The Doll Master (2004)

Truly Dreadful Film

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I have seen few K-horror movies, so I respect the users who have been disappointed but I am shocked that the movie gets such a low rating (5.8 at this time) as it is much better than that. This is not primarily a gorefest though there are violent killings, so go elsewhere if you are looking for that. Rather, all hinges on whether you are ready to go along with the main supernatural premise of the film - if you cannot, then you will find it difficult to enjoy. If you can then there is much to savour in a decent cast of characters, a literate script (especially the first half), great visuals and a true sense of foreboding generated by the inherently spooky rural setting and clever lighting. I let myself go with the flow and found the whole experience truly disturbing. Admittedly the ending is a bit drawn out and melodramatic but contains a really effective twist. As always where possible I watched the movie in the original format with English subtitles - to me that is essential to getting the full atmosphere as intended by the director.

Well, I just saw this movie and I started thinking that may be I have seen too much Asian horror because I just had one good jump of fear while watching this film. Even when I have to say that this is the most "frightening" scary-dolls movie I have seen, I have to say as well that, as an Asian film I was expecting more tension and good psychological horror. It actually only contents a little dose. It has more gore than I expected and that I'm used to (regarding to Asian's movies). Besides, at some point it gets quite predictable, the climax is loose, and a pair of special effects are cheesy. On the other hand the acting was really good, the atmosphere was well studied, because,I mean, the dolls were amazingly creepy and well located. The plot is not bad, it's well justified, but I realized that this is an Asian movie with a north American horror style and that's what I didn't like of it. No offense. Anyway... at this moment I'm wondering if to get rid or not of my old Barbie doll that I keep in my wardrobe. May be she can get upset. :D

The concept for this movie was quite good. But somehow the execution failed on many parts. There aren't many horror movies that I can think of that used dolls that looked so realistic. Especially when these dolls start blinking their eyes or moving hands. So much could have been done with this premise. There were a lot of scenes where there was room for tension and suspense. And I really was expecting creepy things to happen. But never did the movie managed to be scary. One of the main reasons is that the story is too minimal and predictable. I actually thought that they did this on purpose in order to surprise us with some wonderful twist. Sadly this doesn't happen. Well at least not in the way that I hoped for. The cast also failed to make it all believable. It would have been nice if more background was given on the characters. In the beginning when we get introduced to the main character. It seems that she and other characters are invited by some sort of artist. But it also is apparent that they don't have an idea themselves what they are invited for. Of course this is part of the mystery. But it does seem unlikely. If I got an invitation without having a clue what the deal is I simply would not go. Furthermore most characters aren't real likable with the end result that you never actually care for them. Another flaw is that the director deviates from the basic premise which is scary enough and brings up new elements that never get explained and aren't even relevant to the "Doll Master mystery". Overall this movie has been a big disappointment to me. If you want to see a good horror movie involving dolls go see "Dead Silence"!

So the Koreans are now knocking off American horror flicks. But they are doing so with style. DOLL MASTER is a close copy of PUPPETMASTER and DOLLS, and even has a little CHILD'S PLAY going for it. Several young adults are invited to attend a special event at a gallery filled with dolls, only to find they are targets of a vengeful spirit. The dolls come to life and do some pretty nasty things to the kids. The gore level is reasonably high, the photography and set design and production values are first rate, the acting isn't all that bad, and the scares are definitely there. DOLL MASTER may not be in the same league with A TALE OF TWO SISTERS or even DEAD FRIEND, but it's close. Give it a watch. You won't be disappointed.