Editorials
The 10 Creepiest Dolls in Horror!
There’s something inherently unsettling about inanimate objects that move on their own accord. Especially if they happen to resemble people. Which is what makes dolls perfect for horror. The opening sequence of The Conjuring proved so terrifying that the creepy doll at the center of it, Annabelle, was the first to receive her own spin off in the Conjuring universe. With Annabelle back in theaters now in Annabelle: Creation and Chucky set to slay audiences in Cult of Chucky this October, we look 10 of the creepiest dolls in horror history.
Trilogy of Terror – Zuni Fetish Doll
Appearing in the final segment, “Amelia,” of the made-for-TV anthology Trilogy of Terror, Karen Black was terrorized by this pint-sized nightmare. Based on Richard Matheson’s short story Prey, the segment sees Karen Black as Amelia, the unwitting recipient of “He Who Kills.” The oddly proportioned aboriginal doll with one gnarly mouth of razor sharp teeth contained a vicious spirit within, only contained by a loose gold chain with a penchant for falling off the doll. The cat and mouse game between the Zuni doll and Amelia was not only frightening for the doll’s ghastly appearance and determination in catching his prey, but also how easy it was to for him to hide. That the Zuni doll is tough to kill only makes the tension draw out further. The little killer terrorized another victim in the sequel, Trilogy of Terror II.
Tourist Trap – Mannequins
Mannequins are already unnerving, with their life-like appearance and vacant eyes. But what if they unhinged their jaws and made eerie sounds as they closed in on their victim for the kill? Yeah. Pure nightmare fuel. A group of friends discover this the hard way as they find themselves stranded at a roadside attraction owned by the plucky Mr. Slausen. Of course, things are more than they appear to be as the friends begin disappearing one by one. Released during the golden era of slashers, it’s the creepy mannequins that have made Tourist Trap so memorable.
Dolls – All of them
From the perspective of little Judy, a sweet little girl with a love of toys, the Gothic mansion belonging to Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke is a dream come true. Not only are they far kinder than her own father and stepmother, but the mansion is filled to the brim with dolls, puppets, and toys. If you’re a jerk adult, however, the mansion is a death trap. While this Stuart Gordon directed film draws clear lines between the innocent and the morally corrupt deserving of their fate, it’s still really creepy to see them meet their doom at the hands of the dolls. Even creepier? What happens to them after the dolls attack.
Asylum – Mannikins of Horror
Before Charles Lee Ray transferred his soul into a Good Guy Doll, Dr. Byron was already experimenting with soul transference in the final segment of the horror anthology Asylum. In “Mannikins of Horror,” the doll was a weird robot automaton with a lifelike head and stuffed with organic tissue and viscera. Like Charles Lee Ray, Dr. Byron also had a proclivity for revenge and homicide. The enduring influence of this segment on horror is clear. While the Child’s Play franchise is much more iconic (and frankly better), there’s no denying the little mannikin in this segment is eerie.
Pin – “Pin”
When Leon’s dad, a doctor, uses a life-sized anatomical medical dummy named Pin to explain the birds and the bees to his children, Leon believes the doll to be real. Leon’s already a bit unbalanced and lonely, so the doll becomes his closest friend. Throw in traumatic events from childhood to further unhinge Leon’s mental stability, and Leon grows up to be best homicidal buddies with Pin. While the horror induced by Pin is psychological, that doesn’t make the featured doll any less creepy. Especially when Leon decides to give him latex skin.
Love Object – Nikki
Desmond Harrington’s Kenneth Winslow is a socially awkward, shy type who orders a realistic sex doll, named Nikki, to curb his loneliness. Kenneth and Nikki’s relationship develops well enough (ok, it’s weird) until he meets a cute temp at work. That’s when Nikki gets jealous. The jealousy grows into unnerving stalker behavior. Should I remind you that this is a sex doll? It’s creepy. Of course, there’s much more to their story, so if you haven’t watched this underrated film you should. Not only is Nikki worthy of her spot on this list, but Love Object also makes you wonder why Desmond Harrington doesn’t appear in more films.
Dead Silence – Billy
While Mary Shaw had many dolls, ventriloquist dummy Billy was by far her favorite. Which meant that it was Billy cut out the tongue of Jamie’s wife in the opening sequence, and it was Billy that haunted him more frequently than any other puppets. Before Annabelle’s first appearance in The Conjuring, James Wan practiced scaring audiences with Billy. Though Billy may not have been puppeteered by a demon, the vengeful ghost of Mary Shaw is just as spooky.
Puppet Master – Leech Woman
Of all the many dangerous dolls in the Puppet Master franchise, why is Leech Woman the creepiest? Because this unassuming female doll, clad in a pretty pink dress, turns monstrous when going in for the kill. Her jaw unhinges like a snake and she regurgitates poisonous leeches onto her victims. According to series creator Charles Band, Paramount wanted Leech Woman killed off because they found her to be repulsive. Of all the dolls spanning across multiple films, that’s the one they couldn’t handle. She didn’t stay gone for long, though. After sitting out Puppet Master 4: The Demon and Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, she returned to her unladylike ways once more.
Poltergeist – Clown Doll
This formative classic captured horror loving hearts for many reasons, but one particular scene stood tall above the rest for inducing many, many nightmares. While Diane Freeling is swimming with corpses in her backyard would-be swimming pool, poor Robbie is being stalked by his own gangly clown doll upstairs in his bed. And it’s terrifying. The combination of a clown and a doll into one phobia sucker punch is enough for many, but save for one small hint early in the film giving away Robbie’s trepidation towards his toy, this scene comes out of nowhere. The unexpected attack from an unexpected source, one creepy doll, solidified Poltergeist in collective horror memory.
Magic – Fats
The ventriloquist dummy at the center of this horror film, Fats, was so creepy that the TV spots had to be taken off the air during the promotion of Magic. Just the 30 second ad featuring Fats was enough to cause nightmares in children, scarring some for life. Who can blame them? Ventriloquist dummies are a special brand of horror on their own, but one as menacing as Fats? That he resembles his human counterpart, Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins, who also voices Fats), probably doesn’t help either. Ventriloquists and their dummies have nightmarish co-dependency issues, and Corky and Fats take the cake. If you think Hannibal Lecter was scary, well, you haven’t met Fats yet.
Which doll terrifies you the most?
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. And since fans are going to have to wait a while to see the much-anticipated second season, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six post-apocalyptic thrillers to watch if you’re still craving more Fallout!
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own apocalyptic favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one. And while it’s not on the list, I’d also like to give a shout-out to The Hughes Brothers’ underrated post-apocalyptic action flick The Book of Eli – which I recently covered in its own article.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. The Divide (2011)
Xavier Gens may be best known for his memorable contribution to the New French Extremity movement – with the eerily prescient Frontière(s) – but the filmmaker is also responsible for a handful of underrated thrillers that flew under the radar despite being legitimately solid films. One of the most interesting of these flicks is 2011’s The Divide, a single-location exercise in claustrophobic tension.
Telling the story of a group of New Yorkers who find themselves trapped in a bomb shelter after a surprise nuclear attack, this dark thriller is more interested in the ensuing social chaos than effects-heavy physical destruction. And while critics at the time were horrified by the bleak story and cynical characters, I think this mean streak is precisely what makes The Divide worth watching.
5. The Day After (1983)
One of the highest-rated TV films of all time, ABC’s The Day After is one of the scariest movies ever made despite being more of a speculative docu-drama than an actual genre flick. Following an ensemble of families, doctors and scientists as they deal with the horrific aftermath of all-out nuclear war, this radioactive cautionary tale was vital in convincing real-world politicians to review their policies about nuclear deterrence.
In fact, the film is even credited with scaring President Ronald Reagan into changing his mind about expanding the United States’ nuclear arsenal, with this new stance eventually leading to a treaty with the Soviet Union. With a story this powerful, I think it’s safe to say that The Day After is a must watch for Fallout fans interested in the more down-to-earth elements of the apocalypse.
4. The Postman (1997)
If I had a nickel for each unfairly maligned post-apocalyptic epic starring Kevin Costner that was released in the 90s, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. And while Waterworld has since seen a resurgence in popularity with fans defending it as a bizarrely expensive B-movie, I haven’t seen a lot of discussion surrounding 1997’s more serious vision of a fallen America, The Postman.
Following Costner (who also directed the flick) as a post-apocalyptic nomad who begins to rebuild America by pretending to be a member of the newly reformed postal service, this David Brin adaptation is consistently fascinating – especially if you view the story as a cynical fairy-tale, which was Costner’s original intention.
And while the flick suffers from some goofy dialogue and a bloated runtime, it makes up for this by having directly inspired Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
3. Turbo Kid (2015)
Turbo Kid may have been billed as an indie Mad Max with bicycles instead of cars, but François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s comedic throwback to the post-apocalyptic future of 1997 is much more than meets the eye. From quirky characters to madly creative designs, the flick rises above nostalgia bait by being a legitimately fun time even if you don’t get the copious amounts of ’80s and ’90s references.
And despite the horror-inspired ultraviolence that colors the frequent action scenes as we follow a young comic-book fan deluding himself into thinking that he’s a superhero, it’s the childlike sense of wonder that really makes this a treat for cinephiles. It’s just a shame that we’re still waiting on the sequel that was announced back in 2016…
2. Six-String Samurai (1998)
A lo-fi homage to spaghetti westerns and classic samurai films – not to mention the golden age of rock ‘n roll – Six-String Samurai is a must-watch for those who appreciate weird cinema. While I’ve already written about the madly creative vibes that make this such an entertaining flick, I think it’s worth repeating just in case some of you have yet to give this musical fever dream a try.
And appropriately enough for this list, the film was also a source of inspiration for the 3D Fallout games – especially Obsidian’s fan favorite New Vegas. The game even includes a New Vegas Samurai achievement (unlocked by killing enemies with a katana) with a vault-boy illustration modeled after the film’s rendition of Buddy Holly.
1. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
The grisly post-apocalyptic comedy that inspired the original Fallout games, L.Q. Jones’ adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s novella is just as shocking today as it was back in ’75. Telling the story of a teenage scavenger who travels the wastelands of 2024 America alongside his telepathic canine companion, A Boy and His Dog feels like a Heavy Metal comic brought to life.
While the film’s rampant misogyny and brutal violence make it tough to revisit under modern sensibilities, it’s still a landmark in post-apocalyptic cinema and one hell of a memorable ride. Not only that, but the flick also inspired the creation of Fallout’s most beloved NPC, the ever-loyal Dogmeat.
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