In 2017, horror fans were treated to evil dolls with new installments in the Annabelle and Child’s Play series. In 2018, we’re kicking things off with an original character in Lawrence Fowler’s Curse of the Witch’s Doll. It’s a back to basics story where emphasis is put on the doll and the emotional story surrounding its caretakers, with the story gradually growing in pace and mystery. Based on the screenplay by director Lawrence Fowler, it’s the early 1940’s in Europe and the continent is still in the grips of a bitter war. A mother, Adeline, and her daughter, Chloe, escape a bombing and seek shelter at a hide-out hidden deep in the woods. Soon after moving in, Adeline is plagued by strange events and her daughter goes missing in the middle of hide-and-seek. All signs point to a doll with a sinister grin on her face, which holds the soul of a vengeful witch, and now it’s up to Adeline to save her daughter and break the witch’s centuries old curse. Helen Crevel, Philip Ridout, Layla Watts, Claire Carreno, Neil Hobbs, Robert Ansell, Michelle Archer, Ethan Taylor and Laura Janes star in this new movie from Up A Notch Films and High Octane Pictures.
Its name certainly implores the plot, as Curse of the Witch’s Doll is exactly what you’d expect from a movie with this title. In the 1800’s, a witch was unjustly murdered and passed her soul into the vessel moments before her execution. It’s haunted the house ever since, tormenting guests, and Adeline and Chloe are no different. This movie goes with a more subdued approach and attempts most of its scares off-screen, which was a savor in disguise since you won’t have to see any abysmal puppetry. Instead of a movie that’s Hell bent on jump scares and creepy laughter, this one’s mood and style is reminiscent of classic Hammer Films, at least to me. The only difference is Curse of the Witch’s Doll has the emphasis on the ghost story over splatter effects. And the drama! There’s a lot of love lost in this movie, with Adeline struggling to survive without the support of her husband – who’s either fighting in the war or dead, I forget which. Many scenes in the movie deal with the woman and her daughter reeling from this situation, and it leads to some stand-out acting not typically found in horror films.
I enjoyed the fact that the haunted doll was more than a vessel and more than a prop sitting on a shelf. It was utilized well, and the combination of the doll and the witch’s astral projections made for scenes that boarded on possession and full bodied apparitions. It was fun to watch. However, there were a few things that I didn’t like. The audio is a little iffy – full of echos – but I know you have to expect that in a huge, old house. And, not intended as an insult to the actress, but I really hated the daughter, Chloe. I wish her part in the movie was minimized in support of more horror, more drama and more sleuthing. Oh, and I hated the plot twist near the end. Luckily, Curse of the Witch’s Doll recouped its splendor by the end credits with a fantastic flash-forward scene. And at least this feature film was shot well. Curse of the Witch’s Doll was written, directed, produced and edited by Lawrence Fowler with producer Geoff Fowler. Geoff also handled the creation of the doll, and shout out to Dave Ware and Liz Fowler who were integral in keeping this production going, too.
A little slow at times, but the story was hearty, the doll was wild, and the horror was moderate. Final Score: 6 out of 10.
