Creepy Doll Movies: Crazy Scary, or Crazy Cliché?

If you’ve been avidly following the recent trend in horror involving creepy dolls possessed by malevolent forces, then you’re probably already aware of the latest Netflix release Sabrina. No, we’re not talking about the gritty reboot of the teenage witch, but instead about the third installment of The Doll films. If you missed these films be aware they’re not available on Netflix, but it may be reassuring to know that watching them is entirely unnecessary to understanding the plot. It is, after all, one we’ve seen multiple times over the last few years.

A Tired Trope That is (Hopefully) Coming To The End Of Its Life Cycle If it sounds like we're less than impressed with this film, you wouldn’t be wrong. It’s not just that the evil doll trope has been overdone in recent years, nor that in almost every case Child’s Play did a far superior job of catching its creepy aesthetic, it’s that this movie is just plain bad. That’s harsh criticism coming from a reviewer who has a long and abiding love of the typical gems that Netflix pumps out. We do have to give them credit for opting to use a more modern form of the spirit board, one you may be familiar with as the Charlie Charlie Challenge, in light of the old Ouija Board trope. Unfortunately, that’s about where their trail of innovation ended.

The Doll Is Utterly Terrifying, Right Up To The Point It Isn’t One more point in the movies favor, right before the whole things swirls away down the storm drain of bad ideas. That doll is utterly terrifying with its anime style glassy eyes and a grin that should rightly make you think it's considering the most grisly murder possible, and would make an incredible halloween props.

You may have noticed we haven’t talked about the plot much up to this point, suffice to say that’s because you already know it. Kid gets a creepy doll; creepy doll turns out to be possessed, a psychic hero is brought in to protect the child and the family, the situation is resolved after a series of cheap jump scares. See, we told you, you knew the plot, nothing to be scared of here. Maybe they need to throw in some severed heads or zombie bodies to make it interesting.

So Why Should You Watch It Anyway? You’re probably thinking that we were going to tell you to stay as far away from this film as possible, and if you’re looking for a good time in a horror film, it’s probably a good idea. On the other hand, Sabrina serves one purpose, and that’s as a continuing introduction to a type of horror film we haven’t seen much in the US.

A recent spate of Indonesian horror films has been gracing Netflix’s lists, and for those horror aficionados who love a new experience or to analyze how the genre is approached in other cultures, it’s a great choice. While you’re at it, you should explore Kuntilanak for a film that’s interesting for all the same reasons, and horrible for a whole set of its own. May the Devil Take You, on the other hand, is a fantastic example of what Indonesia is capable of with this genre, and it’s worth a watch.

So if you’re watching horror as an anthropological exercise, then go ahead and give Sabrina a watch, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. The only thing that’s going to scare you is how much of your life you wasted watching doll movies.