The Bloody Pit #224 - DOLLS (1987)

A fairy tale? DOLLS (1987) was the third released feature film directed by Stuart Gordon but the second one shot. Does it measure up to his Lovecraft adaptations? Well, I am joined by John Hudson and Troy Guinn to compare notes on this deviation from the energetic gorefests we had come to expect from Mr. Gordon. We have much to say even though Troy is dialing in from an undisclosed location. What is his day job, anyway?

We examine the genesis of the project and relate numerous behind the scenes tales from the director and the scriptwriter Ed Naha. John tells us of his longtime appreciation of Naha with a story from his childhood. We talk about the various fairy tale stereotypes that the film’s characters fall into and are amused by all the anti-ques. We discuss the excellent stop-motion special effects and the skill on display technically throughout the movie. I gush about the cinematography and point out some lovely visual moments. And we are all thrilled to have Mr. Sardonicus show up as a (relatively) good guy and use that film’s Punishment Poll as a guide for judging this movie. We have no shame.

If you have any comments about Stuart Gordon movies or our plans to talk about which ones to cover thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address to send them. Thanks for listening!

The LOGAN'S RUN Comic Book Series

This video is a good, detailed breakdown of the excellent five part adaptation Marvel published of the film. As good as those issues are it is the two following installments that have had fans wishing the series had continued for just a little while. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Superman in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

 I'm not sure if the Big Blue Boy Scout will be in the parade this year or not but his presence there at various points in the past are fun to see.

Deathlok Comic Book Cover Gallery

I still hold out hope for a Deathlok film.

 

Trailers From Hell - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)

Comedian and massive Trek fan Dana Gould does the honors of giving a bit of background on the first feature film. 

What I Watched in October 2025

I find myself in an odd position with the Tron (now) trilogy. I still do not think much of the original TRON (1982) film, considering it fairly dull and only intermittently visually interesting. Since it was a box office flop I suspect I wasn’t the only viewer that thought it was less than wonderful but the highly successful video game and associated ephemera made the film stick to the lower levels of public imagination over the decades. In 2010 curiosity and the desire to hang out with a pair of buddies lead me to see TRON: LEGACY theatrically and I was surprised to enjoy it far more than the first film. With that movie the creators seemed to have found an engaging reason for revisiting the world setup but it still didn’t manage to earn big money. With a second financial failure on their hands Disney once again let the concept go fallow with no direct follow up happening. Cut to 2025 and the franchise rises from the dead yet again with TRON: ARES. Shockingly I really enjoyed it. Sporting an actually interesting plot to bolster the amazing special effects it is an engaging bit of science fantasy that has a slick feel and a winking sense of humor. I was expecting it to be terrible but I left the theater with a grin on my face. Is this a franchise that gets better with each new entry? It really is a shame considering the box office failure of this one means no new Tron cinema for a decade or so if the time between sequels/cash-in attempts continues to shrink. 

The List

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025) – 8

SUCCUBUS (1968) – 7 (rewatch)

SNAPSHOT OF A CRIME (a.k.a Istantanea per un delitto) – 4 (weak Italian thriller)

SWEETS FROM A STRANGER (1987) – 6 (dry giallo with an interesting ending)

NIGHT OF THE REAPER (2025) – 7 (well done tale of a small-town killer)

DEMON WITCH CHILD (1974) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

HOUSE ON EDEN (2025) – 4 (found footage failure)

TRON: LEGACY (2010) – 7 (rewatch)

THE HAND OF NIGHT (1968) – 5 (mediocre British made Moroccan vampire tale)

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2025) – 4 (tone is all over the place in this horror/comedy)

SILVER BULLET (1985) – 5 (finally saw it)

TRICK OR TREAT (1986) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE (1972) – 6 (Jess Franco krimi that looks magnificent on Blu)

TRON: ARES (2025) – 7 (far better than I thought it would be)

MONSTER ISLAND (2025) – 7 (Hell in the Pacific crossed with Humanoids from the Deep)

THREE CASES OF MURDER (1954) – 6 (interesting anthology film)

DANCE OF THE DAMNED (1989) – 3 (dull vampire tale)

RITA THE MOSQUITO (1966) – 6 (Italian musical comedy)

STAY (2025) – 7 (effective ghost tale about grief)

THE ENCHANTED (1984) – 8 (brilliant Florida folk horror)

BLACK PHONE 2 (2025) – 8 (emotional and effective expansion of the idea)

HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

OTHER (2025) – 8 (excellent creepy mystery)

DOLLS (1987) – 5 (rewatch)

PHANTASM (1979) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

PHANTASM II (1988) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE (1989) – 6 (Italian crime tale)

HALLOWEEN (2018) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

EL PUEBLO FANTASMA (1965) - 6 (Mexican vampire western)

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025) – 7 (surprisingly solid sequel)

SHELBY OAKS (2025) - 6 (good idea that needed more ‘zip’)

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1989) – 6 (surprisingly well done)

FRANKENSTEIN (2025) – 9

DRACULA RISES FROM THE GRAVE (1967) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE (1971) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

DEMONS OF PARADISE (1987) – 4 (mediocre monster tale)