, one tiny, brutal second, you think maybe they're going to make it.
[Jessica]Oh, there's a but in there. I can feel it.
[Ambrose]Your gut instinct is right again.
[Jessica]Yes.
[Ambrose]So Dolly shows up and Chase doesn't make it. And do you remember that ring, Jessica?
[Jessica]Yeah.
[Ambrose]Well, that ring is just sitting there in all of that blood and mud. This little object that was supposed to be a beginning.
[Jessica]Wow. That hits harder than just killing him.
[Ambrose]Oh, it hits harder because it doesn't let you forget what this was supposed to be.
[Jessica]And now Macy is completely alone.
[Ambrose]Yep. And nothing and nobody is between her and Dolly. And this is where the movie earns its finale. Because Macy doesn't become an action hero.
[Jessica]Oh, really now?
[Ambrose]No. She doesn't magically know what to do. So she panics and starts to grab things she swings, crawls, and she is finally fighting back. And she runs on spite and desperation and whatever adrenaline her body has left.
[Jessica]Let me just say this. Spite is underrated as a survival tool.
[Ambrose]Oh, definitely. And during the fight, Macy damages the mask. And this is where we see underneath it. And it's a face that someone hurt a long time ago. It was burned, damaged. And the mask isn't just a scary prop anymore. It's an armor. It's the thing she hides behind because the real face is too painful to show.
[Jessica]And that right there is where this whole movie lives.
[Ambrose]Exactly in that one image.
[Jessica]Okay, I can't lie. That part got me.
[Ambrose]I think it got a lot of people. I don't think anyone was expecting that. But Maishi knocks Dolly down long enough to run, and she finds a park ranger. And I want to say this gets better.
[Jessica]It doesn't get better, does it?
[Ambrose]Nope. Because the ranger is not equipped for this situation.
[Jessica]This poor guy had no idea.
[Ambrose]Oh, he had good intentions and a flashlight. And neither one of them was enough because Dolly gets him and Macy is out of moves. Except one.
[Jessica]Oh, you're talking about the truck.
[Ambrose]Yes, the truck.
[Jessica]So Macy runs her down.
[Ambrose]She sure does. And the best part, she drives away.
[Jessica]And that's it.
[Ambrose]Not quite, because she still has the ring.
[Jessica]Oh.
[Ambrose]See, Chase never got to ask, and he never got that moment. But Macy is alone, bleeding, shaking, driving away from the worst night of her life. Yeah, and here is the crazy part. As she is driving away, she puts on the ring.
[Jessica]Now that's a bad bitch right there.
[Ambrose]And she's doing this laugh, cry thing. You know that sound your body makes when it can't decide which feeling is in charge?
[Jessica]Oh, all too well.
[Ambrose]Well, all of them are grief and relief and shock and something like rage and something like love all at the same time.
[Jessica]That's such an honest ending.
[Ambrose]And I have to say it's earned. Because the whole movie is about what happens when someone tries to take who you are and remake you into something smaller. And Macy's whole fight is about staying herself. And at the end, she's the one who puts the ring on. Nobody gives it to her. Nobody does it for her. She decides what it means now.
[Jessica]It's not the proposal anymore.
[Ambrose]No, it's hers.
[Jessica]Okay, that's genuinely good.
[Ambrose]And under all the mud and blood and porcelain doll nightmares. Wait, can I say nightmares?
[Jessica]You absolutely cannot.
[Ambrose]Okay, then under all that stuff, there's something genuinely sad sitting at the center of this movie.
[Jessica]It's like a little rotten Heart.
[Ambrose]That's exactly it. Wait. Ah, gross.
[Jessica]That's it. That's our whole thing.
[Ambrose]Are you kidding me?
[Jessica]Who, me?
[Ambrose]Yeah, you. Okay, Jess, the big one. Do you think you'll survive this movie?
[Jessica]Absolutely not.
[Ambrose]Wow, that was fast. But why?
[Jessica]Because I'm the person who sees a creepy tall doll and goes, aw. She's kind of cute, though.
[Ambrose]No, Jess.
[Jessica]And then she would hit me with a shovel. Game over.
[Ambrose]So what you're saying is that you'd be the cold open?
[Jessica]Hell, I'd be the trailer. They'd cut to me right after the title card. What about you?
[Ambrose]That's kind of harsh, girl. But okay. I think I last longer than you. But I'm setting the bar very low.
[Jessica]That's kind of rude.
[Ambrose]But here's my thing. I don't trust anything with a porcelain face ever. So the second Dolly shows up, I'm out the door.
[Jessica]Out the door to where?
[Ambrose]Anywhere. My car, a diner, hell, even Mexico.
[Jessica]You're driving to Mexico to escape a doll?
[Ambrose]Yes, and I'd make it, too, until I stop for gas and she's in the back seat.
[Jessica]Oh, no.
[Ambrose]Yeah, I die at a Chevron.
[Jessica]That's such a sad way to go.
[Ambrose]It's the. The saddest. There's a slushy machine in the background.
[Jessica]Okay, my turn. Who is this movie for? Like, who's the audience?
[Ambrose]Okay, this is for the people who have a doll fear they pretend they grew out of.
[Jessica]Oh, that's good.
[Ambrose]You know who you are. You walk past the doll aisle as a kid and felt. Watch.
[Jessica]I'm getting chills.
[Ambrose]This movie knows. This movie uses it.
[Jessica]I think it's also for people who love a slow build. Like, this isn't a jump scare every five minutes movie.
[Ambrose]No, it's a sit with it movie.
[Jessica]I
t's a why facing the wall now movie.
[Ambrose]Yes, exactly.
[Jessica]So if you like horror that punches you in your face, this one's for you.
[Ambrose]And honestly, it's also for the Annabelle crowd, the Megan crowd, the child's play
[Jessica]kid, the doll people.
[Ambrose]Yes, the doll people. We see you and we're afraid for you.
[Jessica]And with you.
[Ambrose]Oh, and that too.
[Jessica]Okay, I think we've lived in this long enough.
[Ambrose]Yeah. I think it's time.
[Jessica]You know what time it is?
[Ambrose]I do know what time it is, and I don't love it.
[Jessica]Oh, you love it A little.
[Ambrose]Okay, you're right. I do love it a little. So where did I put my shovel?
[Jessica]Your shovel?
[Ambrose]Yeah, I know I had it lying around here somewhere.
[Jessica]Ah, yeah, we don't joke like that.
[Ambrose]Fine then.
[Jessica]Anyways.
[Ambrose]But if there's a music box down
[Jessica]there, duh, we leave.
[Ambrose]Oh, immediately.
[Jessica]And no investigating either.
[Ambrose]Absolutely not.
[Jessica]Good. That's growth. Now let's go, crypt boy.
[Narrator]Gather close, listeners, if you dare. The air grows cold and the light begins to fade. Can you hear them? Two brave souls have foolishly left the safety of the world above. They descend the spiraling stairs deeper and deeper into the damp darkness where cinematic skeletons remain unburied. They come not to praise the dead, but to dissect them. Watch your step, friends. You have now entered the critic.
[Ambrose]Okay. Something just dripped on my neck.
[Jessica]Oh no.
[Ambrose]And I will not be looking up to find out what it is.
[Jessica]Smart. That's how you live.
[Ambrose]Yeah, if I look up, I become a horror movie character. And I don't have the cardio for that.
[Jessica]But let's be real here for a sec. You'd only last four minutes.
[Ambrose]Four is generous.
[Jessica]Fine. Too then too.
[Ambrose]Yeah, that's more like it. Anyway, Dolly, we're down here, we're wet, and we're talking about a giant lady and a baby mask who keeps people in a house as one does. And this is the only place we could have this talk. Like picture us doing this at a Panera.
[Jessica]Oh no.
[Ambrose]I'd be the guy yelling about a doll mask while a mom covers her kids ears.
[Jessica]And you'd be on a list. A Panera list.
[Ambrose]Ah, the worst list. But okay, let me start with what worked. And I do have to say a lot worse.
[Jessica]Okay, go.
[Ambrose]Then let me start off with the mask. Because that mask is one of the most upsetting things I've seen in a horror movie in years.
[Jessica]It's the eyes. Or wait, are those eyes? What's even happening in those holes?
[Ambrose]That's the thing. Your brain can't figure it out. And it just goes no thank you and shuts down.
[Jessica]Well, mine did.
[Ambrose]And it's such a simple idea, you know, a baby doll face. We've all seen that a million times.
[Jessica]Like every haunted House since 1998.
[Ambrose]Right. But the size is wrong. The shine on it is wrong. And then they put it on a person who is way too tall.
[Jessica]Yeah, way too tall.
[Ambrose]And your whole body is like get me the hell out of here.
[Jessica]And it's the size that does it. Because a baby face on a normal size killer is just a costume. And, and a baby face on someone who has to duck under a door frame, well, that's just wrong.
[Ambrose]Wrong. That's the word.
[Jessica]That's all of it, and you just can't unsee it.
[Ambrose]Okay, so what worked for you?
[Jessica]Oh, hands down, the nursery. The whole nursery part.
[Ambrose]Oh, yeah, that shit was creepy.
[Jessica]And the second Macy walks into that room, I was on the edge of my seat.
[Ambrose]And we can't forget how that set is doing so much work. You got the cribs, the wallpaper, Everything is just a little too big.
[Jessica]And it makes you feel real small.
[Ambrose]Yes. Tiny in your own skin. Like the room is wearing you.
[Jessica]Ew.
[Ambrose]Sorry.
[Jessica]No, it's fine. I just had a image in my head of that room wearing me. Ew.
[Ambrose]Yeah, that's a nightmare on its own. And the room isn't just creepy to be creepy. It tells you who Dolly is. No words, no backstory. Dump. You just walk in and go, oh. Oh is right.
[Jessica]That's the feeling right there.
[Ambrose]Exactly. Okay, so that's the high stuff. But where does it slip?
[Jessica]Oh, that's easy. It's the story. It's thin in some spots.
[Ambrose]Oh, yeah, I do have to agree with that one.
[Jessica]Now, don't get me wrong. Like, the movie has a killer. A house, a mood.
[Ambrose]And then it pats its pockets, like, did I bring a plush?
[Jessica]Oh, my God, that is so true.
[Ambrose]And I think that is the one thing that
really stood out to me the most.
[Jessica]Oh, definitely. Because the first part is so strong. Like, the setup is strong. Dolly is strong. The nursery is strong.
[Ambrose]Yeah, all of that is strong except the plot.
[Jessica]And another thing I noticed was that middle part, because it was doing the same thing over and over. Like, Macy almost gets out. Then she gets caught. Then Macy almost gets out. Macy gets.
[Ambrose]Yep. It was like deja vu.
[Jessica]Oh, you felt that too?
[Ambrose]I think everyone felt that. And this movie is also walking in a big shadow. There was so many references to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That whole nasty backwoods family vibe.
[Jessica]And that's a tough comparison to ask for.
[Ambrose]Why? Because Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a screaming wreck of a movie that somehow holds together. I mean, it shouldn't work. And it works.
[Jessica]It's like a car crash that wins an award.
[Ambrose]That's perfect. Yes.
[Jessica]And Dolly has the look, the feel, the mask and the broken family. Oh, and let's not forget the girl losing herself bit by bit.
[Ambrose]But Dolly doesn't fully find its own thing.
[Jessica]That's true. And you'll remember Dolly. You might not remember the whole movie.
[Ambrose]That's the truth right there. I'll remember the mask. I'll remember the nursery. I'll remember chase crawling and of course, the ring at the end, because that lives in my head.
[Jessica]But the in between stuff, yeah, that's
[Ambrose]kind of a blur.
[Jessica]And critics are split for that exact reason. Some people love it as dirty fun. And some people are like, okay, but what is it about?
[Ambrose]And here's the thing. It is about something. It just doesn't always say it out loud.
[Jessica]Right.
[Ambrose]It's about being turned into something. Being trapped in someone's weird version of love. And a mask covering a wound.
[Jessica]It's all right there in plain sight.
[Ambrose]It is. It just slips in and out.
[Jessica]And the house is doing most of it.
[Ambrose]Yes, because the house is Dolly's brain just made out of rooms.
[Jessica]Oh, my God. That's funny, but so true.
[Ambrose]And every room is something she can't say out loud. Like the nursery, the basement, the walls, all her.
[Jessica]Wait, say that again.
[Ambrose]The house is Dolly's brain made out of rooms.
[Jessica]You should put that on a T shirt.
[Ambrose]What can I say? I have my moments.
[Jessica]You do. Rare, but you do.
[Ambrose]Wow. Okay. And let's not forget about the film grain. That 16 millimeter look. Yeah. It made the movie feel like it could give you a rash just watching it.
[Jessica]I love when a movie looks like it could give you a rash.
[Ambrose]That's gross. And also right. And Max the Impaler, the performance, that was the best. Biggest movie's weapon.
[Jessica]Oh, huge.
[Ambrose]Because let's be real for a minute. Dolly should be silly as hell. Like a giant woman in a doll mask making baby sounds. Like that's one bad step away from being the theme for a Halloween store.
[Jessica]Wait, just one step.
[Ambrose]Yeah, but there's real weight to it, you know, the way she moves when she's needy. And the way she moves when she's mad.
[Jessica]Oh, and let's not forget the little sounds she makes.
[Ambrose]And don't forget her head tilts. Because you're reading her whole body the whole time. And the mask is giving you nothing.
[Jessica]But you have to say, that's smart filmmaking.
[Ambrose]And it makes you do the work. You build the character in your head out of these tiny pieces. And what you build is way scarier than anything the movie could just tell you.
[Jessica]Okay, so is it worth watching?
[Ambrose]Yes, but with the right head on.
[Jessica]What do you mean?
[Ambrose]What I mean is this. If you want a clean puzzle of a movie, well, this is not it. But if you want something that messes with you in a real way.
[Jessica]Oh, you mean like no cheap jump scares?
[Ambrose]Yes. It's the fear of being controlled, being made small, and being loved by the wrong person in all the wrong ways.
[Jessica]Let's just be clear here for a minute. If that's what you're after.
[Ambrose]If it is. Well, then Dolly has it in bunches. And with a shovel. A really specific shovel.
[Jessica]And it sticks to your shoe.
[Ambrose]Now that should be on the poster, Dolly. It sticks to your shoe.
[Jessica]And plumbers all around the world would just give it a five star review.
[Ambrose]Hey, that's the only review that matters. But okay, it's coffin time. Where are you at with this one?
[Jessica]Well, I don't think you're going to like mine this week.
[Ambrose]Oh, boy. It's got to be bad then.
[Jessica]No, not bad. Well, not good either.
[Ambrose]Okay, let's have it.
[Jessica]: Well, it's just three and a half coffins. Now, before you go all postal on me, hear me out. I loved the mask, the nursery, Max's work, and the house thing. Now that's all four coffin stuff.
[Ambrose]Okay, then what makes it a three and a half coffin?
[Jessica]It's that middle stuff. It just drags and the script feels half done in spots. So that's why I'm giving it only three and a half coffins.
[Ambrose]Okay, that's fair. But I'm going a bit higher. I'm giving it four out of five coffins.
[Jessica]Four?
[Ambrose]Yep, a four.
[Jessica]Oh, we got a big four energy in this house.
[Ambrose]Always with the jokes.
[Jessica]I'm here all week.
[Ambrose]Okay? The reason I'm giving it a four out of five coffins is because the stuff that worked worked so hard that I'll forgive that bumpy middle. That mask is still in my head. And that nursery will never leave my head. And we can't forget all about that ring shot. That was epic in my eyes.
[Jessica]You're a soft grader, huh?
[Ambrose]What does that mean?
[Jessica]I'm just saying.
[Ambrose]Well, if a movie sticks three things in my brain, that's a four.
[Jessica]You're a generous landlord.
[Ambrose]I have a soft heart for movies that swing.
[Jessica]Yeah, I know.
[Ambrose]Even when they miss. Just as long as they swing.
[Jessica]Okay, then it's three and a half from me and four from you.
[Ambrose]That feels right. Okay, can we leave now? Something is leaking on the new part of me.
[Jessica]What are you complaining about? Both my shoulders are wet. I look like I lost a fight with a sponge.
[Ambrose]Can we just say out loud that we keep coming back down here?
[Jessica]We pay for this.
[Ambrose]Wait, we pay?
[Jessica]Well, we chose this.
[Ambrose]Oh, that's different. Because we're the killer in our own movie. Because we trap ourselves down here each
[Jessica]week and the crypt is our brain made out of rooms.
[Ambrose]Damn it. I wish I came up with that one.
[Jessica]Too slow, my friend.
[Ambrose]I'm just off my game tonight, that's all.
[Jessica]Oh my God. Get out. Get out. Get out.
[Ambrose]Okay, okay. I'm going, going, going.
[Jessica]Well, you're not moving fast enough, Crypt boy. Move.
[Narrator]Silence has fallen upon the critics crypt. Once again the screams have faded and the reals are back in their graves. Once again you have survived the visit. But take heed. We will always keep a cold spot ready for your return inside the critics crypt. Sleep well, my little critics. As for now, the crypt is closed. For now.
[Ambrose]Okay, so we just did Dolly.
[Jessica]And I am never buying my niece a doll again. Sorry, kid, you're getting socks.
[Ambrose]Socks for Christmas, socks for birthdays, Socks forever. You're such a great aunt.
[Jessica]Listen, if it doesn't have eyes, it can't watch me sleep. That's my new rule.
[Ambrose]But that's the thing though. Dolly didn't even need eyes that work right, because she just needed vibes. And the vibes were all around bad.
[Jessica]The vibes was so bad I genuinely had to pause it twice.
[Ambrose]Okay, so here's what I want from everyone listening. If you are subscribed to Shudder, go and re watch this one. And this time pay attention to her hands. Just her hands. Specifically, when she's not the one talking.
[Jessica]Oh, no. Oh no, you're right. There's stuff happening in the background you completely missed the first time.
[Ambrose]It's weird, Wild. So go back, watch it again, watch the hands and you'll thank us or you'll hate us. Honestly, either is fine.
[Jessica]We accept both as currency.
[Ambrose]Anyway, that's Dolly. A movie that absolutely did not need to go that hard. And yet.
[Jessica]And yet, here we are, traumatized on a Friday.
[Ambrose]Alright, everybody, sleep tight. And maybe, I don't know, throw a blanket over anything in your house with a face.
[Jessica]Just to be safe. Bye bye.
[Narrator]Well, look at that. You made it through the night with your sanity mostly intact. You've officially survived another episode of the Thing About Films. Now, before we seal the crypt and disappear into the fog, do us a wicked little favor. If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show and leave us a review wherever you're listening. It helps more than you'd think. And it keeps the monsters paid. Want more from us between episodes? Come haunt us on Instagram, tick tock, Facebook at the Thing About Films. We've got clips, updates, and the occasional cursed surprise. And if you've got a movie you want us to dig up next, send it our way at the Thing About Films. We love requests, especially the unhinged ones. And remember, new episodes drop, drop every Friday. So keep your ears open and your lights on. Or don't. That's your funeral. Until next time. Sleep tight. And if you hear something behind you
, just tell yourself you didn't.