SHARP SHOCK SHORT: DOLL BOY

DOLL BOY (2010)

Dir: ‘Bloody’ Bill Pon

Starring: Jed Duesler, Venus Monique, Dominic Lopez, Heather Francell, Raul Gonzalez, Adrienne Martinez, Shawn Black, Ryan Clapp, Sergio Gracida

After my recent posts on great horror villains from the past decade and Circus of the Dead, I’ve had a few questions about the short Doll Boy. So I decided what better way to address them, than with a new review, one which is tailored to the short film format.

Read on to get the skinny on this West Texas slasher throwback.

SUMMARY: For most shorts I cover, this section will be very short, but as Doll Boy clocks in at half an hour, I feel I can explore the plot in a little more depth.
First, the short gets under way with two trailers, both of which were directed for contests by Billy Pon. The first for Circus of the Dead was for the Grindhouse Fake Movie Trailer contest back in 2007 and, while low budget, shows plenty of energy and certainly sets the tone for the carnage to follow.

The second trailer, however?

HOOOOO BOY! How can one best describe the sheer, unadulterated bad-taste glory of Mister Fister?

That’s right, Mister Fister — a serial killer who dispatches of his victims by donning a large armoured glove and… well, I’m sure you can work out the rest.

It’s insane, gory, vile and either the most hilarious or most disgusting thing I’ve seen in a long, long time. Probably both.

It was produced as part of the Hobo With A Shotgun Fake Trailer competition and truly must be seen to be believed.

And then Doll Boy starts, diving straight into the action as the maniacal Noodledome drives his yellow van through West Texan streets while Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother blares over his radio.
We see the interior of his vehicle is filled with weapons — lots and lots of weapons. Oh, and a lunchbox for snacking. Well, spree-killing and abduction is hungry work!
Upon reaching the abandoned La Guadalupana Mexican flea market (handily identified by one of our characters later on) Noodledome parks up and slides open the door to reveal bound, cowering victims in the back. 
He quickly grabs each of them, heaving them from the van and into the dark, cavernous building before locking them in and driving away... but not without one last disturbing look at what he’s taking with him to keep himself entertained.
From here the captured guys and girl inside the dark building are able to free themselves using a lighter and we are introduced to kindly Mr Newton, dorkish Sean, handsome Raul, feisty Angela, pretty Venus, traumatised Lorie and (my favourite) the massive prick that is Brandon.
While everybody reveals that they were snatched from their workplace and lost several colleagues, friends and, in one person's case, a husband in the clown raid, Brandon spends his whole time bitching about losing his expensive watch. Hahahaha, what a wanker!
After the briefest of expository scenes, the gang find a box of convenient torches — and then they find the other person within the maze-like building.
Doll Boy.
He’s big, silent, vicious and by god, if he gets you cornered he will beat your brains out with his sledgehammer — something he demonstrates most effectively upon arriving on screen.
Needless to say, the hapless abductees are all terrified when they witness Doll Boy’s handiwork and promptly flee deep into the building, scattering in their panic.
The rest of the short follows our rapidly dwindling group of survivors as they seek an exit from Doll Boy’s lair, nattily decorated with as much creepy shit as has ever appeared on screen at once.

Think circus toys, eerie gramophone records, flickering projectors showing vintage black and white cartoons, jars of who knows what biological matter, religious paraphernalia and what is left of all the big boy’s previous victims.

As Doll Boy’s attacks come with increased regularity and ferocity, the story (written by Pon and fellow CotD collaborator Lee Ankrum) takes some surprising twists and turns, especially with the order in which characters meet their maker, and plenty of high-quality practical gore effects before reaching its grim conclusion.

WHY IT WORKS: This short works in the ways in which any other great slasher works — a compelling group of protagonists, a monstrous antagonist, good gory kills and a well-shot, well-directed, atmospheric location.
Doll Boy doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but what it does do is show a loving respect to its slasher forebears and the audience.  
The acting is a little spotty in places, but the brisk pace means many of the characters are smashed and bashed into the afterlife long before they can grate. However I will single out Dominic Lopez as the caring Mr Newton and Jed Duesler as the dickish Brandon for special praise. These guys were ace!
Which brings us to the villain that Newton, Brandon, Venus, Raul and the gang must cross paths with — the titular Doll Boy. He doesn’t appear to be much more than a large, mentally disturbed man with tastes that vary from childlike to psychotic, but that was enough for him to make my 13 great horror villains of the last decade.

His design is superb, a hulking, brutish psychopath in childlike garb, with a legitimately creepy babyfaced mask and, most importantly, a hefty and gore-soaked sledgehammer — making him a smasher, not a slasher. He’s a man of few words (none, in fact) but his actions more than make up for it.

Quite who he is, why he’s there and the exact nature of his partnership with Noodledome the clown remain a mystery, but perhaps some of these questions will be answered in Billy Pon’s follow-up effort, Circus of the Dead? I couldn’t possibly comment...

As for the amazing and atmospheric La Guadalupana setting — I’d go so far as to say that it becomes a character in its own right.

Much like the basement in Cabin In The Woods or the abandoned medical facility in Creep, this place is a gallery of the macabre, filled with all manner of gloriously hair-raising props.

After just one quick look it becomes all too obvious that director Billy Pon has gained masses of experience with his successful haunted house attractions over in Texas. In fact, Doll Boy himself is one of the characters that visitors can expect to terrify the living day lights out of them each and every Halloween. How cool is that?

The kills are all well done, they are gory and there is plenty of blood and brains splattered across Doll Boy’s pristine white mask. Furthermore, the effects work is marvellous and all practical too. Hooray!

Finally the short’s brisk run-time really works in its favour, cutting straight to the chase with its smash and bash action. There's no wasted dialogue and no extraneous scenes, just good, lean storytelling. 

If you’re a fan of good old-fashioned horror fare, such Halloween or Texas Chain Saw Massacre (both of which were influences on this short according to Pon), check Doll Boy out. You’ll be glad you did.

DIALOL: ‘That psycho cabbage patch dude crushed his head!’

‘I’ll tell the coroner to give you a tetanus shot... Right after she’s done scraping your brains off that nutjob’s hammer!’

‘I don’t habla the jibber jabber!’

SO WHERE’S IT AT? Your best place to get hold of this short is straight from director Billy Pon’s own web page, bloodybill.com
You can also pick up some other great merchandise including a fantastically dark and grim colouring book. Sick and superb, Mr Pon. Sick and superb!

10 WORD WRAP UP: Mister Fister, then classic slasher action make this a winner

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 — CIRCUS OF THE DEAD

Ok, this isn’t actually something on at the cinema right now, but the film is touring at several independent film festivals and is lining up a UK release as I write this. The director, Billy Pon, arrived on my radar with his superb short, Doll Boy (a review of which can be found here, and is available to buy here!) so it’s safe to say I was looking forward to this full-length follow-up. Was I going in expecting too much? Read on to find out

I’d also like to extend a hearty thanks to the folks at Bell Cow Films for the screener used to write this review. You guys are awesome!

Circus of the Dead (2014)

Dir: ‘Bloody Bill’ Pon

Starring: Bill Oberst Jr, Parrish Randall, Chanel Ryan, Roger Edwards, Ryan Clapp, Rusty Edwards, Mike Williams, Brad Potts, Tiffani Fest

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: As the odds are most of you won’t have seen this film yet, I’ll try not to spoil too much here, but read on at your own risk.

Circus of the Dead follows the exploits of a troupe of clowns, who are definitely NOT kiddy birthday party-friendly. Led by the incredible Bill Oberst Jr as serial rapist and psychotic mind-game player Papa Corn, the others consist of the chain-smoking, sardonic Mister Blister (Edwards); the enormous hulking cannibal Noodledome (Clapp, previously seen delivering the victims in the Doll Boy short) and the bestial, gun-packing dwarf Jumbo (Williams).

The film starts inside the clowns’ trailer, watching them prepare for a night under the big top while a raucous crowd chants for their arrival. Within moments we are made aware that these clowns are monsters in greasepaint. Then comes a quote from killer clown John Wayne Gacy.

Point made!

In fact, it is during the films opening moments that we are given a quick peak at the links this film shares with its predecessor, Doll Boy. To people like myself who love continuity between horror films, this is a very nice touch.

Soon we are introduced to our protagonists, Donald Johnson (Randall) and his family, including wife Tiffany (Ryan) and young daughters Alyssa (Jordan Bell) and Hillary (Madi Lane). Don is a decent hard-working man who it seems has been neglecting his duties as a dad and husband, so a trip to the circus for family bonding time is on the cards.

In the real world, I would applaud this decision. In a film called Circus of the Dead, it makes me say: ‘Oh shit.’

Speaking of cards, it is upon the Johnson family’s arrival to the circus (OF THE DEAD!!!!) that we first witness Papa Corn’s sinister M.O.

Using a battered old pack of Mexican Lotería cards (described helpfully as ‘like Bingo for Mexicans’) Papa tries to match the various images on the cards to potential victims and then, if a match is found, the nightmare begins.

Needless to say the Johnsons are matches.

Following a genuinely uncomfortable scene in which the manipulative and terrifying Papa Corn is able to convince Donald to give him his home address, the pace escalates. Quickly.

Papa and the gang stakeout the Johnson house where we see that in her loneliness, Tiffany is conducting an illicit affair with local lawman TC.

Papa, when spying on the pair in bed, reveals his depravity, drooling, swearing and furiously masturbating (yep, that happens), before leading a raid on the home.

Later when Donald returns home he finds the clowns waiting for him.

He doesn’t stand a chance. From here Donald is pressganged into joining Papa’s troupe, told that if he does what he is told, when he is told, he will be reunited with his daughters. If not, the ‘babysitter’ (who Papa refers to as one of his ‘greatest creations’) will be allowed to do whatever he pleases with them.

So begins a spiraling journey into insanity as Donald becomes more and more complicit in the vile actions of the clowns, while the police try to piece together the truth behind these heinous crimes.

BEST BITS (minor spoiler warning): Do you ever go in to a film a little nervous because you have such high expectations and you realise you’ll almost certainly be let down? That was how I felt as I started to watch Circus of the Dead.

I had no reason to be.

This film is a fantastic, low-budget but extremely accomplished indie horror gem. The story (written by Pon and Lee Ankrum) builds and builds, it plays by its own logic and never breaks its own rules, something all too rare in modern horror films.

The film is marvellously shot (as the work of cinematographer Anthony Gutierrez so often is) and carries a gritty, redneck, West Texan charm that reminded me of The Devil’s Rejects and (dare I say it) the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

I guarantee that every single review will praise the cast of this film, and nobody will receive more plaudits than Bill Oberst Jr.

This film really hangs on Oberst’s portrayal as Papa Corn. A less accomplished actor could have completely derailed the film, but Bill absolutely nails the role. He is terrifying, charming, demented and positively Satanic. I wasn’t too aware of Bill’s work before I watched this film, but I will be watching very keenly from now on. He seems to be a highly prolific actor judging by his IMDB page and if he can bring half the intensity to his other roles that he does to this one, he will soon be a very, very famous name.

In fact, his performance, along with Rusty Edwards as Mister Blister (not to be confused with Mister Fister!), during the more extreme moments really pull the film together. There is a sequence that I can only call a mid-movie murder montage™ where shit REALLY hits the fan. It is visceral and vile and, well, completely awesome.

The gore positively explodes from the screen and the shocking moments come so thick and fast I honestly couldn’t even guess at what the body count is for this film.

But that isn’t to say that the film doesn’t have a dark vein of black humour throughout. It revels in its grindhouse excesses and has a couple of genuine laugh-out-loud moments. (Papa Corn’s line: ‘I may be a homicidal serial rapist whose day job happens to be a clown, but I’m not a liar!’ had me in stitches)

I also think the ending deserves praise, the film builds to its only logical conclusion and ends on a properly frightening and disturbing note.

Finally some quick points, there is a post-credits stinger that I really recommend sticking around for. I loved it!

And kudos to whoever picked the Beaumont’s rip-roaring, redneck, rockabilly ‘If You Don’t Love the Lord’ for the end credits. I honestly cannot think of a better track to encapsulate the energy of the film.

WORST BITS (minor spoiler warning): This section is going to be short, as I had very few problems with the film at all.

I imagine some people may be put off by the film‘s runtime (it clocked in at just shy of two hours). Normally I’m of the opinion that a horror film needs to be a short sharp shock, but I really think Circus of the Dead justified that length.

Perhaps the earlier scenes could have been trimmed to make it punchier (it’s over half an hour before Papa et al descend on the Johnson family home), but I’m patient and feel that nicely building the tension really adds to a film, rather than detracts from it. I suppose it will be a matter of personal taste, and to me, it fell on the right side of layering a story rather than dragging it out.

I did feel that perhaps more focus could have been placed on Donald and his family. The film follows the clowns for almost the entirety of its runtime. This means that Donald is a little less compelling than the nihilistic antagonists. But with Bill Oberst Jr’s mesmerising turn as Papa Corn I can very much understand why the director may have wanted to keep the camera on him!

Also, I feel that some people may find this film a little extreme. The nature of some of the attacks (there is a strong element of sexual violence and the Madre attack during the montage may cause offence to some) could be seen as too much to more sensitive viewers. I’d argue that the over-the-top nature of the film takes the edge away from the worst moments, but those who aren’t great with more extreme films might be best to think twice about this one.

Finally, nobody made a Miami Vice joke about the character Don Johnson. MISSED OPPORTUNITY GUYS!

VERDICT: I’m going to cut straight to the chase — WATCH THIS FILM.

It’s excellent and shows a lot more energy and pride than a lot of big studio horror films. It is extreme at times, but the nature of horror films is to provoke a visceral reaction in the viewer. I had belly laughs and a genuine gasp of shock watching it alone on a small laptop screen — I can only imagine how fantastic an experience it must be to watch Circus of the Dead on the big screen with an appreciative crowd. Fingers crossed that us fans on this side of the pond will get a chance soon. In the meantime, watch the trailers here and here and wait for more news.

Finally, I bring it back to Papa Corn. I’m just annoyed that I saw this film after writing my feature on 13 Great Horror Villains From The Last Decade — if I’d watched Circus of the Dead before I wrote it, Papa Corn would have made the list hands down. I for one cannot wait to see more from Papa and the crew (including ‘the Babysitter’, wink wink). Will there be more? Well, that would be telling…

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.