Forget everything you know about porcelain innocence — Dolly, the disquieting new creation from Rod Blackhurst, is far from a plaything. Born of desperation, shaped in shadows, and now revealed in a candid interview, Dolly is sure to haunt your nightmares.
Described as a fevered blend of the raw, visceral brutality of New French Extremity and the grimy, atmospheric textures of 1970s American horror, Dolly stars Fabianne Therese, Seann William Scott, Ethan Suplee, and Max the Impaler. Shot entirely on location in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the film was crafted in a tight 19-day schedule with a team of long-time collaborators, capturing the unsettling aesthetic on evocative Super 16mm film.
The story follows Macy, whose engagement weekend spirals into chaos when she is kidnapped by a “monster” obsessed with crafting the perfect family. What ensues is a Southern Gothic nightmare that fuses folk horror with psychological dread, pushing the boundaries of both horror and human psychology.
With a sequel-slash-prequel already written and set to dive deeper into Dolly’s origins and mythology, this could be just the beginning for the nightmarish world Blackhurst has created.
Ahead of Dolly‘s World Premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, CinemaChords’ Howard Gorman sat down with Blackhurst to discuss the making of the film, the personal sacrifices involved — including his decision to delay open-heart surgery for severe aortic stenosis to complete the project to support his wife and two young daughters, one of whom appears in the film — and how his unique blend of narrative and documentary work informs his filmmaking. From Blood for Dust and Here Alone to his Emmy-nominated documentaries such as Amanda Knox and John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, Blackhurst’s unflinching approach to both fiction and real-life horror has made him a singular voice in the genre.
