Before Child's Play, before Puppet Master, and long before the unspeakable horrors of the Tom Hanks, Tim Allen driven Toy Story, there was Dolls. What is Dolls exactly you ask? Well, Dolls stands to this day as my favorite Stuart Gordon film (Re-Animator, From Beyond), and one of, if not the best killer doll movie, ever made. Not just one killer doll though, many, many, many creepy as hell killer dolls inhabit this film, and creepy is definitely the word. Of course I snatched up this Chinese import DVD as soon as I heard it existed. Is it worth the $4.00 price tag I paid? Well, I think we all know the answer to that question, but please do read on to learn more. I dare you.

On an isolated stretch of highway mean and abusive parents David (Ian Patrick Williams) and Rosemary Bower (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon) and their sweet as hell daughter Judy (Carrie Lorraine, who has an extremley funny daydream of her parent's demise) are stranded. Their car has broken down, and a storm is a brewin' in the distance. They spot a huge mansion, huge and creepy that is (you'll notice the word creepy many time in the review, because if there's one thing Dolls is, it's creepy) and sneak in through the back after there is no response at the font door. Once they make their way in, Gabriel and Hillary Hartwicke, husband and wife doll makers, joyfully greet them (in the basement). Soon after a young man named Ralph (Stephen Lee) enters, accompanied by two Madonna look alike hitchhikers he picked up (useless trivia time, Isabel, one of the hitchhikers was in the A-Ha video for Take on Me, thanks Anita). The Hartwicke's are quite the gracious hosts, as they allow everyone to spend the night and wait out the storm.

What follows is a night of complete terror as we soon find out that the many dolls that inhabit this mansion, are no ordinary dolls indeed. They come to life (natch) and methodically murder the unscrupulous guests one by one. The special effects are extremely convincing, much of the doll movement is achieved through stop motion animation, and I wouldn't want it any other way. These dolls are viscous as they slice and dice their way through the guests, with your standard killing utensils, as well as using some unconventional murderous techniques. Don't worry, the jester doll DOES use a power drill in case you were wondering. Stuart Gordon's extremely disturbing mind and wicked sense of humor gives the film Dolls a feel that no one could've or will ever match. This is sick, twisted, scary disturbing fun, certainly not for the whole family.

Now for the big question. How does the film look and sound and is this import DVD worth a purchase. The answer is a definite yes. Considering the price tag (less than 5 bucks?) this is a no brainer. The video may not be reference quality, but it's still light years beyond VHS. The image is presented Full Frame and it's evident that Dolls is in dire need of a widescreen transfer (I'm assuming 1:85.1) but this DVD is nothing to sneeze at. There is little to no print damage present and colors are a lot crisper than I had expected. Don't get me wrong, these colors are not gonna leap off the screen and strangle you in your own living room (now THAT would be cool) however, this is definitely the best this film has ever looked. Until someone decides to give this film a DVD overhaul, this is the edition to stick with. Audio is presented in a 5.1 mix and is less impressive (to say the least). Their idea of 5.1 is to have every sound coming out of every speaker (including dialogue) so it sounds like you're sitting in Carnegie Hall all by your lonesome, no good. Just turn off the surround and watch it in stereo, much better. Aside from the less than stellar 5.1 "remix" the audio is quite clear with nice crisp dialogue and effects and music that never seems off balance (as long as you listen in stereo). The disc has removable subs so if you speak English, you're in the clear. Extras are non-existent, but for the price, one can't really complain.

If you're a fan of the film Dolls, you can't go wrong with this budget priced import. If you haven't seen Dolls, this DVD is a nice alternative to the OOP VHS tape. Nice picture and sound = happy fan of the horror classic Dolls. Hell, if you decide not to pick up this DVD, just use the $$ you would have spent to pick up a Value Meal #2 at Mc Donalds, supersized of course, either way, enjoy!

Note: This is an all region NTSC DVD, so you won't have any problems playing it in the USA.