Dolly

Macy, a young single mother, takes a romantic hiking trip with her partner, Chase, who is about to propose. During the getaway, she is abducted by a doll-obsessed, menacing figure known as Dolly. Macy is then trapped in a terrifying, twisted household where Dolly attempts to force her into a bizarre, "motherly" role: Her time as a human doll has begun. Dolly is the feature directorial debut of Rod Blackhurst, paying a gritty, uncompromising homage to 70s American horror films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. He employs celluloid cinematography and remote backcountry locations to create a grainy, sinister look. There is less allegory and more in-your-face action, with visceral, practical gore effects to delight horror enthusiasts. Fabianne Therese is superb as tormented Macy, and Dolly is a brutal, grindhouse film that announces the potential birth of a horror icon. (Jongsuk Thomas Nam)