RAW REVIEW: BANNISTER DOLL HEIST

Hot on the heels of Mycho's Cleaver 3: Maximum Cleavage comes yet another movie from the independent horror cinematic universe

Following on from the spooky goings on of 2019’s Bannister Doll House, this movie carries on the haunting tale of the demonic dolls.

Taking inspiration from classic heist movies AND old-school ghost stories, microbudget maestro MJ Dixon once again sets out to show he can do something new.

The House has yet to find a Mychoverse movie that disappoints - is the streak about to be broken?

Read on...

BANNISTER DOLL HEIST (2026)

Dir: MJ Dixon

Stars: ANGELIQUE TAYLOR, JACK GLANVILLE, PETRINA RICHARDSON, PHILIP ROGERS, CHRIS MORLEY, WILLIAM MARSHALL, JON-PAUL GATES, SEAN ABBOTT, TIANA ROGERS, AUDREY PERKINS

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I’ll try not to spoil too much here but continue at your own risk.

Opening with a daring raid on a police evidence locker, Bannister Doll Heist shows us a bunch of don on their luck career criminals looking for one big pay day. Sadly, things do not go to plan for Rey (Taylor), Frank (Philip Rogers), Judith (Richardson), and Davis (Glanville), and several police officers lose their lives.

Fleeing with their loot, the gang meet up with their corrupt inside man Officer Lawford (Marshall) at an old warehouse, praying their buyer will be able to give them a suitable payoff to escape the heat coming down on them.

However, they don't realise they are not the most dangerous thing in their hideout...

THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): While Bannister Doll Heist is releasing very close to Cleaver 3: Maximum Carnage, the movies could not be further aprt in terms of tone and pacing.

The film is smaller, quieter, and significantly scarier than its counterpart. Taking the creepy and unsettling tone of its predecessor, this is a fantastically creepy little picture.

Feeling like a unique blend of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and The Conjuring, the movie combines fun, memorable characters and chilling set-pieces. 

The highlights come from the fantastic Taylor, who imbues Rey with a subtle vulnerability and toughness that ensure you'll be rooting for her throughout. She's very much the heart of the movie so her nailing the part is vital - thankfully, she does.

Philip Rogers also impresses as the volatile tough guy Frank. He oozes menace and even brings some subtle humour to the part. Great stuff!

I raved about Marshall's increased role in Cleaver 3, and I was delighted to see him play another larger part in Bannister Doll Heist. He brings enough sleazy energy to the character to ensure you can't wait for him to get his comeuppance. 

Morley also brings some nice gravitas to his character - one of the few survivors of the shocking events of Bannister Doll House (AKA The Haunting of Molly Bannister) his character ties everything together and acts as the catalyst for the events of the movie.

I always want to single out the incredible Perkins who brings the story's villainous entity to life in a very unnerving way.

Of all of Mycho's movies, I'd argue this has some of their scariest scenes. A cool combination of Perkins's terrifying performance, simple but effective special effects work, and fantastic sound design make the puppet-like demon true nightmare fuel.

Perhaps that is the movie's biggest strength - it is simple and focused on story and scares. It absolutely delivers both.

THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning):  There is very little to find fault with in Bannister Doll Heist. It's a lean, mean, spooky thriller that never overreaches. Sure, some knowledge of what has come before is necessary, but I imagine many viewers will quickly be able to piece together the necessary information to keep up with events.

It's also lower budget than your typical Blumhouse blockbuster. It has a rough indie charm to it, but honestly, I feel that better suits the movie's tone anyway.

THE VERDICT: Let's get straight to the point - I loved Bannister Doll Heist.

The writing was on-point, the characters compelling, and the scares visceral. This is a shining example of British indie filmmaking, and I thoroughly recommend it.

You can read more about the movie at the Bannister series' official Facebook page. Or better yet, hit up the Mycho Patreon and help them create more quality indie horror.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

RAW REVIEW: BANNISTER DOLLHOUSE

Mycho Entertainment is a company that I can’t help but root for.

From humble roots, founder MJ Dixon has built an original horror shared universe, one made up of seven full length movies and a number of shorts.

That an indie company is able to achieve this is already an impressive feat, but what really stands out is that there has not been a single misfire to date.

So you can imagine my joy when Dixon offered The House an early look at his next two films in the series.

The first of these, Bannister DollHouse provides an origin for Slasherhouse II's extremely creepy Molly.

Would it continue the streak of hits? Read on...

BANNISTER DOLLHOUSE (2019)

Dir: MJ Dixon


Stars: Tiana Rogers, Grant Kempster, Susan Lee Burton, Emmeline Kellie, Chloe Badham


SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: I’ll try not to spoil too much here but continue at your own risk.

Bannister DollHouse continues the story started in the Mycho Patreon exclusive short Molly.

It features the Bannister family, dad Kenneth (Kempster), mother Mary (Burton), and their three daughters - Sherry (Badham), Dottie (Kellie) and Molly (Rogers).

Opening at Christmas, we witness a delighted Molly receive a gift of a decidedly unnerving doll from an unknown benefactor.

Of the immediate family, only the eldest daughter, the feisty Sherry, spots something amiss and (following the chilling events already witnessed during the short film Molly) decides to investigate. However, something has its eye on her, and her actions lead to tragedy.

A short while later the fractured family are still struggling to recover from the events of that fateful night. Ostracised Kenneth watches from afar, knowing that something is very very wrong with his youngest daughter.

But even the most devoted of family members cannot ignore the escalating oddness of Molly’s behaviour, forcing the Bannisters to confront the dark and insidious force that has targeted them...




THE BEST BITS (mild spoiler warning): One of the great strengths of Mycho’s expanded universe is that different movies give director Dixon a differential sub-genre to play in - from classic slashers, to sci-fiesque comicbook action flick, to dark psychological thriller, the Mychoverse is exceptionally diverse. Bannister DollHouse adds another new ‘flavour’ to the Mycho menu - the creepy supernatural chiller.

It reminds me a lot of Blumhouse style modern haunting movies, themselves heavily influenced by classics such as The Haunting, The Changeling and Poltergeist. I know some may find the comparison insulting, but as a fan of the likes of Insidious, Ouija (well, the origin movie anyway), The Conjuring and it’s own demon doll spin offs Annabelle (and it’s vastly superior prequel), this is actually high praise.

Bannister DollHouse exudes that throwback ‘spooky’ atmosphere - and is a real hit for it.

Dixon is a talented filmmaker and his movies always look great - his framing of shots and visually striking colour palettes have only become better with each passing movie. This could be the best looking Mycho movie yet. At times some shots look like paintings and the clever use of colour motifs really pops. Bravo!

Of course, good looks alone don’t make a good movie, there needs to be some substance too. Thankfully, Dixon’s script delivers. It’s a very different sort of story to those he usually tells - it’s less grounded and opens up a whole new corner of the Mychoverse (think of this as Mycho’s Dr Strange!)

However, there’s no awkwardness in the transition and Dixon proves just as adept at this type of horror story too. There’s also a strong focus on character in this story, giving us a reason to care about the Bannister clan before the inevitable bloodshed. Too often overlooked in our genre in the past, it’s great to see filmmakers taking the efforts to earn an emotional investment from the audience.

It certainly helps the cause that at the core of the movie there is a cast that are uniformly strong.

Making her return to the Mycho fold having previously portrayed Molly in both 2016’s Slasher House II and the aforementioned short film, Rogers is pivotal to the success of the film. It’s a complicated role requiring real range, and she manages it with aplomb. While I suspect Molly Bannister’s story may be all but told, I’m sure Dixon will find a way to use her again (she’s clearly a favourite having appeared in 2015’s Cleaver too). Fingers crossed!

Badham is another actress who Dixon has used multiple times and it’s easy to see why. She’s quite excellent and I think it’s telling that the only criticism I can find of her scenes is that I wish there were more of them!

Burton is also excellent and takes a role that could well have fallen flat in lesser hands to major beleaguered mum Mary one of the film’s more interesting characters. A classy actress to watch, she strengthens every scene she’s in.

Kempster is also great, and brings a nice degree of pathos to his role. Like both Rogers and Burton, his is a role that could decide whether the film holds up or falls down, and he shows he is more than up to the task with a nuanced performance.

Kellie has plenty of experience and is just as strong as the other actors, even if she does have a little less to do. She’s definitely one to watch.

Now, this isn’t a family drama - Mycho is an unapologetic creator of horror movies. A decent script and talented cast are all well and good, but what about the frights?

Well, I think a strong argument can be made that this is one of the scariest films in the series. Tonally it’s definitely closer to Mycho’s genuinely unnerving Hollower than the more fun and in your face Slasher House flicks.

There are some fantastically creepy set pieces and one of the more terrifying antagonists in the series - a demonic entity that is sure to chill the blood during each of its brief but memorable screen appearances.




THE WORST BITS (mild spoiler warning): Honestly, it feels churlish to find fault with a film like Bannister DollHouse, one that achieves so much with so little. In fact I’d go so far as to say that everything in this section of the review will amount to little more than nitpicking, but that is my job after all.

I have referred to MJ Dixon as a microbudget maestro in the past. This is still true, but he is not a miracle worker. While I have likened Bannister DollHouse to the glossy output of Blumhouse, I do feel it is is worth stressing that is a low budget British indie horror movie without the substantial resources of colossal Hollywood studios. Yes it looks good, but do please adjust your expectations accordingly.

Another quibble I have, is with some of the humour injected into proceedings at times. I understand that a film as dark and grim as this needs the tension to be broken at times, but some of the wisecracks felt a little jarring. Sadly the delivery just felt a little off on a couple of occasions too. Perhaps I was just in the mood to be scared? Nonetheless these instances were few and far between and certainly not a big enough deal to have much of an affect on my enjoyment of the film.

Finally, as mentioned above, this is the latest chapter in an ongoing story of many chapters. First time Mycho viewers may find themselves a little daunted. Yes, this is a movie that rewards familiarity with the Mycho brand. However, this is not the equivalent of walking into Infinity War having never seen a Marvel Studios movie.

In fact, Bannister DollHouse is one of the best Mychoverse pictures from a stand-alone basis - and a lack of familiarity with Slasher House II would actually make the entire last act significantly more surprising! But do watch Molly to get the full story - and give those talented Mycho folk a bit more Patreon support while you’re at it.




THE VERDICT: I often review Mycho’s movies positively here at The House. I make no secret of my admiration for what MJ, Anna, and their network of talented collaborators have achieved.

But do not let that trick you into thinking that the movies they create are not worthy of the praise I give them - especially this one.

Putting it simply, Bannister DollHouse is one of the best movies they have made, and a genuine must-see. It’s a dark, creepy spookfest with enough frights to chill the most hardened of horror-loving hearts.

With a superb cast, visuals and plot, this is the real deal - and more than worthy of the Mycho name.

The next effort CleaverS has certainly got its work cut out following this - stay tuned to see how it fares.


Both Bannister DollHouse and CleaverS will have their world premieres at the Horror-on-Sea festival at Southend’s Park Inn Palace Hotel in January. You can buy tickets at www.horror-on-sea.com.


Meanwhile, keep up with Bannister DollHouse news at Mycho’s official web site at https://mycho.weebly.com. And check out their Patreon here.


If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House @HickeysHorrors


Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.