So when that “mindless” doll moves from where you last left it or, you know, murders you, it’s even creepier. And these are 19 of the creepiest. For example, turning innocuous catchphrases into sinister threats. The doll, Talky Tina, goes from saying, “My name is Talky Tina and I love you very much,” to “My name is Talky Tina and I’m going to kill you.” A classic. The mother who gives her daughter the doll is also named Annabelle. Coincidence, or haunted connection? Instead, a couple brings the dolls to life and has them kill adults who become stranded at their home, while children are allowed to live. They also transform some victims into dolls, making for one of the most brutal scenes in the movie. But perhaps the scariest thing of all was how little we knew about dissociative disorders back then. The doll is just in one quick scene, but as Keith Phipps of the A.V. Club said: “Operating under the principle that a moving camera is always better than a static one – and not above throwing in a terrifying evil doll – Deep Red showcases the technical bravado and loopy shock tactics that made Argento famous.” And Maitland McDonagh has suggested in her book, Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento, that the doll in this clip was the inspiration for Billy, the doll in Saw. The unique spin this movie puts on the formula is that it turns out the whole Dolly Dearest factory is possessed by Sanzia, leading to an army of Dollys. Naturally, the demon chooses a Baby Oppsy Daisy, Grizzly Teddy, and other toys to try to get the job done. Things were much simpler back in 1945. Rather than humans getting turned into dolls or dolls stabbing people to death, Hugo is simply a creepy doll that manipulates his owner into shooting a rival ventriloquist. Unlike Magic, which makes it clear the doll is a “split personality” of the main character, Hugo’s story in Dead of Night, leaves it up to the viewer to decide whether the dummy was really alive. The dummy, who is called Pin, “tells” Leon to kill anyone who goes against what the boy wants. What’s unique in this movie is that, towards the end, the dummy actually condemns Leon for his actions. He reminds Leon that he did everything out of his own self-interest. I won’t spoil the very end, but it’s an interesting twist on the dissociative trope. This episode also features a human getting turned into a doll, with an ending that, especially for the time it was made, is particularly creepy. You may be wondering, “What about the first ‘Night of the Living Dummy’?” For whatever reason, the TV show decided to skip the adaptation of Slappy’s first book and skip straight to the sequel. Tourist Trap was directed by David Schmoeller, who also directed Puppet Master. But this flick doesn’t feature magic or demons’ souls. Instead, the villain uses telekinetic powers to turn people into mannequins.
