Creepy possessed dolls seem to have their place in the Horror genre, from 1988’s Child’s Play and 2007’s Dead Silence, to 2014’s Annabelle and its sequels. Perhaps doll movies are making a comeback, but are they worth it?
Evil Little Things is not quite what you would expect. Directed by Matt Green (Cherry Bomb 2016, Slaw 2017), it is set to be released digitally, as well as on DVD, on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 thanks to Uncork’d Entertainment. Starring Hannah Fierman (V/H/S 2012, The Secret Garden 2017), Courtney Lakin (All Hallows Evil: Lord of the Harvest 2012, Shutter 2017), Jonathan Horne (Loves Her Gun 2013), as well as Zach Galligan (Gremlins 1984, Waxwork 1988), Evil Little Things is a Horror anthology—that’s right a Horror anthology. So you thought movies like 1982’s Creepshow and 1972’s Tales from the Crypt were a thing of the past, but Evil Little Things proves that comebacks can happen—or can they? For those that do not know what Horror Anthology means, it is several short films in one.
A collection of several short films, Evil Little Things begins with a boy calling for his mom, claiming he cannot sleep because he is scared, but the husband stops the mom saying the boy is “too old for this!”. The husband is very annoyed, indicating that this has been going on for a while now. He goes upstairs and checks under the bed, but the distraught boy does not seem satisfied, and asks for a glass of water as the mother enters the bedroom. After tucking the boy in and telling him she will take him to the toy store the next day to find something to soothe his nights, the boy finally lays down without a worry.
The next day, at the toy store, the boy stumbles onto a creepy-looking doll and a toymaker. “This is Patrick,” says the toymaker, telling the boy that Patrick is quite lonely and has a story to tell. The movie then goes straight into Patrick’s story, insisting he is a leprechaun—and we all know what a leprechaun wants, and what happens when the leprechaun does not get his way.
In Patrick’s story, a woman has just moved her family to the small town that she grew up in. After sending the kids to school and checking the mail, she returns to find Patrick, a redheaded, red-bearded, green-wearing doll who looks like a leprechaun, sitting on her doorstep. Picking Patrick up and taking him into the house will soon turn into a mistake, as he soon begins terrorizing her. Suffice it to say, the ending of this tale will surely change your mind about these little guys.
In Paddy’s story, the curly haired, broken-faced girl comes from Germany, or so the toymaker assumes. Abbie, Paddy’s previous owner, is a young woman in her twenties that collects dolls. She has been through a lot in her life, including a fire of some sorts, and through it all Paddy has remained by her side. Now, however, Abbie would like to move on and create a life with someone real, but Paddy has other plans.
After she hears the terrifying stories of Patrick and Paddy, the boy’s mother then tries to get her son to go with her to a different store, but just as the mother is trying to pull the boy away, he spots a clown doll. The mother then asks the toymaker, “Does this one have a story like the others?” The toymaker claims the doll is just a clown that was made to make someone smile.
The boy asks the toymaker what the clown’s name is, to which he is informed that the clown does not have a name; so the boy names him Mr. Giggles. The toymaker then tells the mother that a doll like that would usually sell for thirty dollars, but instead he will only take twenty. Needless to say the boy leaves the store overjoyed, and since clowns are meant to make people smile, this story will have a happy ending, right?
Now, music is what makes a scary movie, for the most part, and it builds a certain expectation to certain events. In this instance, the music truly does the job, working perfectly alongside the stories, which also make for a good fright. The effects specialists deserve a lot of credit, as well, as these dolls do have their creepy looks and might even make Annabelle look like an angel.
Ultimately, this all comes together to make Evil Little Things something enjoyable to pass the time. The stories are solid, the creepiness is definitely, but like most Horror anthologies, it is still cheesy. For this, Cryptic Rock gives Evil Little Things 3 out of 5 stars.
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