Shudder and Independent Film Company have acquired the twisted folk horror tale Dolly with plans for a theatrical release next year, Variety has learned.
Shot on 16mm film, the story centers on Macy, a young woman fighting for survival after being taken by a deranged, monstrous figure intent on raising her as its child.
It’s said to blend inspiration from gritty 1970s American horror like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes with the New French Extremity movement that yielded such works as High Tension, Martyrs, and Inside.
Rod Blackhurst (“Amanda Knox,” Night Swim) directs from a script he co-wrote with Brandon Weavil, based on their 2022 short Babygirl.
Fabianne Therese (John Dies at the End), Seann William Scott (American Pie), Ethan Suplee (Mallrats), and pro wrestler Max the Impaler star.
Blackhurst’s Witchcraft Motion Picture Company is behind the project. Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity) serves as an executive producer.
“Dolly is both the exact kind of relentless uncompromising genre filmmaking we grew up loving and a testament to what Witchcraft as a studio understands is possible and most important right now; creating original IP and making films that audiences want,” said Blackhurst. “Truly independent, thematically rich, and created with care and craft. Dolly is here to stay and we are excited for everyone to see the first chapter in an expansive horrifying universe.”
“Dolly is a grotesque, beautiful backwoods nightmare,” added Samuel Zimmerman, senior VP of programming and acquisitions at Shudder. “Rod Blackhurst and team transcend their influences to create a beguiling, terrifying new monster; one to love and definitely fear.”
A prequel exploring Dolly’s origins and mythology is already written and slated for production.
Trace Thurman wrote in his review out of Fantastic Fest, “Where Dolly falls short in the script or originality departments it more than makes up for in the technical department, especially in the sound design and the practical gore effects. Every fleshy squelch and bone crack is not only heard, but felt, making the violence hit when it needs to.”
