Low budget horror/cult film auteur Charles Band just can’t get enough of those pint-sized terrors. You would think that after years of producing films such as the PUPPETMASTER series, DOLLS, DEMONIC TOYS, DOLLMAN, PREHYSTERIA, THE CREEPS, and TOTEM, that the Band would have had enough of this genre. But if he had no little critters in his films, he wouldn’t have any new Full Moon toys to roll out every year. So the killer doll genre lives on. Band himself picks up the directing chores for his latest franchise, BLOOD DOLLS. Charles Band is often considered a modern day Roger Corman. And like Corman, somewhere beneath the penny pinching exterior, is a talented filmmaker. Band’s directorial skills have turned out some decent low budget films, such as METALSTORM, TRANCERS, and THE DUNGEONMASTER, but this is also the guy that directed total crap like DOLLMAN VS. DEMONIC TOYS, PARASITE, and THE ALCHEMIST. Band’s company Full Moon Entertainment has bravely been churning out DVD titles since the format’s inception. However, the quality of the releases have been questionable, depending on the title. In 2000, Full Moon finally decided to commit to widescreen and 16x9 enhancement which gives their DVD titles a more theatrical feel, than the usual direct-to-video VHS transfers that Full Moon and Troma are known for. BLOOD DOLLS is one their first DVD releases to include all the perks.

BLOOD DOLLS is a strange one even for Charles Band and Full Moon. First of all, the title critters have merely a supporting role; they are used only as tools you might say. The film really explores the twisted relationship between a murderous eccentric billionaire, and his evil female business rival. Check out this weirdness: A genetically-bred eccentric billionaire named Virgil (Jack Maturin) wears a rubber mask (which resembles the robot from THE PHANTOM CREEPS) to keep his Beetlejuice-size head hidden from prying eyes. He has a butler named Mr. Mascara (William Paul Burns), who wears evil looking clown makeup and is actually a skilled assassin. Inside Virgil’s mansion, he keeps a sexy female heavy metal band hostage inside a steel cage, and forces them to perform songs based on his mood. If the girls don’t play the music loud or fast enough, a midget (Phil Fondacaro) tortures them with a electric prod. Virgil’s genetically enhanced make-up gives him super-intelligence that he uses to devise a machine that converts humans to minuscule Blood Dolls that are faithful only to Virgil. Stick around, it gets weirder.

Virgil has some corporate business rivals, George Warbeck (Nicholas Worth) and Harrison Yulin (Warren Draper), who have swindled him out billions of dollars, and he intends to get revenge. He sends his trio of distorted Blood Dolls (comprised of a 1970’s pimp, a punk rock musclehead, and a six-armed heavy metal China doll) and Mr. Mascara to kill George Warbeck and his wife in their high security homestead. Having accomplished this goal, Virgil turns his attentions to Harrison Yulin, the man who takes credit for swindling Virgil of his fortune. Harrison Yulin is regarded as a corporate genius, but no one (not even Virgil) knows that he is really only a mouthpiece for his beautiful, domineering, cruel wife, Moira (Debra Mayer). Moira and Harrison spend most of their time scheming together while engaged in sadomasochist activity. Moira avoids the Blood Dolls and wages a personal and corporate war on Virgil using her husband as the scapegoat. She visits Virgil and uses her wiles and beauty to appeal to his human desires, but he has none. Moira continues to weave a web of deceit; she is not surprised to find the Blood Dolls have killed and mutilated her husband, but she does not care. Realizing that Moira was his true opponent all along, Virgil sends his Blood Dolls to do away with her. But Moira has a plan all her own—she is brave enough to return to Virgil’s mansion, and offer him up a deadly proposition. Who will win out in this bloody battle of wills?

BLOOD DOLLS includes the following mayhem:

• A lawyer gets drilled in the chest sending blood spurting everywhere.
• The Blood Dolls massacre three people in an elevator.
• A security guard gets garroted in the throat.
• The Blood Doll bites and then rips chunks out of a woman’s foot.
• A corporate bigwig gets a solid steel dumbbell dropped on his head.
• A man is slowly tortured and killed by tightening wire around his body, which opens up gashes and contusions everywhere.
• A security guard gets a blade thrown into his eyeball.

We were expecting another mindless killer-doll-stalking-the-teenagers film, along the lines of the PUPPETMASTER series. Boy, were we surprised. BLOOD DOLLS does feature enough miniature mayhem to satisfy fans of that never-ending franchise, but BLOOD DOLLS brings some new approaches and ideas to an otherwise stale genre. First of all, the film has no heroes—the closest thing to actual good characters are the members of the fictional heavy metal band, who don’t have a whole lot of lines or much to do anyhow. It is the evil and villainous characters that this movie revolves around. The two most vile persons in the film are the main characters. This is not your formula good vs. evil picture with good winning out in the end; it is evil vs. evil which makes the storyline so fresh. Not that BLOOD DOLLS is perfect, mind you (there are still many problems we’ll discuss), but it’s nice to see Charles Band pushing the envelope a bit instead of regurgitating the same movie over and over. Band takes a lot of chances here, with just a great deal of genuine weirdness, and bizarre S & M visuals. One more thing that Band takes a risk on is the Twilight Zone-ish double ending which just has to be seen to be believed.

Charles Band brings life to BLOOD DOLLS like he does with most Full Moon productions. He incorporates the proven formula that Roger Corman uses so well:

[Inexperienced (meaning low salary) Lead Actors and Actresses] plus [Veteran Character Actors (such as Nicholas Worth)] plus (Sexy Women and Gore Effects) plus (Cheap and Cramped Sets) = Cult Appeal

Once again Band goes for inexperienced talent in lead and victim roles, and it is usually this area that hurts most of Full Moon’s films. In BLOOD DOLLS, there are a few genre vets like Nicholas Worth and Phil Fondacaro, but most of the supporting cast are young and don’t have enough talent or experience. However, three of the rookie main performers actually turn in some good showings for themselves. William Paul Burns turns in a memorable performance as the bizarre clown-faced Mr. Mascara. Jack Maturin shows some promise as the deformed Virgil. His character is vile and shallow and the audience never develops any sympathy for him—even though he is the main character. The best performance in the film is given by the unbelievably gorgeous Debra Mayer. I hate to sound like an infatuated teenager, but the way Band trots this woman around in S & M attire will leave a lasting impression in your memory bank. The big surprise is she actually has some acting ability and she makes for a fairly convincing corrupt corporate type. She also gets some of the best lines in the film. Meryl Streep she is not, but she only has a few pictures under her belt, and I suspect she’ll get better over time. She reminds me of a Katherine Zeta Jones. The relationship between her character, Moira, and her puppet husband is the cause of much black humor throughout BLOOD DOLLS. Moira also establishes a heated rivalry/relationship with Virgil which also delivers tension and more black humor. Despite the typical Full Moon limited resources, it is these twisted relationships and black humor which propels BLOOD DOLLS above PUPPETMASTER status.

The splattery special effects are believably pulled off, with a couple of the kills falling into the so-bloody-its-ridiculous category. For some scenes, Charles Band shows way too much blood, in others he leaves the grue to your imagination (although you know it’s really a budgetary consideration), so it is a nice balance. The Blood Doll creations are well designed and nasty looking, looking similar to Band’s PUPPETMASTERS, except the Blood Dolls are dressed as Rock n Roll types (you know, punker, heavy metal chick, etc.). There are a few instances of digital effects to depict the little monsters walking across the lawn or down a hallway. Sorry, no stop-motion animation. There are several sequences where the female heavy metal band plays their instruments, and the photography switches to MTV-like camera pans and angles. While not the best Full Moon effort of all time, BLOOD DOLLS offers something new to the tired genre, and should please fans of PUPPETMASTER and other killer doll movies. And Charles Band redeems himself after that horrid film he directed called DOLLMAN VS. DEMONIC TOYS.

There is a Special Features menu, where you can select the supplements to view. Besides the Full Moon Web page link and Full Moon Merchandise Catalog options, you can view the Video Zone. This feature gives you a sneak peak behind-the-scenes of Full Moon productions both past and present, and includes footage of Charles Band hyping current and future projects. The Video Zone is full frame, DD 2.0, and runs 26:22. Also included is a behind-the-scenes documentary for BLOOD DOLLS, which features more interview footage than the actual shooting of the film. There are brief interview excepts with Charles Band, Composer Riccardo Bizzetti, the principals, and the members of the fake heavy metal band (one of whom reveals she used to be a stripper). This documentary is Full Frame, DD 2.0, and runs 5:52. You can also view a Bloopers reel, which showcases a few actors flubbing their lines, and other such shooting mishaps. The Bloopers are in Full Frame, DD 2.0 and run 2:22. Then there is a music video for the song, PAIN, by the female heavy metal group called The Blood Dolls. This music video is directed by Charles Band and is Full Frame, DD 2.0, and runs 4:08. There are also Talent Files for the cast and crew including the sexy Debra Mayer, Yvette Lera, Jack Maturin, Janelle Paradee, Venessa Talor, William Paul Burns, Phil Fondacaro, Nicholas Worth, Warren Draper, and Persia White. Last but not least is a feature length commentary with director Charles Band and performers Debra Mayer and Jack Maturin. The commentary is rather loose and fun; after all this is not a Criterion commentary we are talking about. You’ll probably want to drink a couple beers before listening to the commentary (or watching the film for that matter) to get yourself into the proper frame of mind.

On Side 2 of the DVD are 45 trailers for Full Moon films! All trailers are Full Frame and in Dolby Digital 2.0, unless otherwise noted. In a stroke of brilliance on the part of Full Moon, you can view them all together or select specific trailers from a menu:

- Phil Chandler