The 15 Best Horror Movies Where Dolls Come To Life, Ranked By How Much They Freak Us Out
Vote up the freakiest horror movies that have you questioning your dolls.
What's the one never-fail secret to making a horror movie scarier? Put a creepy doll in it. From Chucky to M3GAN, these abominations never fail to make viewers scream their heads off when they bring their playful-horrific brand of mischief on screen. That said, there's also a fun personality to these movies, thanks to the presence of the dastardly dolls.
So, let's take a look at the horror movies featuring dolls, explore what the films are about, why the dolls are the way they are, and why no one should ever mess with them. Don't forget to vote up the movies that make you want to carry holy water with you whenever walking into a toy store.
- 152 VOTESPhoto: MGM/UA Entertainment Co.
What It's About: The Freelings live the perfect suburban life. Everything changes when their youngest child, Carol Anne, begins to speak to the static television. Supernatural events kick off around the house with Carol Anne eventually being taken by the nefarious entities in the home.
The Doll: A poltergeist-powered clown doll.
Why He Is Not Something To Play With: First off, which parent puts a clown doll in any child's room? Has no one ever heard of coulrophobia? Second of all, this poltergeist doesn't want to have fun and play cute parlor tricks. For heaven's sake, it inhabited a tree and tried to swallow a child whole!
Scariest Moment: Robbie gets creeped out by the clown doll on the chair, so he throws his jacket over it and misses. When he looks again, the doll is gone. Robbie looks under his bed for the clown, but he can't find it. All of a sudden, this diabolical doll pops up behind him and wraps its arms around his neck.
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- 232 VOTESPhoto: STX Entertainment
What It's About: Greta Evans travels to the United Kingdom to look after a boy named Brahms for Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire. When she arrives, she finds out Brahms is a doll. The Heelshires leave strict instructions for Brahms's care, which Greta ignores, because, well, it's a doll. Strange occurrences begin to happen, thereafter, leading her to believe the doll might be alive.
The Doll: An ordinary doll; the real terror is the creep hiding in the walls.
Why He Is Not Something To Play With: The real Brahms, thought to have died 20 years ago as a boy, is actually grown and hiding in the house. He's always watching and lurking in the shadows, so visitors must either follow the rules, or get the heck out.
Scariest Moment: After the doll is brought down, the walls rattle and shake. All of a sudden, the real Brahms emerges from behind a mirror and looks more like Michael Myers than a sweet, innocent boy who needs love and care.
- 323 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
What It's About: Corky Withers introduces a colorful ventriloquist dummy named Fats into his magic routine. As the act takes off and Corky is about to get his own television show, he runs away to his hometown where he meets up with an old flame, Peggy. However, Fats isn't too happy about this and starts to act out…
The Doll: A dummy that becomes a manifestation of the darkest, ruthless parts of Corky's personality.
Why He Is Not Something To Play With: Just like with the Batman villain the Ventriloquist, it's hard to be sure who is in control here: is it Corky controlling Fats, or the other way around? As a result, it makes the tense situation highly unpredictable.
Scariest Moment: After Corky stabs himself to end it all, Peggy emerges and starts to speak. However, she sounds an awful lot like Fats, leading everyone to believe Fats is now a part of her personality.
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- 455 VOTESPhoto: MGM/UA Communications Co.
What It's About: A dying serial killer named Charles Lee Ray performs a voodoo ritual and transfers his soul into a Good Guy doll. Unknowingly, Karen Barclay buys this doll for her son, Andy. Murder and death soon follow as the maniacal Chucky tries to find a new human body to inhabit. The premise and character would go on to spawn a sprawling multimedia franchise.
The Doll: A possessed doll inhabited by the spirit of a serial - but funny - killer.
Why He Is Not Something To Play With: It's not even the fact that Chucky is happy enough to kill anyone, anyplace, anytime, but also that he needs to quip while doing it. Imagine dying after receiving a killer one-liner that makes you laugh at the same time.
Scariest Moment: Growing weary and tired of all the bad vibes in her home, Karen wants Chucky to talk to her. She threatens to throw him into the fireplace and he comes to life, brutally attacking and terrorizing her.
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- 536 VOTES
Dead Silence
Photo: Universal PicturesWhat It's About: Lisa Ashen receives a ventriloquist doll named Billy and dies under mysterious circumstances. Her husband, Jamie, is accused of the murder, but he sets off to uncover the truth about what killed his wife. His search for answers leads him to the legend of deceased ventriloquist Mary Shaw and her vengeance.
The Dolls: Ventriloquist dummies controlled and possessed by the ghost of Mary Shaw.
Why They Are Not Something To Play With: Mary Shaw is a master ventriloquist and dummy maker. She fools everyone by creating a human life-size doll called Ella, and no one knows any better.
Scariest Moment: Jamie learns his father isn't alive, and had been controlled by Ella the whole time. Ella also reveals her true identity as a “perfect doll” made by Mary Shaw, as Jamie lets out a blood-curdling scream.
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- 640 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
What It's About: After the passing of her parents, eight-year-old Cady struggles to deal with the monumental loss. Her aunt and new guardian, Gemma, uses her status as a roboticist to create a technologically advanced android doll named M3GAN for Cady, hoping it will become a trusted companion and help her open up. While M3GAN and Cady bond, the doll starts to eliminate anything - or anyone - she deems as a “threat” to her charge.
The Doll: A highly advanced, child-sized prototype robot doll
Why She Is Not Something To Play With: M3GAN doesn't like to share Cady. While most people practice passive-aggressiveness to make other people feel unwelcome and to keep their best friends to themselves, this doll's default mode is murder.
Scariest Moment: M3GAN runs through the forest to torment Cady's bully, Brandon. She rips off the kid's ears and runs him into the street where he's eventually mowed down by a car.
- 733 VOTESPhoto: Empire Pictures
What It's About: Stranded during a thunderstorm, six people seek shelter in a mansion where the owners, Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke, welcome everyone inside. The Hartwickes reveal themselves to be toymakers, and their creations soon start to terrify the guests.
The Dolls: Puppets and dolls inhabited by the spirit of deceased wrongdoers.
Why They Are Not Something To Play With: It's all about the numbers game. Punting one doll is an effective way to keep it at bay. However, it's tough to keep looking over the shoulder all the time since there are so many of them here.
Scariest Moment: Rosemary lies in bed and paints her nails. Out of nowhere, the bedsheets stir. She lifts them up to see a number of knife-wielding dolls rushing toward her. It's too late for her as the murder dolls attack.
- 819 VOTES
Finders Keepers
Photo: SyfyWhat It's About: Divorced mother Alyson Simon and her young daughter, Claire, move into a new home. Soon, Claire becomes infatuated with a doll, Lilith, left behind by the previous owners. As Claire develops a strong attachment to the doll, she begins to change too.
The Doll: A Guatemalan worry doll possessed by an evil spirit.
Why She Is Not Something To Play With: Right out of the gate, this doll is disturbing to even look at. Also, it likes to possess people and then take to murder, so maybe it isn't a good idea to keep it around.
Scariest Moment: Lilith influences Claire, who sits on the floor and rips off the wings of houseflies. It's a disturbing scene to watch. What did those flies do to her?
- 930 VOTESPhoto: Paramount Home Video
What It's About: Four psychics are invited by a mutual acquaintance, Neil Gallagher, to meet at the Bodega Bay Inn. When they arrive, they discover Neil is dead, but there is something more evil at play. It doesn't take long for them to be terrorized by a group of animated puppets.
The Dolls: Supernatural puppets brought to life by an ancient Egyptian spell.
Why They Are Not Something To Play With: Blade, Jester, Pinhead… These puppets are like a legion of doom. There's strength in numbers, especially when homicide is at the top of their collective agenda.
Scariest Moment: Dana fights off the puppets to get to the elevator. When the coast appears to be clear, Blade descends on her and slits her throat.
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- 1044 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros. Pictures
What It's About: A satanic cult attacks John and Mia Form in their home, but a female member of the crew eliminates herself while holding the couple's porcelain doll. Through the intricacies and mechanics of devil worship, the doll becomes possessed by an evil spirit and sets out to destroy the Form family.
The Doll: A sharply dressed, demon-possessed porcelain doll.
Why She Is Not Something To Play With: It's best to not hang around with demons in general. They have a knack for destroying lives and relationships for the kicks.
Scariest Moment: Annabelle traps Mia in another room, away from her child. The mother freaks out as the demonic doll throws books off the shelf, hoping to hit the baby seated on the floor.
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- 1116 VOTES
Blood Dolls
Photo: Full Moon PicturesWhat It's About: A rich, deranged and deformed scientist Virgil Travis lives in seclusion and plots against those who wronged him in the past. His solution? Create a trio of killer dolls (Pimp, Sideshow, and Ms. Fortune) to murder his foes.
The Dolls: The killer dolls are Virgil's brilliantly evil biological creations.
Why They Are Not Something To Play With: Look, if dolls are created solely for murder, they aren't exactly looking to make friends. Keep a baseball bat at hand in case one of them pops by for a visit.
Scariest Moment: These goofs hang up one of Virgil's enemies and wrap razor-sharp wire around him. Using a mechanism, they tighten the wire and end up slicing him to pieces.
- 1224 VOTESPhoto: Lionsgate
What It's About: Businessman Elliot Wade acquires a doll manufacturing company. Nearby, an archaeologist unknowingly unleashes the evil spirit of Sanzia that takes refuge in the doll, Dolly Dearest. Elliot's daughter, Jessica, grows attached to the doll and begins to act peculiar.
The Doll: A cute porcelain doll possessed by the insidious spirit of Sanzia, AKA Satan on Earth.
Why She Is Not Something To Play With: Demonic dolls are terrifying as is, but would anyone want to encounter one that harbors the spirit of Satan? Don't even try to reason with Dolly Dearest. It's better to burn down the house, and the entire suburb, if this monstrosity finds its way into your home.
Scariest Moment: Housekeeper Camilla doesn't trust the doll and she ends up feeling its wrath. Dolly Dearest stabs the poor woman then submerges and electrocutes her in water.
- 1315 VOTES
The Jack in the Box
What It's About: A museum receives a vintage jack-in-the-box. Museum worker Casey Reynolds believes the clown inside might be more than an old toy after a number of people start to perish in suspicious and horrific circumstances. At the same time, Casey learns the secret of this cursed box and why this demonic entity is on the loose.
The Doll: A soul-seeking clown demon who hides inside a cursed box.
Why He Is Not Something To Play With: Until this clown demon claims six souls, that terrifying riff of "Pop Goes the Weasel" signals that trouble is around the corner. Send this Bozo clone back to the circus, please!
Scariest Moment: Any time the clown demon climbs out of the box is enough to send shivers down the spine.
- 1417 VOTESPhoto: Trimark Pictures
What It's About: Lawyer Jennifer Garrick believes in her client's innocence and that he didn't kill his son. Ultimately, she brings home a wooden puppet that was buried with his son. However, Jennifer's daughter, Zoe, believes the puppet is a gift for her from her mother. Soon afterward, vicious events occur around Zoe.
The Doll: A living wooden boy who is also a serial killer.
Why He Is Not Something To Play With: Pinocchio wants his strings to be cut, so he can run rampant and murder everyone. Also, he's not too worried about Zoe taking all the blame for his misdeeds.
Scariest Moment: Most of the terror happens in situations such that no one sees Pinocchio committing the crime. At Zoe's school, Pinocchio throws a rake's handle into the spoke of Zoe's bully's bicycle. This causes the child to fly over the bike and land in front of a bus that almost squashes her.
- 1523 VOTESPhoto: Full Moon Entertainment
What It's About: Two police officers chase after gun dealers. After a botched arrest, the criminals hide out in a toy warehouse and the cops follow. Unbeknownst to anyone, the warehouse is haunted by a dormant evil entity they awaken, which makes the toys come to life and start wreaking havoc.
The Dolls: Demon-possessed toys. It's in the film's title, really.
Why They Are Not Something To Play With: Anyone who has watched The Exorcist understands that one demon can be a handful in a regular room. Now, imagine what happens when placing a malevolent entity in a warehouse filled with a number of “fun” objects to inhabit, like a baby doll named Baby Oopsy Daisy.
Scariest Moment: The laughing jack-in-the-box chills. Not only does Pennywise's uglier cousin have a fit of uncontrolled giggles, but he also has razor-sharp teeth. Grab a hammer and smash this insidious toy to pieces!
More Demonic Toys
