IFC/Shudder's Dolly is a deeply uncomfortable watch - in the very best way

I am one of those horror fans who enjoys films in all of the different sub-genres, including the dark and gritty category…and that’s where Dolly fits in firmly. If you want an idea of the vibe, I would describe Dolly as a mashup of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Incident in a Ghostland, and Barbarian.

The cold opening shows a hulking figure in a childish looking red dress, wearing a truly creepy looking porcelain doll mask. This, we can suppose, is Dolly. She cradles the bloody body of a woman dressed as if she were an infant, visibly distraught – all while flies buzz around the room.

Now, the gore in Dolly is VERY gory; in that opening scene, I felt like I could smell the room (and it wasn’t a good smell). I much prefer practical effects to CGI, and the vast majority of the effects are definitely practical.

Next, we meet Macy and Chase, who are dropping off his daughter so the two can go on a little hike in the woods. Chase is planning to propose, which Macy has pretty much figured out. But their little romantic outing is upset when they come across a really weird arrangement of dolls in the woods, and things get worse when Dolly appears.

Suffice it to say that everything gets real violent real fast, culminating in Dolly chopping poor Chase in the face with a shovel. This was the gnarliest gore effect of all, resulting in Chase basically dragging himself through the woods with the lower part of his jaw/face hanging by a thread.

And things aren’t much easier for Macy, who is carted off to Dolly’s house, dressed up as a baby (complete with diaper), and force-fed gross food and a baby bottle. But wait! As if that weren’t yucky enough, Dolly also attempts to breast feed her new baby and changes her diaper.  

The scenes between Dolly and Macy are DEEPLY uncomfortable, and made this hardened gory horror movie fan wince at times. I have to respect that!

There is also someone else in the house, a man who whispers to Macy through the wall of her room…but is he friend, or foe? We get that answer soon enough as Dolly careens towards its bloody ending.

The backwoods setting of Dolly is very effective, and the interior house scenes almost made me feel like I was there with poor Macy.

The cast can make or break a small horror film like Dolly, and this particular cast is up to the task. Seann William Scott’s grueling performance as Chase is hard to watch at times, but only because we feel for what he is going through. Fabianne Theresa is great as Macy. She is really put through the emotional and physical ringer, and is believable throughout. But the true standout amongst the strong cast is professional wrestler Max the Impaler.

With their face covered by Dolly’s mask, we have to be able to read their emotions through body language alone, and Max excels at the challenge, particularly by use of their hands. I found myself feeling sorry for Dolly a few times, then scolded myself for it, because wow, is she BRUTAL. I hope this isn’t Max’s last foray into horror movies.

Dolly opens in theatres on March 6.

If you can’t see it in a theatre, keep your eyes on Shudder, because they acquired the rights after Dolly hit the film festival circuit at the end of 2025. It’s 100% a film worth watching if you can handle uncomfortable scenes and over the top gore.