The Horror Show
Playing with Dolls: Bloodlust
by Rene Perez
I think if someone were to round up all horror fans born after the 1970s and asked them what subgenre they started with, most will cite the slasher as their introduction. I remember the day I found a VHS copy of Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning back when I was a kid, not even caring at the time that I hadn't seen the previous entries yet. The numerous sequels of the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Child's Play helped cement the slasher concept as a full force in the horror world, some would argue dominating it. I grew up when the Scream series was just coming into popularity and when Halloween H20 was first hitting the screen. The point is, with such a fan base, the slasher has seen many a film of varying budgets, quality, and success. We horror fans can't get enough of them and where there is demand, there is supply.
I first watched the trailer for Playing with Dolls: Bloodlusta few months ago. The description was about how brutal and gory it was. I checked it out and was impressed with the gore and bloodshed. I figured the trailer was highlighting the choicest moments and ultimately, I was right, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a great time with the movie. Researching the series, I found there were a few Playing with Dolls films including a new one subtitled Havoc. It would seem these films are similar to the Violent Shit series in the sense that the slasher character has become a force of their own and the films are more about just putting him into different situations.
Playing with Dolls: Bloodlust centers around a group of reality show hopefuls who are about to find out that “reality” is a little too accurate a word in this case. All but one of them is an aspiring movie star and because of this, the prize of winning the reality show is quite enticing. Not only will the winner walk away with one million dollars, but they’ll star in their very own horror movie. The reality show itself is set up like a slasher flick with the group heading to a cabin in the woods to be stalked by an actor in a slasher suit. The odd man out is Magnus (Colin Bryant) who never intended to end up on the show, but thanks to an unforeseen set of circumstances he finds himself thrown in with the rest.
All the while, the man behind the show is watching from a monitor, delighting in what is about to play out. So, what does play out exactly? Let's just say that the “actor” in the slasher suit is a little more method than the contestants were thinking, and so, the slicing and dicing, slashing and bashing gets rolling. Who will survive? Is this all part of the show? And what lengths will the slasher go to quench his thirst for inflicting pain?
This may seem like a weird move considering my opinion of the film is enthusiastic for the most part, but I'll begin by getting the flaws out of the way. Overall, I think the film is great for what it is, but it makes a few odd choices. One awkward element is how the film introduces two character back stories and leaves the others open. It's totally understandable as I think the film sees these two as the primary protagonists, but the problem is that the film never feels fleshed out enough or does enough with these characters for them to feel like it. So it feels strange not to let the others have an intro as well. One of my favorite slashers is Wrong Turn 2. Also centering around a fateful reality shoot, WT2 introduces the concept with an indented contestant getting axed. The difference is, with WT2 this serves as an introduction to the reality show concept while also treating fans to an early kill. Playing with Dolls, on the other hand, already has a quality intro kill and so introducing two characters who take up almost the same amount of screen time as the others seems a bit off.
I will also point out that the ending has some fun moments in cool locations that the rest of the movie leaves underutilized. You got a cool underground tunnel? Use that shit! It also could have done a little more to make the setup feel like a reality show. I like how it meshes the reality show concept with the classic cabin in the woods setting, but it needed more than just a few cameras and the contestants acting like contestants.
If I may refer back to Wrong Turn 2, with that film they made it feel like a reality show. It's made clear that this is the hopeful project of a young man trying to dip his toes in the waters. Playing with Dolls: Bloodlust, however, introduces a show with a million-dollar prize yet it has such little production value. I totally get that this film itself probably didn't have a huge amount of money thrown at it, but it wouldn't have been too costly to have a few cameramen characters or a more thought out plan in regards to the ins and outs of the show.
Even with all this said, I enjoyed the film. I think it has more than a few things going for it and it's plenty more memorable than some of the dime-a-dozen slashers I've seen over the years. For one thing, it has gore. I'm not going to pretend it has anywhere near Hatchet or early Peter Jackson levels, but there's an attempt I found satisfying. The splatter scenes aren't in high volume, but at least when the violence is on the screen, it has a little anatomy to it. Rather than just throw in some fake blood and call it a day, the film allows itself to go a little further. It's no game-changer but it makes the kills worth it. Not every death is on screen and those moments where it's left to the viewer's imagination admittedly do feel like they just didn't have the money to show the goods, but there was enough to make me want to see what was next.
The characters are another element of note. I found them all fun to watch and interact. The characters all get along for the most part which I feel was the right decision for this particular film to take. If it were a more full-feeling project it may have been a better idea to add tension and arguments to the contestants’ relationships, but the way it is, at 80 minutes, it was a good decision to just stick with the slasher focus and let the contestants get along for the most part. Some of the non-contestant characters could have had more to do but once again, the running time kept this from being a real option. The killer himself isn't completely unique but has a flair and playfulness to him that makes his scenes a blast to watch.
To put it simply, I don't understand why this film has such a low rating with most people. Yes, some of the acting is cheesy, but that's part of the charm. Yes, it never really comes into its own and feels more like a back-and-forth between the slasher killing people and the contestants talking about wanting to be famous, but in this simplicity lies part of why I like it. It's a straightforward effort that is easy to settle into. If it weren't for the more violent scenes it may be relatively forgettable but everything mixes together just fine. I won't spoil the ending but I will say that it's pretty abrupt. I assumed that it would carry over into the new film, Havoc, but reading the plot online, this doesn't seem to be the case. I enjoyed Bloodlust enough to check the next installment out, so stay tuned and we'll find out together where the series is going next.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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