It would be hard not to pick up on the influences in Rod Blackhurst’s Dolly; those inspirations, ones based on other movies and whole cinematic movements, become a navigational tool for this movie itself to follow, as well as a reference point for viewers. Also, PR isn’t coy about where Dolly is coming from; they’re quite upfront about selling this as an intentional throwback to 1970s horror and an ode to the New French Extremity. Ambitious and borderline uninventive as it may sound, though, Blackhurst’s new movie does achieve its goal.
There’s not a lot to write about Dolly’s story because there hardly is one. In Blackhurst’s defense, though, the movies he’s inspired by don’t have the most complicated plots, either. And despite the notably retro aesthetic, one achieved with 16mm, the movie is set in modern times. You’ll notice the smartphone that eventually becomes useless as the characters trade their urban surroundings for the deep, dark forest.
Dolly fully intends on defying the the dos and don’ts of horror. The story simply wouldn’t go anywhere otherwise, but at the same time, you know this movie’s trajectory before protagonist Macy (Fabianne Therese, Southbound) meets her overtly menacing, doll-masked adversary. Both she and Seann William Scott’s character are fated to suffer as Michalina Scorzelli’s statuesque, bloodthirsty role shows up without even a hint of buildup. The movie figures, you know what’s up already, so why bother waiting?
Frustration soon emerges as Macy does what a lot of would-be survivors have done before and will continue to do after her; she stands frozen in place and screams rather than flees for any sense of safety. One’s mileage with that old and tired concept will vary, and you’ll either have to buck up and deal, or just turn Dolly off. To keep the movie playing, though, would at least reveal a well-made exercise in pastiche. Nothing here is particularly innovative, mind you; a couple ventures into the woods and is preyed on by a masked killer is far past the realm of cliché. And it’s not as if Blackhurst and co-writer Brandon Weavil subverted the whole subgenre of backcountry, gory horror and exploitation. They commit to the bit, perhaps overly so.
What Dolly lacks in originality and, at times, performances, it makes up for visually and technically. The abode of the villain looks as antique, eccentric and lair-like as you’ve come to expect in these sorts of outings. That said, it’s not a halfhearted job; the production values, which presumably come from a fraction of the budget of most horror movies coming out these days, are solid. This is especially true whenever I’m left beholding the gruesome practical effects. Most of Dolly’s splatter is routine, but one sequence, along with its reprise, left my jaw aching.
This isn’t a showcase of violence and destruction of the human body as much as you’re led to believe, based on the mention of the New French Extremity. It never reaches that high, in terms of appearance and thematic resonance. Nevertheless, Dolly understood the assignment, even if the assignment was, more or less, a regurgitation.
Dolly premiered at Fantastic Fest 2025. No wide release date yet, as of this writing.
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