Killer toy
Killer toys are fictional characters based on toys, dolls or puppets that come alive and commit violent or scary acts. Reasons for these actions have included possession by demons, devils, monsters, ghosts, supernatural creatures, dark magic, and malevolent or malfunctioning technology.
Concept
Toys coming to life is a common and historical concept in children's literature,[1] and the idea has been adapted into numerous horror films and other horror fiction. The 1978 film Magic represents a key inspiration for subsequent films, while the subgenre's best-known films are the Child's Play films.[2][3]
Several works have used ventriloquist's dummies as antagonists, with the dummies either being outlets for their operator's psychosis, or acting malevolently on their own.[4]
List of films
The films that feature killer toys are listed as follows:
Film | Year | Rating (Rotten Tomatoes) | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
The Devil-Doll | 1936 | 81% (16 reviews) | [5] |
Dead of Night | 1945 | 96% (28 reviews)[6] | [7] |
Attack of the Puppet People | 1958 | No score yet... (1 review) | [8] |
The Curse of the Doll People (a.k.a. Devil Doll Men) | 1961 | No critic reviews yet... | [9] |
Devil Doll | 1964 | 20% (5 reviews) | [10] |
House of Evil (a.k.a. Dance of Death) | 1968 | No critic reviews yet...[11] | [12] |
A Reflection of Fear | 1972 | No critic reviews yet... | [13] |
Asylum | 1972 | 60% (10 reviews)[14] | [7] |
From Beyond the Grave | 1974 | No score yet... (4 reviews)[15] | [7] |
Craze | 1974 | No score yet... (1 review) | [16] |
Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara | 1974 | [7] | |
Trilogy of Terror | 1975 | 90% (10 reviews) | [17] |
Cauchemares (a.k.a. Cathy's Curse) | 1977 | No critic reviews yet... | [18] |
The Wiz | 1978 | 42% (33 reviews) | [19] |
Magic | 1978 | 83% (18 reviews)[20] | [7] |
Tourist Trap | 1979 | No score yet... (1 review) | [21] |
The Pit | 1981 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [22] |
Poltergeist | 1982 | 88% (56 reviews) | [23] |
Xtro | 1982 | 20% (5 reviews) | [24] |
Curtains | 1983 | 60% (5 reviews) | [25] |
Black Devil Doll From Hell | 1984 | No critic reviews yet... | [26] |
The Devil's Gift | 1984 | No critic reviews yet... | [27] |
Joey (a.k.a. Making Contact) | 1985 | No critic reviews yet... | [28] |
Dolls | 1987 | 64% (11 reviews)[29] | [30] |
GhostHouse (a.k.a. La Casa 3) | 1988 | No score yet... (1 review)[31] | [32] |
Child's Play | 1988 | 69% (35 reviews)[33] | [30] |
Pin | 1988 | No critic reviews yet... | [34] |
Puppet Master | 1989 | 33% (6 reviews)[35] | [7] |
Child's Play 2 | 1990 | 40% (15 reviews)[36] | [30] |
Puppet Master II | 1991 | 33% (6 reviews) | [37] |
Child's Play 3 | 1991 | 23% (13 reviews)[38] | [30] |
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge | 1991 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [39] |
Dolly Dearest | 1991 | No score yet... (3 reviews)[40] | [41] |
Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker | 1991 | No score yet... (1 review) | [42] |
Dollman | 1991 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [43] |
Demonic Toys | 1992 | No score yet... (3 reviews)[44] | [45] |
Curse, Death & Spirit (a.k.a. Honto ni atta kowai hanashi: Jushiryou) | 1992 | No critic reviews yet... | [46] |
Dollman vs. Demonic Toys | 1993 | No score yet... (2 reviews)[47] | [41] |
Puppet Master 4 | 1993 | 0% (5 reviews)[48] | |
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter | 1994 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [49] |
The Fear | 1995 | No score yet... (1 review) | [50] |
Tales from the Hood | 1995 | 38% (16 reviews) | [51] |
Patayin sa Sindak Si Barbara | 1995 | ||
Doll from Hell (a.k.a. Ikenie) | 1996 | No critic reviews yet... | [52] |
Amityville Dollhouse | 1996 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [53] |
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders | 1996 | No score yet... (1 review) | [54] |
Pinocchio's Revenge | 1996 | No score yet... (4 reviews) | [55] |
Trilogy of Terror II | 1996 | No critic reviews yet... | [56] |
Quicksilver Highway | 1997 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [57] |
Curse of the Puppet Master | 1998 | No score yet... (2 reviews)[58] | [59] |
Small Soldiers | 1998 | 48% (44 reviews)[60] | [61] |
Bride of Chucky | 1998 | 44% (34 reviews)[62] | [30] |
The Fear: Resurrection | 1999 | No critic reviews yet... | [63] |
Blood Dolls | 1999 | No score yet... (1 review) | |
Totem | 1999 | No critic reviews yet... | [64] |
Retro Puppet Master | 1999 | No score yet... (1 review) | [65] |
Ragdoll | 1999 | No critic reviews yet... | [66] |
The Dummy | 2000 | No critic reviews yet... | [67] |
May | 2002 | 69% (64 reviews) | [68] |
Demon Island | 2002 | No score yet... (1 review) | [69] |
Terror Toons | 2002 | No score yet... (1 review) | [70] |
Love Object | 2003 | 42% (24 reviews) | [71] |
Puppet Master: The Legacy | 2003 | No score yet... (1 review) | [72] |
Doll Master (a.k.a. Inhyeongsa) | 2004 | No critic reviews yet... | [73] |
Seed of Chucky | 2004 | 32% (75 reviews)[74] | [30][75] |
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys | 2004 | No score yet... (1 review) | [76] |
Marronnier | 2004 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [77] |
When Puppets and Dolls Attack! | 2004 | No critic reviews yet... | [78] |
Doll Graveyard | 2005 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [79] |
Tiki | 2006 | No critic reviews yet... | [80] |
Dead Silence | 2007 | 21% (76 reviews)[60] | [7] |
Terror Toons 2: The Sick and Silly Show | 2007 | No critic reviews yet... | [81] |
Black Devil Doll | 2007 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [82] |
Dangerous Worry Dolls | 2008 | No critic reviews yet...[83] | |
Triloquist | 2008 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [84] |
Puppet Show | 2008 | No critic reviews yet... | [85] |
Skull Heads | 2009 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [86] |
The Hole | 2009 | 81% (36 reviews) | [87] |
Demonic Toys 2 (a.k.a. Demonic Toys: Personal Demons) | 2010 | No score yet... (1 review) | [88] |
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil | 2010 | No score yet... (1 review) | [89] |
Shake, Rattle & Roll 12 | 2010 | No critic reviews yet... | [90] |
Puppet Master X: Axis Rising | 2012 | No score yet... (1 review) | [91] |
Ooga Booga | 2013 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [92] |
The Conjuring | 2013 | 86% (199 reviews) | [93] |
Curse of Chucky | 2013 | 80% (15 reviews)[94] | [30] |
Maria Leonora Teresa | 2014 | No critic reviews yet... | [95] |
Finders Keepers | 2014 | No critic reviews yet... | [96] |
Annabelle | 2014 | 29% (117 reviews) | [97] |
Poltergeist | 2015 | 31% (102 reviews) | [98] |
Goosebumps | 2015 | 76% (152 reviews) | [99] |
Krampus | 2015 | 65% (97 reviews) | [100] |
The Boy | 2016 | 29% (41 reviews) | [101] |
Annabelle: Creation | 2017 | 68% (117 reviews) | [102] |
The Toymaker | 2017 | [103] | |
Cult of Chucky | 2017 | 83% (18 reviews) | [104] |
Tales from the Hood 2 | 2018 | 67% (6 reviews) | [105] |
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween | 2018 | 48% (84 reviews) | [106] |
Child's Play | 2019 | 64% (186 reviews) | [107] |
Annabelle Comes Home | 2019 | 65% (198 reviews) | [108] |
Brahms: The Boy II | 2020 | 10% (50 reviews) | [109] |
In television
- Evil dolls are antagonists in episodes of The Twilight Zone, both the 1959–1964 series and the 2002 version:
- 1962: "The Dummy" (3.33) with a ventriloquist dummy that attempts to exact revenge when he is replaced
- 1963: "Living Doll" (5.6) features Talky Tina (voiced by June Foray), a doll belonging to the stepdaughter of Erich Streator (played by Telly Savalas)
- 1964: "Caesar and Me" (5.28) features a ventriloquist dummy that goads his owner into committing robberies and deserts him when the police come for him
- 2002: "The Collection" features a young girl's strange collection of dolls which were made from her past babysitters
- The theme of evil toys has also been used in Doctor Who episodes:
- 1966: "The Celestial Toymaker"[110]
- 2011: "Night Terrors"
- 1986: Smurfs episode "Gargamel's Dummy," the series' antagonist Gargamel casts an evil spell on a ventriloquist's dummy Jokey Smurf had created for a talent show, hoping to use it to help him destroy the Smurf village and ultimately, the Smurfs. The dummy was a parody of Gargamel, and the real Gargamel, angered upon learning of it, casts the spell to begin exacting his revenge.
- 1992: The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror III", the segment "Clown Without Pity" features a Krusty doll that tries to kill Homer. The segment borrows elements from the Twilight Zone episode "Living Doll", the Child's Play films, Gremlins, the 1975 TV film Trilogy of Terror segment "Amelia" about a killer Zuni fetish doll as well as its 1996 cinematic sequel Trilogy of Terror II segment "He Who Kills", which are both in turn adaptations of Richard Matheson's 1969 short story, "Prey". The segment also borrows elements from Cape Fear. In a different episode, "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", a possessed killer doll named "Baby Button Eyes" appears in a horror film, The Re-Deadening (a parody of Dolly Dearest). The doll is most likely based on the real-life appearance of "Annabelle", a possessed Raggedy Ann doll.
- 1994: The Mega Man episode "Crime of the Century," Dr. Wily reprograms a bunch of dolls and other toys to perform robberies all over the city. However, it's all just a diversion so Wily can get his hands on something much more valuable: a giant black pearl.
- Rozen Maiden, anime about supernatural doll come to life with Rosa Mysticas.
- Ventriloquist dummies and dolls are also portrayed as evil in the works of R.L. Stine:
- 1994: The Goosebumps books and TV series had the "Night of the Living Dummy" stories which featured a sentient ventriloquist dummy named Slappy.
- 2010: R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour featured Lilly D. in the episodes "Really You" Pt. 1 and 2 and "The Return of Lilly D".
- 2014: R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour features another killer toy in the episode "Near Mint Condition", which centers around Mangler, a rare cybernetic teddy bear from an '80s cartoon that was withdrawn from the market for allegedly killing and maiming its owners.
- 2000: In the Sabrina: The Animated Series episode "Generation Hex", a rare collectible Billy-Go-Boom-Boom doll that the titular character purchases with extra fundraising money comes alive and takes her forty years into the future to warn her of the consequences of her selfishness.
- 2003: In the What's New, Scooby Doo? episode "Toy Scary Boo," the gang investigates a store with living toys that are taking it over.
- 2006: In The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius episode "Flippy", Jimmy puts a chip in a dummy to help his father's ventriloquism act, only for it to go awry and steal from Hugh's brain to make the dummy sentient while leaving him a mindless zombie. Later, Flippy almost kills Hugh by throwing him off a cliff in order to keep his energy and stay alive.
- 2013: In the Grojband episode "No Strings Attached," Trina Riffin suffers from pupaphobia after she had wicked visions of puppets when she was a child.
- 2015: In the first episode of Ash vs Evil Dead, "El Jefe", the demonic forces attack Ash Williams at the supermarket where he works by possessing a "Little Lori" doll.
List of episodes
The episodes that feature killer toys are listed as follows:
Series | Episode | Year | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
The Twilight Zone | "The Dummy" | 1962 | |
The Twilight Zone | "Living Doll" | 1963 | |
The Twilight Zone | "Caesar and Me" | 1964 | |
Doctor Who | "The Celestial Toymaker" | 1966 | |
Night Gallery | "The Doll" | 1971 | |
The Smurfs | "Gargamel's Dummy" | 1986 | |
Tales from the Crypt | "Strung Along" | 1992 | |
The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror III" | 1992 | |
Mega Man | "Crime of the Century" | 1996 | |
Goosebumps | "Night of the Living Dummy II" | 1996 | |
Goosebumps | "Night of the Living Dummy III: Part 1" | 1997 | |
Goosebumps | "Night of the Living Dummy III: Part 2" | 1997 | |
Goosebumps | "Bride of the Living Dummy" | 1998 | |
The X-Files | "Chinga" | 1998 | |
Sabrina: The Animated Series | "Generation Hex" | 2000 | |
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | "Battered Doll/Poker Justice" | 2002 | |
What's New, Scooby-Doo? | "Toy Scary Boo" | 2003 | |
The Twilight Zone | "The Collection" | 2003 | |
The Simpsons | "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" | 2004 | |
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | "Flippy" | 2006 | |
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | "Battleground" | 2006 | |
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "Really You: Part 1" | 2010 | |
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "Really You: Part 2" | 2010 | |
Doctor Who | "Night Terrors" | 2011 | |
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "The Return of Lilly D" | 2012 | |
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "Near Mint Condition" | 2014 | |
Ash vs Evil Dead | "El Jefe" | 2015 |
See also
References
- Buckingham, David (1996), Media Myths, Children's Nightmares, ISBN 9780719045950,
Stories of toys that come to life can of course be found throughout the history of children's literature...
- Buckingham, David (1996). Moving Images: Understanding Children's Emotional Responses to Television. Manchester University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7190-4595-0.
- Lennard, Dominic W. All fun and games…: children's culture in the horror film, from Deep Red (1975) to Child's Play (1988), Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 133-142 (2012)
- Trendacosta, Katherine (25 March 2013). "The 10 Creepiest Ventriloquist Dummies of All Time". io9. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- "The Devil-Doll". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dead of Night". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Landis, John (2011). "Killer Dolls". Monsters in the Movies. DK Adults. pp. 236–237. ISBN 978-0-7566-8370-2.
- "Attack of the Puppet People". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Devil Doll Men (Munecos Infernales)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Devil Doll". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dance of Death". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Maltin, Leonard (2009). Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide. Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-29557-5.
- "A Reflection of Fear". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Asylum". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "From Beyond the Grave". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Craze, (Demon Master)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Trilogy of Terror". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Cauchemares (Cathy's Curse)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "The Wiz". Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- "Magic". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Tourist Trap". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1016370-pit/
- "Poltergeist". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Xtro". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Curtains". Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- "Black Devil Doll from Hell". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/devils_gift/
- "Making Contact". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dolls". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Berra, John, ed. (2010). Directory of World Cinema: American Independent. Intellect Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-84150-368-4.
- "La Casa 3 (Ghosthouse)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Ghosthouse (1988)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Child's Play". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Pin". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Child's Play 2". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master II". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Child's Play 3". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dolly Dearest". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Weldon, Michael (1996). The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-312-13149-4.
- "Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dollman". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Demonic Toys (Dangerous Toys)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Telotte, J.P. The Mouse Machine: Disney and Technology, p. 172 (2008)
- "Curse, Death & Spirit". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dollman vs. Demonic Toys". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master 4". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master V (Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "The Fear". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Tales From the Hood". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/doll-from-hell/
- "Amityville Dollhouse: Evil Never Dies". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Pinocchio's Revenge". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Trilogy of Terror II". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Quicksilver Highway". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Curse of the Puppet Master". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Curse of the Puppet Master (Video 1998)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Small Soldiers". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Bart, Peter (2000). The Gross: The Hits, The Flops: The Summer That Ate Hollywood. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-312-25391-2.
- "Bride of Chucky". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "The Fear 2: Resurrection". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Totem". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Retro Puppet Master (Puppet Master 7)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2015-11-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dummy/
- "May". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Piñata: Survival Island". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Terror Toons". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Love Object". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master: The Legacy". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Inhyeongsa (The Doll Master)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Seed of Chucky". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Seed of Chucky (2004)". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Marronnier". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "When Puppets and Dolls Attack!". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Doll Graveyard". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Tiki". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/terror_toons_2/
- "Black Devil Doll". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Dangerous Worry Dolls". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Triloquist". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Show". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Skull Heads". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "The Hole". Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- "Demonic Toys 2". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master: Axis of Evil". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Shake Rattle and Roll 12". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Puppet Master X: Axis Rising". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Ooga Booga". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "The Conjuring". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Curse of Chucky". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Maria, Leonora, Teresa". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Finders Keepers". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Annabelle". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Poltergeist". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Goosebumps". Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- "Krampus". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "The Boy". Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Annabelle: Creation". Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- "The Toymaker".
- "Cult of Chucky (2017)".
- "Tales from the Hood 2 (2018)".
- "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- "Child's Play (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- "Annabelle Comes Home (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- "Brahms: The Boy II (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- "Dr Who 10th Anniversary Special. Chapter: Dodo Chaplet / Jackie Lane". Radio Times. 1973.