Top five favorite scary dolls in movies

I love the use of puppets (especially instead of CGI) in movies. Along a similar line I was thinking about the top 5 most scary dolls in movies. I wont really rank them so the numbers are just to keep track. I tried to leave out some that are overly famous such as Chucky, Jigsaw, and the dolls from either the movie Dolls or The Puppet Master series. Enjoy...


Clown Doll from Poltergeist

This scene is the one that seems to stand out to many children as the scary moment in Poltergeist that really stuck with them. No doubt! You have a doll that is also a clown... that comes to life and tries to kill a kid! That's scary stuff right there.

Killer Dolls from Barbarella

Most of Barbarella is forgettable. But, if you've seen this wierd flick, you probably remember the little army of razor-toothed dolls that attack.


The Zuni Fetish Doll from Trilogy of Terror

One of the most frightening thing ever presented on TV, other than Duel. This short story is about a woman who receives this Zuni Fetish Doll. Of course, it comes to life and attacks her savagely. It's quite funny and scary all at the same time.


The mannequins from Tourist Trap


This is a little rarely-seen b-movie where the killer turns his victims into sort of undead mannequins. The effect is creepy.

The dollhead toy from Toy Story

Combine a doll with a spider-like robot in the middle of the otherwise quite safe Toy Story and you have a recipe for toddler nightmares. There is something simultaneously sad and scary about this one.

My Favorite Movies -- Dead and Buried (1981)

This is quite a nice little lost horror gem. First of all, I am a sucker for movies about towns with secrets and creepy townfolk (see original Wicker Man). This was written by Dan O'bannon (Alien and Return of the Living Dead fame) and also features a bit part by the soon-to-be-famous Rober Englund (Freddy Kreuger).

The story centers around a small-town sherrif played by James Farentino who is trying to figure out who is killing tourists. Well, it turns out, we find out pretty quickly, it's local townspeople doing the killing. The question actually is... why are they killing tourists and why are they filming it?! Overall, this film has a nice creepy, cold and foggy, atmosphere.

There are a few gore effects added on by the studio to give it more commercial appeal, but the overall story still is intact. There are several especially good sequences, my favorite being when the creepy mortician repairs a womans crushed face. For horror fans, you might find this to be of interest.

My Favorite Movies -- Miracle Mile (1989)

This is not a great movie by any conventional standard, but I enjoy it nonetheless. It's really little more than a glorified Twilight Zone episode, but it's just filled with so much 80's goodness.

Here's the basic concept.

A man (Anthony Edwards... yes, the guy from ER) and a woman (Mare Winningham...yes, the girl from St. Elmo's Fire) meet at the La Brea Tarpits and promptly fall in love. But, here's the clincher... he arranges a date for that evening, but is late. He ends up at a diner and, by pure dumb luck, is standing next to a ringing payphone. Yes, they still had payphones in the 80's. Anyway, it's a wrong number and the guy on the other end of the line was actually trying to frantically call a family member to warn them that the missiles are in the air and there's only 70 minutes before L.A. is a nuclear firestorm.

Wow, didn't see that coming. Anyway, the rest of the movie is a combination of After Hours and The Day After. It has a beautifully downbeat/romantic ending. Oh, and the soundtrack is by the wonderfully prolific 80's Tangerine Dream.

Here's the first 7 minutes of the movie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOl1bnuMg8s

My Favorite Movies -- Children of Men (2006)

It's 2027 and women can't have children anymore, the world is gray and hopeless (isn't it always in a dytopia), and anyone who seem foreign is seen as a threat and kept in camps. Ok, so far this sounds like your usual not-to-distant-future cautionary sci-fi flick. What sets Children of Men apart is it's bravura style of presenting the story. We spend the entire film following Theo Faron (played by Clive Owen) as he is begrudgingly drawn into a plot to help the only pregnant woman in the world escape from England.

The plot is pretty much that simple, even though there are elements of post 911 terrorism paranoia. The strength of this movie is that it doesn't spend alot of time "telling and preaching." It sticks firmly with the human story of Theo as he slowly rediscovers his humanity amid all of the chaos and duplicity. Even more impressive, is the way that so much information is packed into the edges and background of each frame.

If any movie exemplified "show don't tell," this is it. On top of the impressively subtle story-telling technique, Children of Men also offers at least two stunning action set-pieces. Both are fairly famous for seeming to be continuous one-shots (they aren't actually). For anyone who loves thought-provoking action/sci fi, this is a wonderful flick.

the following clip is from the end of the movie so don't watch if you don't want spoilers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hrFEhd6tKc

My Favorite Movies -- Manhunter (1986)

For my money, this is Micheal Mann's greatest work... yes, better than Heat. This is the forgotton Hannibal Lechter film... spelled Lecktor in this movie. This is CSI before CSI. This movie is all 80's slick but also a fascinating police procedural. It's quite interesting to see the earlier take on hannibal and the earlier take on Red Dragon (remade inferior version later by Brett Ratner ....shudder). This movie has all the earmarks of Mann... moody lighting and music, vivid use of colors and sunsets ala Miami Vice, stark/sleek/nearly sterile sets, skinny ties. It's all great fun and has aged really really well.

The use of the color white is prevalent and striking in this movie.

Standout scenes...

Detective walking through crime-scene imagining the mind-set of Dollarhyde (killer)

Dollarhyde takes blind date to animal hospital to pet a tranquilized tiger.

Dollarhyde reveals his true self to reporter.

Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqBDkXjQh2A

My Favorite Movies -- The King of Comedy (1983)

A Martin Scorcese film starring Robert Deniro, Sandra Bernhardt, and.... wait for it... Jerry Lewis. A sentence you would never expect to be true... but it is. This has to be the most underrated Scorcese film, but, for me, it's the perfect bookend to Taxi Driver... and strangely, more watchable. This is the story of loser, comedian wannabe, Rupert Pupkin (often mispronounced as "pumpkin" to the chagrin of Rupert). He goes to really really extreme lengths to get his shot on the Johnny Carson-like show hosted by Jerry Lewis' character. Other than 1984, I can't think of another form of fiction that was more on-target about the future. This film is all about the obsession and hero-worship surrounding celebrity... about everyone's minute in the spotlight...about the easily blurred lines between real talent and notoriety. This film just gets better every time I watch it. It also boasts more awkward moments per minute than any other film I can think of.

Great scenes...

Rupert practicing his monologue in his basement until his mother yells to keep it down. http://youtube.com/watch?v=B4Jp33ulMtQ

Rupert waiting with true stalker tenacity in the lobby of Jerry's show.

Rupert bringing his "girlfriend" to Jerry's house unannounced.

Rupert giving his "girlfriend" his own signature. http://youtube.com/watch?v=8oLdPSjfnMQ

The finale.

My Favorite Movies -- Risky Business (1983)

So, you may hate Tom Cruise, but if you haven't seen it, you should give this very early star-turn a chance. Tom is the cocky, over-confident teen (I know, real stretch) who has run of the house while his parents are gone. This very traditional teen-movie premise is used to much greater effect that it has any right to. First, this movie is a bit of an 80's reworking of The Graduate. Second, there is a dreaminess to the whole affair that ads quite a bit of charm and an unusual depth to the proceedings... thanks again Tangerine Dream. Third, the characters and situations are just plain fun to watch. Rebecca Demorney is in fine form as the hooker-with-not-quite-the-heart-of-gold and then there's her pimp and... well complications ensue. Needless to say, Cruise's character learns some life-lessons, but maybe not the ones you might expect.