Forget porcelain innocence — the Dolly in Rod Blackhurst’s new horror vision is no plaything. Born of desperation, shaped in shadows, she’s now unmasked in a disturbing first trailer.
Pitched as a daring collision between the visceral brutality of New French Extremity and the raw, grimy 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 put together by a tight-knit tribe of longtime collaborators and shot on evocative Super 16mm over just 19 days.
Dolly follows Macy’s engagement weekend as it spirals into terror when she is kidnapped by a “monster” obsessed with creating the perfect family, dragging her into a Southern Gothic nightmare that promises a feverish mix of folk horror and psychological dread.
Blackhurst is no stranger to tense, grounded storytelling. His narrative features Blood For Dust and Here Alone showcased a gift for visceral realism, while his documentary work — from the Emmy and Critics Choice-nominated Netflix original “Amanda Knox” to Peacock’s “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise” — revealed a filmmaker unafraid to confront real-life killers and the psychology behind them. It’s precisely this pedigree that has us eager to see how Blackhurst’s experience probing the minds of real-life killers informs his approach to horror.
Further developments are already underway: a sequel-slash-prequel is already written and lined up for production, set to dig deeper into Dolly’s origins and push the film’s mythology even further.
For now, horror fans can dive into the first trailer and get excited for Dolly’s festival run. The film hits both Fantastic Fest and Sitges, two proving grounds perfectly suited for what promises to be a must-see midnight movie.
As a playful aside, the filmmakers also formed a band, The Babyboys, writing and recording the original songs featured in the film — and yes, they’re even available for gigs.
