The 90s are known for their wild incarnations, satanic rituals, and evil hell spawn that walk the earth. And yet, Dolly Dearest just doesn't come to mind. Because of Child's Play (Tom Holland's (Pyscho 2, Thinner) groundbreaking 1988 cult classic), Dolly Dearest had the opportunity to exist. But, because of Child's Play's long string of abusive sequels. Dearest just never found a home.
The story itself is an engaging mixture of Poltergeist and Child's Play, as it tells the tale of a family that inherits a doll factory in Mexico.
Of course, the factory happens to be positioned near a recently excavated grave site, unleashing a plague of evil onto the dolls inside the factory.
From here, the family must battle random scares, bad special effects, and even worse acting.
And, in typical 90s fashion...they prevail!
Behind the Scenes (Diamonds in the Rough)
There isn't much to say about this film. But one can revel in Rip Torn's performance. In a seemingly out of tune display, Torn does a decent job as an archaeologist whom is responsible for unleashing the hell on the small Mexican town. Kudos to Rip Torn for being in this movie.
Aside from that (or creating your own drinking game while watching), little pieces of enjoyment come from some quality one-liners, over the top acting, standard kid power (how do they always survive?), and 'great' special effects. Please, watch this movie with friends.
Allusions
While this film makes obvious allusions and references to the Child's Play series, it also plays off a number of other more famous movies. Now, for the sake of argument, pretend this is actually worthy of a watch, and was created as an homage to other films. The doll reference is a given. The ancient curse is another obvious. We are also given a sanctification by a priest (oh, hello Amittyville Horror and the Exorcist). Children knowing the answer and not being believed? That kid power is overused, so we will save that list for another day. It's even safe to say that the whole tomb concept is reminiscent of Indiana Jones. Allusion's abound in this film, as it attempts to piggyback the success of past movies (just like most 90s films do).
Sam Bottoms Can Fly (or his Asian stunt double can, anyways)
Sam Bottoms (Seabiscuit, Apocalypse Now) provides one quality piece of acting, and it is, of course, not at his own expense. Now, please, if you do watch this movie, pay close attention to the last scene. As Bottom and Torn are setting up the factory for the 'big finale', they are forced to leap to safety (in classic action movie fare). However, watch the scene in slow motion, and enjoy how Bottom and Torn are turned into younger, dark haired actors who jump and flip over the hill. For this reason alone, watch this movie!
