Movie Review // Dolly (2025)

When I found out that Max The Impaler was going to be in a horror film, I wondered why it hadn't happened before now.  One of the few wrestlers who I have seen wrestle live and survived to tell the story, Max The Impaler just feels scary on their own so having them stalk you in a horror film just seems like such a perfect match.   This film also has Seann William Scott in it and it is quite fun to think of this as something his character might do after "Dude, Where's My Car" because he seems similar just a little bit older (Though he doesn't look older at all, and honestly, good for him)

"Dolly" hits on two different levels and both of them are not only important but also a lot of what modern horror films have been missing for me.   This film begins as a slow burn.  It sort of chips away at the violence, bit by bit, until we get closer to the end and then all of the levels of violence just intensify.  It's like how they do firework shows with the grand finale, only with seeing things which might make some people who aren't used to seeing them flinch or throw up.

There is one scene where Dolly punches a hole through her brother (brilliantly played by Ethan Suplee) and you just kind of see that and think "Holy shit! That was gnarly!"  But then, Dolly goes over and just begins beating the corpse of her brother in the face until the head just becomes flat.  It's like watching a balloon deflate.   Seeing this violence where it's at a level that feels impressive, but then just takes it up a few more pegs just feels like a great reason to watch this film if you are into such things (and if you're not, obviously this film isn't for you)

The other thing I feel like really needs to be stated about this film is that the way it sounds is tense.  I always have been a fan of soundtracks to films, but with directors like John Carpenter I've also really paid close attention to the score.  At some points during this film, there is nothing but silence.  Like, an uncomfortable amount of silence.  But it just goes to show how secluded into the woods we are.  If you've ever been out there in nature like that, you know it can be that peaceful, even though the peace in this film never lasts.

While this could have easily been a film where the gimmick is someone going around with a doll mask killing people who enter their woods (and, to be fair, the people who died in this film could have just stayed away from Dolly- they were trespassing) it has a bit more of a story which involves Dolly's parents and her brother Tobe.   This idea of how the family started and carried out reminds me somewhat of the Rob Zombie "House of 1000 Corpses" universe and I'd like to learn more about this family.

The characters who are in this film who get killed start off by going out into the woods with Chase planning to propose to Macy.  At the first sight of the dolls hanging from the trees, I would've been like "Nope, I'm out".   I would've turned around and found other woods to go explore.  But then, when they hear music coming from deeper into the woods, Chase (Seann William Scott) goes to check it out.  This was a mistake I also would not have made because if I'm hearing something like that in the woods I'm going the other way from it.

I like how Seann William Scott's character bookended this film, as he was just sort of suffering during the majority of it but came back at the end, and then Macy (played by Fabianne Therese) was just being tortured throughout as she was abducted by Dolly.  There are some scenes in here which are certainly going to make you feel things, much like that movie "The Baby" (1973) but as a movie where someone is wearing a doll mask and then proceeds to use a woman as a real life doll, it's not going to be a family-friendly rom-com.

Saying that I like horror films can be quite the statement because some can feel cheesy and be b-movies while others can just feel like straight up body horror or "Saw".  At its core, "Dolly" is a monster movie because of the titular character who just goes around killing (although also do so while staying on their property) like a Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees.  But there is also a level of violence, blood and just some other unhinged element I cannot put my finger on which makes this feel like such a special film.  I loved every second of it and cannot wait to watch it again.