Parodies of humanity? A mockery of childhood innocence? Things that appear human but aren’t? Tiny unnatural monsters that lurk in dark corners of the heart and mind? This is an ongoing list of movies and TV show episodes that feature dolls of various kinds that display unnatural life and (usually) an evil tendency. The list is in alphabetical order (ignoring initial articles).
• Sources
Angel (TV series)
“Smile Time” (US; ep. 5.102; 18 Feb. 2004; dir. Ben Edlund)
Annabelle (US-2014; dir. John R. Leonetti)
Asylum (UK-1972; dir. Roy Ward Baker; sc. Robert Bloch; segment “Manikins of Horror”)
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV series)
“Where the Woodbine Twineth” (US; 11 January 1965; Season 3, Episode 13; dir. Alf Kjellin)
Attack of the Puppet People (US-1958; dir. Bert I. Gordon)
Black Devil Doll from Hell (US-1984; dir. Chester Turner)
Blood Dolls (US-1999; dir. Charles Band)
The Boy (China/Canada/US-2016; dir. William Brent Bell)
Buffy (TV series)
“The Puppet Show” (US; ep. 1.09; 5 May 1997; dir. Ellen S. Pressman)
Child’s Play series
Child’s Play (US-1988; dir. Tom Holland)
Child’s Play 2 (US-1990; dir. John Lafia)
Child’s Play 3 [aka Child’s Play 3: Look Who’s Stalking] (US-1991; dir. Jack Bender)
Bride of Chucky (US-1998; dir. Ronny Yu)
Seed of Chucky (US-2004; dir. Don Mancini)
Curse of Chucky (US-2013; dir. Don Mancini)
The Conjuring (US-2013; dir. James Wan)
Curse, Death and Spirit [aka Honto ni atta kowai hanashi: Jushiryou] (Japan-1992; dir. Hideo Nakata; segment “The Cursed Doll”)
Dangerous Worry Dolls (US-2008; dir. Charles Band)
Das Clown (US-1999; short [8 min]; dir. Tom E. Brown)
Dead of Night (UK-1945; segment “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” dir. Alberto Cavalcanti)
Dead Silence (US-2007; dir. James Wan)
Death Doll (US-1989; dir. William Mims)
Demonic Toys (US-1992; dir. Peter Manoogian) — review
Demonic Toys: Personal Demons [aka Demonic Toys 2] 2 (US-2010; dir. William Butler)
Demon Island [aka Piñata: Survival Island] (US-2002; dir. David and Scott Hillenbrand)
Der Golem (Germany-1913; dir. Henrik Galeen; co-s. Paul Wegener)
Der Golem: Wie Er in die Welt Kam (Germany-1920; dir. Paul Wegener)
Devil Doll (US-1963; dir. Lindsey Shonteff)
Devil Dolls [aka The Haunted Dollhouse] (US-2012; dir. Ted Nicolaou, Peter Manoogian, Charles Band)
Doctor Who (TV series)
“Terror of the Autons” (Season 8, eps 1-4; UK-2 Jan 1971-23 Jan 1971)
“The Talons of Weng-Chiang” (Season 14, eps 1-6; UK-26 Feb 1977-2 April 1977)
“Rose” (New series, Season 1, ep. 1; UK-26 March 2005)
“The Girl in the Fireplace” (New series, Season 2, ep. 4; UK-6 May 2006)
Dollface (US-2008; short [20 min.]; dir. Jon Springer)
Doll from Hell [aka Ikenie; also Sacrifice] (Japan-1996; dir. Shinobu Murata)
Doll Graveyard (US-2005; dir. Charles Band)
Dollman vs. Demonic Toys (US-1993; dir. Charles Band)
The Doll Master [aka Inhyeongsa] (South Korea-2004; dir. Yong-ki jeong)
Dolls (US-1987; dir. Stuart Gordon)
Dolly Dearest (US-1991; dir. Maria Lease)
The Dummy (2000; dir. Keith Singleton)
The Fear (US-1995; dir. Vincent Robert)
The Fear: Resurrection [aka The Fear: Halloween Night] (US-1999; dir. Chris Angel)
Friday the 13th (TV series):
“The Inheritance” (Season 1, ep. 1, Canada- 28 Sept. 1987; dir. William Fruet)
“Read My Lips” (Season 2, ep. 8; Canada-21 Nov. 1988; dir. Francis Delia)
“The Playhouse” (Season 2, ep. 12; Canada-28 Jan. 1989; dir. Tom McLoughlin)
“Jack-in-the-Box” (Season 3, ep. 17; Canada-23 Apr. 1990; dir. David Winning)
Golem (1936; dir. Julien Duvivier)
Goosebumps (TV series): (you can view all episodes here)
“Night of the Living Dummy II” (US; ep. 10; 12 Jan 1996)
“Night of the Living Dummy III (1)” (US; ep. 43; 20 July 1997)
“Night of the Living Dummy III (2)” (US; ep. 43; 20 July 1997)
“Bride of the Living Dummy” (US; ep. 60; 14 Feb 1998)
The Great Gabbo (US-1929; dir. James Cruze, Eric Stroheim [uncredited])
Gudia (India-1997; dir. Goutam Ghose)
Heidi (US-2014; dir. Daniel Ray)
House of Evil (Mexico/US-1968; dir. Jack Hill and Juan Ibáñez)
The iDol (Japan-2006; dir. Norman England)
Íntimo Terror (Spain-1992; dir. Walter Doehner)
It! (UK/US-1966; dir. Herbert J. Leder) — a Golem movie
Jigsaw (US-2002; dir. Don Adams and Harry James Picardo)
Killer Koala (US-1996; dir. Harry Penderecki)
Lights Out (TV series):
“When Widows Weep” (US/Canada, pilot; 15 Jan 1972; creator Arch Oboler, writer Alvin Boretz, producer Herbert Brodkin)
The Living Doll (France-1908; dir. George Méliès)
Living Dolls (US-1980; short [9:36 min]; dir. Todd Coleman)
The Living Idol (US-1957; dir. René Cardona and Albert Lewin)
Los Muñecos Infernales: Devil Doll Men (Spain-1961; dir. Benito Alazrahi) [aka Curse of the Doll People, US, dir. Paul Nagle]
Love Object (US-2003; dir. Robert Parigi)
Macabre Serenade [aka Dance of Death] (US-Spain, 1968; dir. Juan Ibanez, Jack Hill)
Maelström (UK/Norway-1985; TV mini-series [6 episodes, 300 min.]; dir. David Maloney)
Magic (1978; dir. Richard Attenborough)
Malice@Doll (Japan-2000; dir. Keitarou Motonaga)
Marronnier (Japan-2004; dir. Hideyuki Kobayashi)
May (US-2002; dir. Lucky McKee)
The Melancholy Fantastic (US-2010; dir. A.D. Calvo)
Monsters (TV series):
“Holly’s House” (ep. 2; 29 Oct 1988; dir. Ted Gershundy)
“Manniquins of Horror” (ep. 23; 20 May 1989; dir. Ernest Farino, written by Robert Bloch)
Night Gallery (TV series):
“The Doll” (Season 1, ep. 12; 13 January 1971; dir. Rudi Dorn)
“The Doll of Death” (Season 3, ep. 14; 20 May 1973 ; dir. John Badham)
Ooga Booga (US-2013; dir. Charles Band)
Pin (Canada-1988); dir. Sandor Stern)
Pinocchino’s Revenge (US-1996; dir. Kevin Tenney)
Pulgasari (North Korea-1985; dir. Sang-Ok Sim and Chong Go Jo)
Puppet Master series
Puppet Master (1989; dir. David Schmoeller)
Puppet Master II (1991: dir. Dave Allen)
Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge (1991; dir. David DeCoteau)
Puppet Master 4 (1993; dir. Jeff Burr)
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994; dir. Jeff Burr)
Curse of the Puppet Master (1998; dir. David DeCoteau)
Retro Puppet Master (1999; dir. David DeCoteau and Joseph Tennent)
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003; dir. Charles Band)
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (US-2004; dir. Ted Nicolaou)
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (US-2010; dir. David DeCoteau)
Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (US-2012; dir. Charles Band)
Puppet Master: Axis Termination (US-2017; dir. Charles Band)
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (UK/US-2018; dir. Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund)
Puppets Who Kill (TV series. Canada, 2001-2005; dir. Rob Mills and Shawn Thompson)
Ragdoll (US-1999; dir. Ted Nicolaou)
Reincarnation [aka Rinne] (Japan-2005, dir. Takashi Shimizu)
Robert the Doll (UK-2015; dir. Andrew Jones)
Samurai Princess Gedohime (Japan-2009; dir. Kengo Kaji)
Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework [aka Zona d’ombra: bambole e vudù] (Canada-1997; dir. Stephen Williams)
Shattered Lives (US-2009; dir. Carl Lindbergh)
Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (US-1992; dir. Martin Kitrosser)
The Simpsons (TV series)
“Tree House of Horror III: Clown Without Pity” segment (US; ep. 64, 24 Oct. 1992)
Small Soldiers (1998; dir. Joe Dante)
Stitches (US-2000; dir. Neal Marshall Stevens)
Tales From the Darkside (TV series):
“The Geezenstacks” (Season 3, ep. 5; 26 Oct. 1986; dir. Bill Travis)
Tales From the Hood (US-1995; dir. Rusty Cundieff — “KKK Comeuppance” story)
The Tales of Hoffman (UK-1951; dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger — “The Tale of Olympia” segment)
Tiki (US-2006; dir. Ron Ford)
Totem (US-1999; dir. David DeCoteau)
Tourist Trap (US-1979; dir. David Schmoeller)
Trilogy of Terror (US-1975; dir. Dan Curtis — Part 3 “Amelia”, released separately as a short titled “Terror of the Doll”)
Trilogy of Terror II (US-1996; dir. Dan Curtis)
Twilight Zone (TV series):
“The After Hours” (Season 1, ep. 34 [ep. 34]; 10 June 1960; dir. Douglas Heyes)
“The Dummy” (Season 3, ep. 33 [ep. 98]; 4 May 1962; dir. Abner Biberman)
“Living Doll” (Season 5, ep. 6 [ep. 126]; 1 Nov. 1963; dir. Richard C. Sarafian)
“Caesar and Me” (Season 5, ep. 28 [ep. 148]; 10 April 1964; dir. Robert Butler)
Twilight Zone (2003 TV Series):
“The Collection” (ep. 38; 23 April 2003; dir. John T. Kretchmer)
The X-Files (TV Series)
“Chinga” (Season 5, ep. 10; 8 February 1998; dir. Kim Manners; written by Stephen King)
Hardy, Phil (ed.) (1993-), Horror: The Aurum Film Encyclopedia, Aurum Press: London
Internet Movie Database
Miscellaneous correspondents, including Michael Prince, Richard Duran and Dennis Pradere
Extras:
A short video on 10 “real-life” cursed dolls:
There was some clown tale that came on tv in the early 80’s. It was about 30 minutes. A little girl was having her 8th birthday party outside in the front of her house. A van pulled up and a creepy looking clown got out. He beckoned her over to him with an evil smirk. She ran over to him and he handed her a birthday gift.
It was a jack-in-the-box clown figure. It looked someone like him. He told her to make a wish whenever she was afraid and the toy would make her wish come true.
The next night, her parents were going on and called the neighborhood baysitter over to watch her. The little girls pled with her parents not to leave her alone with the babysitter. Her mother told her that she was a big girl and should be used to being babysat by now. The mother also told her she usually had fun with the babysitter. The little girl told her mother that this was not the case and further pleaded with her to stay home.
The parents disregarded the little girls wishes and went out anyway. The minute they left, the babysitter turned out the all lights from the fuse box and grabbed a huge butcher knife from the kitchen. She attempted to scare the little girl as she had done on other occasions while left alone with her.
The little girl hid upstairs in her closet as she cried and plead for the babysitter to stop this game and turn the lights back on. The heartless babysitter relentlessy ignored her requests and continued trying to scare her.
The little girl suddenly remembered the clowns words about her favorite birthday present. Still in the dark, the little gairl came out of the closet and located the jack-in-the-box. She closed her wet eyes and nervously made her wish. The babysitter slowly approached the stairs as she noticed a dark figure hovering over her shoulder. The little girl sudddenly heard a loud, shrill scream emerge from the downstairs living room.
A little while later, the girls parents returned from their date puzzled, questioning why all the lights were out. They also questoned the whereabouts of the babysitter. The little girl explained that the baysitter had been “trying to scare her”.
The next day, a newspaper article read that a babysitter had mysteriously disappered while babysitting an eight year old girl. Her whereabouts had still not been determined. The little grilr was quite content and her parents decided not to leave her alone again anytime soon. She’d received her wish.
Wish I could remember what it was called!