Blood Dolls (1999) User Reviews

Watchable, sure, but not overly impressive...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 20 April 2021]

Well, granted, as I sat down in 2021 to watch the 1999 movie "Blood Dolls" from Full Moon Entertainment, I pretty much had an idea of what I was in for here, as I have seen most of the movies in the "Puppet Master" series.

And true enough, the 1999 "Blood Dolls" definitely was fitting right into that particular genre. So if you enjoyed the "Puppet Master" movies, then you will also enjoy "Blood Dolls".

The storyline in "Blood Dolls" was entertaining enough. It wasn't exactly rocket science here and it was a pretty straight forward storyline that really didn't offer much of any surprises or ups and downs along the way really. And that was something that essentially made the movie seem mediocre.

The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the type of movie that it is. It was fun to watch Naomi McClure in the movie, just a shame that she didn't have a bigger role though.

Visually then "Blood Dolls" is definitely fun to watch. Sure, the effects are not ones that have aged gracefully, but they are still watchable today, 22 years later. Sure, it is not special effects that will knock you backwards, but they were adequate enough, albeit a bit wobbly.

If you are expecting a proper horror movie when you sit down to watch something like "Blood Dolls", then you are in for somewhat of a surprise. While listed as a horror comedy, the elements of both these genres are few and far in between.

For better or worse, then this 1999 movie is an archetypical Charles Band movie. Trust me; once you've seen one of the "Puppet Master" movies you will know what "Blood Dolls" is going to be like.

My rating of Charles Band's "Blood Dolls" lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.

Weird sex and horror cocktail...

[Mikew3001 · 4/10 · 10 February 2004]

A mad scientist turns some small horror toy puppets into his blood-thirsty, living killer brigade to take revenge on his opponents and to conquer world power. That's what this movie called "Blood Dolls" from 1999 is all about, and it's really as bad as its "storyline".

There is as many nonsense in it as in all Ed Wood and Spinal Tap movies altogether - a retarded mad scientist, the ridiculously looking killer toys, looking like some old 80's-style he-man puppets on acid and some more bizarre stuff like a strange dominatrix whipping and torturing her masochist slave all the time, a b-movie zombie monster with a carnival mask, a mad clown and gnome and a girlie rock band being captured in a cave and playing sonic-blasting gothic metal rock over and over again...

All in all it's rather a freak show like from a fifties' b-movie with a non-plot, some hardcore sex and splatter violence and ridiculous dialogues. Well, at least I haven't seen such a weird waste of time for a long time, so if you need a good party movie for a good laugh after midnight choose "Blood Dolls" and you won't be disappointed!

Blood Dolls

[Scarecrow-88 · 4/10 · 31 January 2009]

Rather mediocre fare from the much maligned independent producer/director Charles Band who probably tooled whatever resources were available just to fund the project. Had a very strange quality about it with the shrunken-headed millionaire, Virgil Travis(Jack Maturin, always carrying a scowl) his muscle and enforcer in clown-face, Mr. Mascaro(William Paul Burns) a disgruntled dwarf assistant, Hylas(..the great Phil Fondacaro) and the imprisoned girl rock band who were sent shock waves if they didn't play their instruments and belt out a selected tune at their master's command. The blood dolls are merely a modern take on the popular dolls made famous in The Puppetmaster. I didn't really care for them, at all..they are basically designed after modern urban street characters like a scummy pimp and muscle-freak with multiple piercings. We watch as Virgil punishes the two experts under his employ who failed to solve his financial woes, through a drill to the chest with the other shrunken into a doll!

I liked the addition of the true villainous being Moira Yulin(Debra Mayer, seen mostly in lingerie or in a dominatrix outfit torturing her husband, who remains a subservient little puppy always obeying her, often receiving punishment if he angered her with his idiocy) who works behind the scenes using her inept husband, Harrison Yulin(Warren Draper) to gain power and money, her skill and cunning matching favorably against the pint-headed millionaire with revenge on his mind for being swindled by the three conspirators(..one her husband, told through an earpiece what he must say and do as she communicates from a different room) who worked together to bilk him of billions. Virgil uses his killer dolls, and Mascaro himself, to get bloody revenge against those that wronged him(..including Nicholas Worth, from the notorious slasher Don't Answer the Phone, as a pampered millionaire, whose mansion serves as a meeting place to talk with his alliances, including the underused Jodie Fisher as Mercy Shaw).

I really enjoyed Burn's character the most, a morose, cold, pillar of strength, whose monotone, very serious voice never rose even as he watches his master's questionable acts towards others in violent ways. In fact Mascaro, a very faithful servant, was willing to do whatever it took to please his master. He's just such an unusual character..Band has the whole film played straight which gives the film an even odder quality. Dabra Mayer, whose resume proves that she's a sport often starring in horror schlock, is quite yummy in her scenes whipping and abusing Draper's wimpy husband. While I agree it doesn't touch Band's older films like Trancers, Subspecies, or The Puppetmaster, I'd have to admit that Blood Dolls ranks as one of his better endeavors, although it feels like the movie was made without a polished script, featuring themes the producer/director depends on entirely(..his resume shows that psychotic dolls are perhaps his favorite thematic element in killing folks)for any success. Not as gory as it should've been and the two endings were unnecessary(..either one would've been okay, but to feature two in the movie makes little sense).

Cheap,Campy,Fun

[bcameron1 · 13 December 2000]

Full Moon does it again with Blood Dolls. Their weirdest effort yet. A billionaire has just created the Blood Dolls, obedient little creatures with deadly features. Betrayed by those he most closely trusted, he and his family of freaks are about to exact the ultimate revenge. I gave this movie ** stars out of ****. Fun to watch with a group of friends. Check it out for the hell of it!

Why was this movie made?

[vyse540 · 1/10 · 21 July 2005]

I'm going to start by saying that I entered Blockbuster with a group of friends, looking for a terrible horror movie so we could laugh at it's terrible acting and mediocre special effects. Unfortunately, Blood Dolls wasn't even a movie terrible enough to laugh at. If you want a terrible horror movie but still want to be entertained, check out my personal favorites 'Rodentz' and 'Screaming Dead'.

Anyway, the movie starts out with two business consultants who enter this crazed billionaire's house who somehow manages to cage a female-rock band, control the band with a pirate-midget, and attend to your every need with a butler who paints his face to look like a stupid clown. Did I mention this clown's name is Mr. Mascaro? So, these business consultants enter this mansion and here, the director slips in a cheap scene of brief nudity, where one of the ho's in the rock band flashes an unsuspecting business consultant. Apparently, they did things to anger this billionaire (Who mysteriously wears a mask because he has a shrunken head, which is never explained. How the hell can he breath in that mask, anyway?). Since the billionaire is angry with these two consultants, he drills through the first's chest and electrocutes the second into a Blood Doll. However the hell he did that.

Not much happens until some weak guy with a lame laugh is introduced, along with his mistress wife. He's pretty much a fairy and nobody likes him.

Moving on..the shrunken head billionaire (Who I'll call Southern Shrunk-Head from now on because of his annoying Southern accent) orders some Chinese food (the box of food is tiny too, to match his tiny head) and gets angered at this one security guard because the electricity goes out. So he gets his Blood Dolls to go kill him with a miniature knife and a dumb-bell. This is particularly hilarious because the dolt just sits there as a puppet pokes at his foot with a freaking toothpick until he falls down, at which point a big fat Blood Doll pushes a dumb-bell off a coffee table, killing him. In the mean time, an electrician arrives to solve the electricity problem. Too bad he's evil (he strangles a security guard with some wire), but it doesn't matter because the Uncle Sam Blood Doll throws his toothpick knife in his eye which immediately kills him. The electrician had the best quote in the movie though, which is right after he strangled that security guard. "There are two kind of people in this world...people who pee their pants after getting strangled, and people who don't." He then promptly checks the dead security guard for urine.

The humor dies down at this point, but that fairy with the mistress wife gets killed in some S&M trap (by the Blood Dolls, I might add) WHILE HIS OWN WIFE SUPERVISES OVER HIS DEATH. Then the mistress falls for Southern Shrunk-Head, and Mr. Mascaro turns from a strange butler turned clown turned professional priest (he becomes the priest and marries Southern Shrunk-Head and the mistress.) Shortly after a stupid ending, in which a midget flies across the room, Mr. Mascaro comes onto the screen and announces he particularly didn't enjoy that ending and thus an alternate ending comes up. In this even-stupider ending, even after the mistress finds out that Southern Shrunk-Head has an extremely small head, she declares her love for him. Too bad Mr. Mascaro and Southern Shrunk-Head kill her anyway.

This is a terrible movie and is not even funny. Don't see Blood Dolls.

Yeah, that's trash!!!!

[Nightgaunt · 2/10 · 20 February 2002]

Well, I gave this movie 2 out of 10 point, because it really is a crappy one. I liked it anyway. As many other cheap movies it entertains a lot, mostly because of the awfully cast. Okay, the women were good looking and the guy with the makeup seemed to have some talent. But letting the girls play ridiculous pop rock and having 2 ends for it just to reach a 80 Minutes line is a sad result for Mr. Band. "Mr. Mascaro"'s appearance and his explanation why there is a second ending added a little touch of a "Tales from the Crypt" atmosphere, and it helped Blooddolls to gain a few bonus points. Conclusion: Very bad movie, but a lot of fun to watch, but Charles Band did better in the past, I will definitely watch it again when it runs after midnight and there is no alternative.

More crap from Full Moon about killer toys.

[poolandrews · 3/10 · 28 November 2007]

Blood Dolls starts as eccentric billionaire computer developer businessman Virgil Travis (Jack Maturin) discovers he has lost a billion dollars after losing a legal battle leaving him financially ruined, obviously not best pleased about losing a billion dollars he sets out to kill his competitors who made it happen as well as the corrupt judge. In his spare time Virgil has also created horrible little killer dolls to do his bidding, first George Warbeck (Nicholas Worth) & Mercy Shaw (Jodie Coady) are taken care off then Virgil turns his attentions to Harrison Yulin (Warren Draper) & his scheming wife Moira (Debra Mayer) who just happens to be a dominatrix... Has Virgil met his match at last?

Written, produced & directed by Charles Band & made under his Full Moon company this is yet another killer toy flick one maybe cynically would suggest is more interested in starting a new line of collectible toys than entertaining. Band has experience in the killer toy genre, Dolls (1987) & Puppet Master (1989) & it's sequels, unfortunately Blood Dolls is terrible in pretty much every way. The story is absolutely none existent, seriously there is no story to speak of or worth mentioning at all. It's just a few random scenes cobbled together more than a coherent film. There are some really bizarre things in Blood Dolls, for instance a four girl rock band who Virgil keeps locked in a cage & has them perform songs at regular intervals for no apparent reason. The fact that Virgil has an extremely small head, there's absolutely no reason for it & it looks stupid but it's here anyway. The fact that Virgil's servants consist of a guy in clown make-up & a dwarf add another unusual spin on proceedings without ever making any sense in their own right. Then there's the fact that Moira is a dominatrix, the film comes alive when she goes into mistress mode & abuses her husband & her scenes are the only reason I'm giving Blood Dolls 3 stars instead of 1. Unfortunately her dominatrix scenes are few & far between & once her husband is killed off she becomes 'normal' as it were & the film then dies a slow painful death. There's also a pointless double ending like in Clue (1985) where one thing happens & then an alternative it could have also happened like this ending is shown which just makes the whole film even more pointless.

Director Band was obviously working on a low budget, the doll effects are poor & they have little movement. There's hardly any blood or gore, someone gets bashed over the head with a lifting weight, someone gets a scalpel in the eye, a guy is killed when wires dig into his flesh & a drill burrows into someones chest with lots of blood splatter. Otherwise this is virtually bloodless. There's nothing here scary, there's no atmosphere or tension & the story sucks. Apart from a few fun scenes with Moira as a dominatrix Blood Dolls has nothing going for it & is utterly forgettable. Even the dolls themselves are bland & look cheap, none of them stand out as being 'cool' or particularly threatening.

Technically the film is basic, it appears to be shot in the same few rooms & the special effects consist of nothing more than a few plastic dolls moving their arms & heads. Every so often the rock group perform a song, they can't sing & all I can say is thank god for the mute button! The acting is OK, dominatrix Debra Mayer steals every scene shes in.

Blood Dolls is a cheap, poor, plot less attempt at starting another killer toy franchise by Charles Band, do yourself a big favour & watch Puppet Master, Dolls or Child's Play (1988) again instead. Apart from Mayer's dominatrix scenes this is pretty damned bad & as far as I'm concerned has nothing going for it.

boring dolls

[trashgang · 3/10 · 26 November 2008]

Well well, I know that I hadn't to expect to much of this flick. But hey, over here in Belgium it's a hard to find so I was lucky to find him in a stupid shop. The cover looked promising as was the storyline. SM, gothband, dismemberment...the unusual stuff. It starts off pretty nice with the killing of a guy. And for no reason a girl shows her melons. But afterwards it decays. And it becomes really stupid, the radio is the gothband playing live in a cage for no reason. Clocking in at 82 minutes isn't true. The movie stops after a hour and then the clownface appears telling that they had another ending of the film too, and they show it afterwards, it's not an extra. It's in the film. So that's the only good part. The dominatrix isn't sexy or whatsoever. The cast isn't convincable except mr. Mascaro, made me think of pogo the clown. The gore isn't believable too, almost no blood. I think that the puppets are more acting then the actors. Watch the gothband, they really can't act or even play. The songs are nice but ...i really have to stop here, this is your xmas movie to watch with the whole family, in other words, a Disney horror.

can we say rip off?

[jia · 1/10 · 14 July 2000]

I was shocked to be watching such an awful rip off of puppetmasters. Dolls that obey and kill. yeah hate to tell you but its been done before and much better. This movie was awful and i am glad that i didn't watch the end of it. The man with a little head was too much, really don't think that was real since his body never moved from a frontal shot. At least it has it comical value.

A Full Moon Fave!

[AutographLover · 7/10 · 14 September 1999]

In the true spirit of Full Moon Entertainment who previously did the Puppet Master series come Blooddolls! Its campy, It has bad acting I I really loved this movie alot! Can't wait for the sure to come sequel!If its from Full Moon you know its gotta be good!

1999?

[gradzi · 1/10 · 7 January 2004]

I can't believe that this is supposed to be made after the early 70's... I mean even a twelve year old with his home PC could do better in special effects - I will not comment on the story since there isn't any but I think you could see this movie as some kind of messed up modern art what at least would explain why it was made. So if you think you have already seen the worst movie ever - check this out !

Classic Full Moon effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 26 September 2012]

Tiring of living in his mansion as a deformed freak, an eccentric billionaire decides to use his living dolls to seek revenge for the years of treatment he's received only for an unexpected twist to take over the dolls and threaten the success of the mission.

This one turned out to be one of the rather enjoyable Full Moon killer doll classics. What really makes this one work quite well here is the fact that the story here takes a backseat to the doll carnage and depravity depicted here which is overall utterly fun. This one manages to make the fact that there's the depravity with so much oddball stuff overall quite entertaining, with the chained-up female rock group shocked into performing, a clown-painted assistant, deviant sex games played out with the main couple and the fact that the main billionaire is portrayed as a pin-headed figure among much more here that it's all quite twisted and utterly enjoyable that it's much more unique than it usually warrants here. That extended to the dolls themselves, created through a rather ingenious method in the reconfiguration chamber and emerging out in their new, original looks which makes them work rather well here while serving as the launching for the overt display of their work from the rather gruesome and bloody deaths by the dolls, the suspenseful stalking throughout the house as they hunt their target in the action-packed confrontations that's filled in here with some rather fun action in the grandest tradition of their usual killer doll efforts. There's even the fun of the twist here in the different manners of who's controlling everyone here in the first half which is quite an achievement here by pulling it off that well and is quite fun, with the shocking revelation being one of the better scenes here and leading into the rather enjoyable second half here that manages to go even weirder and then sets up the finale which is one of the strongest aspects here. While these here are what make this one worthwhile, there's still some flaws here. The biggest one here is that although this one comes off as quite creative, the decision to change the doll characters around makes no sense, for their creation through a contraption rather than a special serum on actual puppets goes against the remainder of the series and doesn't really serve it well here. It's also certainly repetitive of the other killer doll films out there and doesn't really offer anything new or innovative beyond that means of creation as the main points of the film are more on the corporate espionage and backstabbing that really holds itself in the usual manners of dolls being sent out to partake their owners' deviant wishes like all the others usually are, so it has that against it, but the real damaging effort is the final twist which makes no sense and doesn't really have a whole lot about it that serves the film well. It's certainly a lot of fun if you're into this sort of thing but it's quite flawed if you're not.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and several sex scenes.

Play!

[scythertitus · 7/10 · 10 November 2019]

This movie has and is far more fun than anyone has any right to expect. It doesn't follow any set formula and just does its own thing. None of it really makes sense or has context, but at no point does it try to be anything serious.

This is what schlocky cinema should be, you'll never be taken seriously as a real movie so why not have some fun with it?! Have a protagonist with a shrunken head, have a feminist rock band in an electrified cage, have offensively stereotypical murder dolls and acknowledge that this is purposeful in the first five minutes of the movie!

All of these things appear and more, it is a bit of schlocky fluff, but it knows what it is and uses its lack of rules to make something fun and strange, give it a watch!

This is an average addition to the horror genre with a few redeeming elements

[kevin_robbins · 5/10 · 30 January 2023]

Blood Dolls (1999) is a Full Moon Pictures movie that I recently watched on Prime. The storyline follows an evil billionaire inventor who spends his time creating inventions of torture and pain that helps him deal with his own deformities and childhood pain. One day an evil woman plans to get close to the eccentric billionaire and trick him out of his toys and money...the two psychopaths may have met their match.

This movie is written and directed by Charles Brand (Puppetmaster) and stars Kristopher Logan (Demolition Man), Debra Mayer (Speck), William Paul Burns (Mirrors), Phil Fondacaro (Willow), Jodie Fisher (Easy Rider 2) and Nicholas Worth (Darkman).

This is a very random movie with aspects I loved and aspects not needed...like the female band locked in the cage. The dolls were pretty cool, the costumes were solid too. Loved seeing Phil Fondacaro in this; however, the masks were just okay and the dialogue was campy and corny at times. There are some good kills, worthwhile gore and good use of blood splatter. The best part of the movie is that it doesn't take itself seriously.

Overall, this is an average addition to the horror genre with a few redeeming elements. I would score this a 4.5-5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Not puppet master but a good B movie.

[amesmonde · 17 April 2007]

Entertaining low budget freaky film where the protagonist Virgil is an eccentric freak with a head the size of an avocado.

Virgil is biological inventor and his latest creations are the BLOOD DOLLS, who he uses to kill his enemies! There's a 'little person' for a butler. Four leather-clad rock and roll girls-in-a-cage that play on Virgils command.

William Paul Burns as Mr. Mascaro leaves a lasting impression, Phil Fondacaro is on his usual underrated fine form as Hylas, however, the stars of the show are the dolls themselves created by the late Mark Williams. The movie has B written all over it, it's like a rehash of Charles Band's own 80's killer puppet movie Puppet Master (1989).

There'some flamboyant acting, good doll designs and imaginative special effects. If you like B movies and killer dolls with hearts, it's not terrific, but it's fun and does rate outlandish cult status.

Classic "B" Movie

[bitjitter · 1/10 · 15 October 2006]

This movie is terrible - I love it. It is classic "B" movie crap. I collect terrible movies (I currently have about 400 or so) and this is in my top 10. The girl band in the cage is classic and no movie is complete without a midget. I will be dressing as Mr. Mascaro this Halloween. Get this movie, you will not be disappointed. Virgil is truly horrible and I was not surprised to see that he only appeared in one other movie. Thought the movie features dolls, don't expect to see them that much. I guess the budget needed to animate these things just didn't exist. Come to think of it, I doubt there was much of a budget to speak of. I'm pretty sure netflix carries this film and I have seen copies at Blockbuster.

It has it's good points

[xcorpsedollx · 3/10 · 8 September 2007]

Alright well i've been a big "b" horror movie buff for practically all my life and this movie was really bad. BUT I love the music!!!! Its totally up to date with any metal music out there now if not better. If they did decide to put out a soundtrack they would make back all their money they lost making this film. Also that house they filmed it in, i've seen it before and it was my dream house, but now i'd be too scared to step into it so i guess the movie was somewhat effective. Anyways, the music is awesome and its a crime against humanity not to of made a soundtrack. I'm gonna buy the stupid film on DVD just because I heard there was a music video on it. Damn, they got me.

booooooooooooooooooo you stink!!!

[papafain · 1/10 · 5 June 2005]

This movie was terribly made. Of course, it was a little too much like Puppet Master, though the characters, I mean the dolls as characters were too much like Demonic Toys. Oh, what the heck, they are mixed up. Like I said, this was a terrible movie. The clown faced and the small-headed dude were kind of silly characters, now I know why small-headed dude wore a mask, because his head is too small. This movie does not deserve a sequel, at all. These characters should be in the Demonic Toys series. And where do they get the "actors" to make these movies? Are there that many persons working at odd jobs around the movie business...? to say nothing of the director, who also wrote this mess.

This movie was simply a TERRIBLE horror movie.

[FF__ · 1/10 · 18 April 2005]

I'm not sure if the movie was initially meant to be a HORROR movie or a COMEDY.

With that said, this movie one I would never recommend - EVER.

I enjoy the horror genre, and even the "funny" ones but why movies like this were ever made frightens me.

This one particularly lacks acting skills, the director needs to go back to school and the special effects artists work here is an utter joke.

Back to the drawing boards guys.

Hope this movie was your FIRST attempt.

Thank you drive through.

Good movie in some aspects

[duckman_079 · 5/10 · 24 July 2020]

It's listed as a comedy, but nothing funny happened. It wasn't a failed attempt either. There simply was no jokes. I thought it was sort of disturbing in a hokey way. The villains head was tiny and the dolls were interesting. The band in the cage and clown faces butler made me think the villain wanted to surround himself with oddities, since he was odd. Without giving anything away, at one point, I thought the movie hit an ingenious plot twist when villain #2 had a plan to manipulate villain #1. Had they carried that out and made that work in the story, I would have definitely giving this a higher rating! Still, as it is, it's kind of a dumb movie but with redeeming aspects that keep me from giving a lot rating. It's worth seeing once.

Mutant billionaire gets revenge on his enemies

[GroovyChainsaw · 7/10 · 25 October 2005]

I saw this movie on Sci-Fi channel so I'm sure I missed out on the best of the nudity and gore but I was still fascinated by it. I couldn't figure out what was so unique about it until about halfway through. This is like a good porno but with no sex !

All the women are hot and while they appear in some provocative outfits and there are "sexual situations" nobody actually has sex. The acting is on the same cheesy level that is about the best that adult films can hope for. The story is bizarre and gimmicky enough ( but without the gory payoff that horror films should deliver ) to be a fetish-y porno. The main female characters ( The dominatrix, brainy wife behind the business tycoon, The all-girl rock band, The hot Asian lawyer) are all porn character staples played by adult-film caliber actresses ( no, wait - I mean that as a compliment ! )

Most of the male actors make no impression. The exceptions are the lead actor, playing Virgil Travis ( the actor somewhat handicapped by the fact that he's basically a walking special effect ) and the actor playing his right-hand man, Mr. Mascaro. Mascaro is a stone cold killer who wears clown makeup throughout the film, a deadpan expression on his face throughout. The only exception is one scene where he must go out "in disguise". After returning from this mission he reapplies his makeup and says " I'm so glad to be out of that disguise " ( meaning his bare face )

A weird, unique film, much more than I expect from Full Moon, and I can't help but think that the "greatness" is nothing that they could have planned on ( or achieved if they'd tried )

Killer dolls, S & M, talking in a really earnest way about things that make no sense.

[smellthecult-com-1 · 3/10 · 30 October 2009]

Pretty disappointing clone of Puppet Master with some S & M fetishism thrown in, which is the only thing that stops this getting 1 out of 5.

Mad man discovers way to turn humans into evil, killer dolls. Madman has all girl rock band captive in a cage in his cellar, whom he makes play for him by use of electrocution. Madman has head like a pin. Madman isn't happy about most of this and tries to exact revenge upon people that have done him wrong in the business world.

Weird, throughout, but entertaining enough to watch. If you like Puppet Master, but thought it needed some female degradation to really liven it up this might just float your boat, otherwise pass it by on the torrent shelves Wouldn't watch it again though.

Band's Most Innovative Yet!

[EdYerkeRobins · 10/10 · 29 March 2002]

Whether you consider Charles Band a low-budget genius or a scourge to film-makers everywhere, he certainly has an active imagination. "Blood Dolls" blends several of his favorite themes – killer (and marketable) dolls, freaks, and rock music into a trademark memorable twisted film.

"Blood Dolls" certainly sports an odd cast of characters. There is Virgil (Jack Maturin), eccentric billionaire, his right-hand man Mascaro, an assassin with clown make-up, and his butler, little person Phil Mascaro. Virgil also has a faithful band in a cage, a rock anti-Spice Girls (each member of the band has a `Baby' nick-name) who play dark, death-themed background music on command – or get shocked. When Virgil runs into any trouble, he sends Mascaro and his own personal strike-force, the Blood Dolls – Pimp, Sideshow, and Ms. Fortune. The film's antagonists, though much more normal (with one notable exception), may not be as weirdly entertaining as the film's bizarre protagonists, but they are well-acted (they have to be, since they don't have a gimmick to fall back on) and still great characters (they just have incredible protagonists to contend with!), with enjoyable lines, albeit some fairly standard death scenes.

Though they are the title characters, the Blood Dolls are, surprisingly, not the film's main focus. As the film continues, it turns from a simple killer doll film to a twisted romance. The transition is smooth, and adds a sense of freshness to the story; there are even two endings, one for the romantically inclined and another, more typical ending. The plot innovations are believable because of Maturin's great facial expressions and delivery during his interactions with other characters. Unfortunately, the practical effects budget barred Maturin from being in any shots other than close-ups; a well-used puppet head (it's not totally apparent, and is used sparingly from careful angles to prevent it from becoming so) takes his place in a couple shots. Like many Full Moon releases, CG-effects were ditched in favor of practical effects, and though they worked well for Virgil and the rest of the film, the Blood Dolls are not as animated as their fellow killer-puppets in the Puppet Master series; they look fantastic but move more stiffly. Perhaps this is partially why Band made this film more story-oriented than death-oriented.

Though not all professional musicians, an original idea was for the actresses playing Virgil's band-in-a-cage to record a soundtrack CD and go on tour after the film's release as The Blood Dolls. This was scrapped, but the majority of the movie's soundtrack is provided by the band (along with a music video on the DVD), is quite good (it could certainly fit in with some of today's bands). The themes and lyrics are quite dark, but are presented in an almost pop-music manner, catchy and relatively up-tempo.

Charles Band has remarked that by the time Full Moon has made 500 pictures that he hopes "Blood Dolls" will be one that truly stands out. "Blood Dolls" is a unique and entertaining film that definitely fits Band's hopes as one of the best Full Moon releases.

An interesting if not wholly successful project from Charles Band

[DVD_Connoisseur · 6/10 · 22 October 2007]

"Blood Dolls" is an interesting mix of kinkiness, humour and horror. Taking Band's favourite subject of killer puppets, throwing in kinky thrills including a caged female rock band and spoon-fulls of black humour, the film is a weird combination of surreal plot points.

The beautiful Debra Mayer is nothing less than stunning as the evil Moira Yulin while Warren Draper is excellent as the humiliated, snivelling husband, Harrison. An over-the-top Jack Maturin plays the pinhead Virgil Travis and William Paul Burns is splendid as the clown-faced Mr. Mascaro. The puppets' performances are wooden.

There are plenty of lovely ladies in the movie and some light-hearted horror scenes for good measure. Despite the highlights of the film, it doesn't hit the heights of the best Full Moon productions despite its high production values. Even two endings can save this film from being a rather disappointing project from the fevered mind of Charles Band.

6 out of 10. Not bad but not really that watchable either.

GOOD LAUGH

[ElisabethLove · 1/10 · 16 July 2001]

When I think of Blood Dolls, I become saddened to think that someone had to star in this movie and will forever have it on his/her resume. My best friend, sister, and I were looking for a good movie to watch. When we read the description of Blood Dolls, we simply knew we had to watch it. One of our favorite things is watching the worst movies and making fun of them for the rest of our lives. Other favorites include "IT", and our mega-favorite "Nightmare on the 13th Floor". While watching Blood Dolls we muted the dialogue and spoke our own during the marriage scene, and videotaped it. I have never laughed so hard. So, only watch this movie if you want to laugh like you've never laughed before! Don't watch it expecting to be fulfilled afterwards.