In a word, Dolly is GRUESOME. As a revenge tale – a warped cat-and-mouse narrative – it is unrelenting and unforgiving. The film has a timeless setting but it has all the color and flavor of ’70s era horror (sounds, paranoia, shot selection, psychosis, wildly exploitative gore and then some which are perfectly replicated in this homage), and boy are they thrown at us with force. The uneasiness sets in and never lets off the gas.
Director Rod Blackhurst pulls no punches, and each encounter with “Baby Girl” is more squirm-inducing than the last. One thing is for sure, if you’re up for it, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the chaos…even the one that peeks through fingers to watch it.
While this is in the same vein as and a hat tip to iconic nightmare fuel of the era (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for one) this lacks a depth that defines Dolly as more than just a member of a truly troubled family. Yet, maybe you don’t need that because it gets all the other parts right. Still, Blackhurst (I’m going to call him Black Hearse from now on because of the bodies he piles up) has bigger plans for this story…not sure I want to see it, but it will be even grander and bizarre.
It’ll be sure to leave even this hardened Fantastic Feat crowd scarred. While there is zero fun in this whole bloody affair, the ride is worth taking to see how far Dolly pushes the envelope. So enjoy this episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience as we talk porcelain, pain and panic with Mr. Black Hearse!
