Dolly (2026) is a Slasher That Doesn’t Play Around
Title: Dolly
First Non-Festival Release: March 6, 2026 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Rod Blackhurst
Writer: Rod Blackhurst, Brandon Weavil
Runtime: 83 Minutes
Starring: Fabianne Therese, Seann William Scott, Max Lindsey
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
Cut from the same cloth of French extremity shockers from the early 2000s, Dolly is a backwoods slasher that embraces grime. Exploitation films demand boldness and there is just enough in Dolly to applaud.
Nervous after surmising her boyfriend Chase’s (Seann William Scott) secret plans to propose to her on their weekend hike, Macy (Fabianne Therese) tries to play it cool. On their way up, they pass by a creepy doll shrine that sadly doesn’t look like it was setup by an ambitious art student. Instead, it’s the work of Dolly (Max Lindsey), a disturbed killer who wants to be a mother above all else. When Chase deviates from his plan to investigate a strange noise off the trail, the young couple’s day takes a turn far for the worse.
Dolly takes a stripped-down approach to backwoods horror that feels refreshing in an era of over-explanation and irony.
Wearing its influences proudly, Dolly doesn’t seek to upend the formulas created in films like Mother’s Day, The Hills Have Eyes, and Wrong Turn. Instead, Rod Blackhurst’s Dolly revels in simplicity. Content to wallow in the goop and gore, Dolly is light on story and character, focusing on maximizing the atmosphere of its terrifying story.
The taboo nature of Dolly’s fascination with human dolls reveals plenty about her isolated upbringing. It’s clear that between the toxic family dynamics within the house and Dolly’s reaction to any of Macy’s struggles that there is some element of abuse behind her creation. Macy herself insinuates her own fractured relationship with her mother when pondering if she’d even make a good mom earlier in the film. Dolly doesn’t explore these threads much more, but it does inform the ways in which Macy outwits her abductor.
Confined by typical subgenre trappings, Dolly pushes through story beats to rush to the next gross out moment. Breathless protagonist Macy is given little room to develop beyond the expectations of a final girl trapped in a generic exploitation film. Limited by the film’s breakneck journey through the various chapters of her kidnapping, Dolly glosses over the details of Macy’s abduction. There’s a lack of direction to the horror that deflates the picture the closer it inches towards the end.
Unconcerned with its more salacious elements, Dolly doesn’t push the envelope with its violence or subject matter. Featuring some truly jaw-dropping indie special effects goodness, the gore of Dolly is surprisingly light. With a low body count, the indie slasher works to make its fearsome killer menacing despite the small cast.
The world of Dolly comes to life thanks to its stripped-down set design and gritty cinematography. Lifting iconic imagery from films like Friday the 13th: Part II and Texas Chain Saw Massacre; Dolly is intentional with every scrap of screen-time. The simple horrors of a hastily organized doll alter and muted baby tears are magnified as Dolly constructs the world inspired by hickspolitation of the past.
Shot on 16mm film, the rawness of this reality bleeds through the claustrophobic framing of the crumbling forest home. The dull greys, browns, and dirty oranges characterize Macy’s nightmare while Dolly’s bright red dress and the view of the beautiful forest signify the way her freedom is just out of reach. It’s visually unappealing but that’s part of the appeal. The decision makes it easy to keep attention focused on the titular baddie.
And what a baddie Dolly is! Played by transmasc wrestler Max Lindsey (better known by their stage name Max the Impaler), Dolly is afforded more depth thanks to their portrayal. What could easily be played for laughs or other obscure cruelties, Lindsey never wavers from the core of Dolly’s character: the love she wants to pour into someone despite the lack of love that she was given in life. Lindsey leans into Dolly’s quirks without making her a spectacle. Thanks to their willingness to explore, Dolly becomes even more fearsome with that understanding.
It’s messy, but the chaos makes the indie slasher endearing, especially as it embraces its weirder, almost-hallucinogenic elements near the end. Tense as Hell, and featuring some well-executed scares, Dolly embraces its low budget and silly story with solid results. Fans of slashers and backwoods horror might find themselves wanting just a bit more from it but Dolly largely meets expectations in its simple story of motherly obsession.
Overall Score? 6/10
