Blu-ray Review: DOLL GRAVEYARD (2005)

 

DOLL GRAVEYARD

Directed by:  Charles Band

Distributed by:  Full Moon Features

 Full Moon Films has always been one of my favorite horror film companies.  They were a staple of my childhood, especially their Puppet Master films.   They have many "puppet" films in their film library, such as DOLLMAN VS. DEMONIC TOYS, BLOOD DOLLS, OOGA BOOGA, and the aforementioned PUPPET MASTER films.   I have always really enjoyed the creepy doll movies, so I was super excited to get a chance to see DOLL GRAVEYARD.    This is one of the few Full Moon "puppet" films I haven't ever seen before.  

 Here is the basic plot synopsis from the Full Moon Horror Website:

 In 1905 a lonely 12-year-old girl named Sophia escapes the miseries of her home life by playing with her creepy handmade dolls. When her abusive father forces her to bury her beloved playthings in the backyard, she "slips" and breaks her neck. To cover up his negligence, Sophie's father decides to entomb his child's body right along with her "friends". 

 100 years later, young Guy Fillbrook and his family move into the very same house and when playing out back he inadvertently unearths the buried dolls.  Except now, Sophia's vengeful spirit has possessed the dolls and they come screaming to life, protecting Guy from any and all who dares to torment him. The more they kill, the more powerful they become and the corpses begin to pile up. 

 Can Sophia's otherworldly rampage be stopped? Or will the entire Fillbrook family end up in the doll graveyard?

 As I stated before, I love the "puppet" films that Full Moon puts out.  They have a such a cool character to them, and I have always been a fan of stop motion animation.   DOLL GRAVEYARD was like revisiting my childhood, it has all the charm and character of the puppet films I watched as a kid.   The dolls in this film looked really cool, all having their own unique look and methods of killing.  I really liked the baby doll that opened it's whole face to take a bite out of it's victims!   I recognized a few of these dolls from other Full Moon features, especially Torch from the Puppet Master series and what I assume is the first appearance of Ooga Booga.  The Samurai doll looked familiar to me as well, but I am not sure where I might have seen that one before, if at all.   I'm sure there is a Full Moon super fan out there that can let me know what movie it was from or if it was an original concept for this film. 

 

 The story is very simple and everything takes place in one setting, so it is not a movie you have to think about too much at all.  You can just sit back and enjoy the doll carnage!  One thing of note was the gore in this film, I felt it was a bit more than the other doll films and I always appreciate the use of practical effects over CG.  The scene of the dolls raising from their grave was also super fun and very well done!   

 Overall, I really enjoyed DOLL GRAVEYARD.  This is one that will definitely be going in my collection and I will definitely re-visit in the future. 

DOLL GRAVEYARD  is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Full Moon, and contains the following special features:

* Making of Featurette

* Blooper Reel

* Full Moon Trailers

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray