It felt like one of those moments that would change the world forever; back in October, the trailer for M3GAN dropped. The film, about a cyber doll with a mind of her own and a penchant for blood, has driven the internet to a fever pitch. In the trailer alone, M3GAN established herself, in just two-and-a-half minutes, as an icon. She is the moment, she is everything. Hope you’re ready for a whole lot of Halloween costumes honouring this little deviant later in the year, because they’re coming.
Now, with M3GAN finally arriving in cinemas, she’s all but guaranteed to have audiences craving more campy, ridiculous, and terrifying movies about killer dolls. Here are seven to put at the top of your watchlist.
Dead Silence (2007)
Written by horror maestros Leigh Whannell and James Wan (who also directs), Dead Silence arrived in 2007, primed to traumatise a whole generation and keep them far away from ventriloquists and their dummies. The film opens with a particularly macabre and grisly murder after a doll arrives at the home of Jamie (Ryan Kwanten) and his wife Lisa (Laura Regan). That prompts Jamie to head back to his hometown, the eerie Raven’s Fair, to try and get answers about the puppet. While it may take a little too long to really get going, Dead Silence is drenched in a creepy atmosphere, has unexpected twists, and is downright terrifying at its best moments. I’m not sure what ventriloquists have done to deserve this, but rest assured, I won’t be going near one anytime soon.
Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play certainly isn’t the first killer doll movie, but it is the most legendary, and the film’s premise has inspired countless copycats. For the somehow still uninformed, it tells the story of mother Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks), who gets her son Andy (Alex Vincent) the toy he’s been begging for his birthday — a Good Guy doll. The doll’s name is Chucky, and he’s adorable! Well, he could be adorable, except that trapped within him is the soul of a serial killer, so he’s anything but. Chucky has an insatiable thirst for murder, and you better believe he’s gonna get in some awfully gnarly kills. Chucky has since spawned a seven-film franchise, a reboot, and a TV series, officially making him the ultimate killer toy. That was until he started beefing with M3GAN on Twitter…
Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
“It was a big mistake to acknowledge this doll,” says Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson). Annabelle is downright terrifying. My god, her eyes! You don’t need to have seen any of the previous Annabelle films (this is the third) to enjoy this impressively creepy thriller, which takes place almost entirely inside the confines of the Warren household. It’s also the best example of what Annabelle does best: staring into your soul and seeping into your nightmares. What separates Annabelle from other killer dolls (besides her enormous box office haul) is the fact that she doesn’t actually do any of the killing herself. In fact, Annabelle doesn’t even speak. She is, in essence, the ultimate #girlboss, silently commanding other evil spirits to do her bidding. What an icon.
The Boy (2016)
Greta (Lauren Cohan) is excited about her new job opportunity. She’s going to be a nanny for a boy in a remote mansion, but she’s shook (for lack of a better word) to discover that the boy, Brahms, is a freaking doll. The job isn’t a joke though, and she stays on (we get it, times are tough) to take care of the doll. Director William Brent Bell has a great time working with an absolutely absurd premise, milking Stacey Menear’s twisty, creepy script for all its worth.
Pinocchio’s Revenge (1996)
There have been an awful lot of Pinocchio movies, but none are as ridiculous as Pinocchio’s Revenge. This straight-to-video delight finds our titular wooden puppet buried with a murdered child. Inevitably, Pinocchio finds his way home with lawyer Jennifer (Rosalind Allen) and her daughter, Zoe (Brittany Alyse Smith). How sweet! Except this is a list of killer doll movies, so you’ll be unsurprised to learn what follows is a lot of good old-fashioned killing. This film is so deliriously wild that it could be the keynote speaker in a symposium on camp. Is it good? Certainly not. Will I ever stop thinking about it? No.
Dolls (1987)
If you find yourself frustrated that killer doll movies simply do not have enough killer dolls, we have the movie for you! Stuart Gordon’s campy cult horror, Dolls, delivers a cavalcade of “Oi mister, you me dad?” ones. When a family gets their car stuck in a storm on vacation, they wind up at the mansion of an old toy-making couple for shelter. Young Judy (Carrie Lorraine), instantly clocks something is amiss, but is laughed off by her remarkably awful father and stepmother. Needless to say, they find out how wrong they were!
Bride of Chucky (1998)
Oh, you thought you’d seen the last of Chucky? Well, think again, because he’s back, and this time, he’s married! The fourth entry into the franchise, Bride of Chucky, introduces the incredible Jennifer Tilly as Chucky’s bride, Tiffany. Thankfully, Tiffany is every bit as savage as Chucky. Perhaps even more so. When she’s not slaughtering unsuspecting innocents, she’s obliterating gender roles and smashing the patriarchy. Bride of Chucky has its scary moments (and a young Katherine Heigl!), but is ultimately sheer parody, which is a natural fit for this go-for-broke movie series.