Trivia / Dolls (1987)

• Acting for Two: Carolyn Purdy-Gordon plays Rosemary, provides some of the whispering voiceovers for the dolls and doubled for Bunty Bailey in the scenes where Isobel is transforming into a doll.
• Author Phobia: Stuart Gordon is afraid of porcelain dolls himself.
• Creator Couple: Director Stuart Gordon and actress Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (Rosemary) were married.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Carolyn Purdy-Gordon calls this her favorite of her films.
• The Danza: Hilary Mason as Hilary. In this case, the role was actually named after her; Stuart Gordon had loved her performance in Don't Look Now, and chose her personally for the film.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Guy Rolfe had to bleach his hair white. It first ended up coming out yellow, much to his displeasure.
• Enforced Method Acting: Carrie Lorraine was actually terrified of the monstrous teddy bear, and crew members kept growling at her from the shadows to get a natural reaction.
• Follow the Leader: This film, along with Child's Play, kick-started the "killer doll" horror sub-genre.
• Harpo Does Something Funny: Stephen Lee was encouraged to improvise his funnier moments.
• One-Book Author: Carrie Lorraine acted in just this and Poltergeist II, and gave it up after playing Judy. She later became a lawyer.
• Production Posse: Stuart Gordon had previously worked with Carolyn Purdy-Gordon and Ian Patrick Williams on Re-Animator and Bleacher Burns. They'd later work together again on Robot Jox.
• Prop Recycling: Dolls used the same sets as Stuart Gordon's From Beyond, as the two were shot around the same time. From Beyond came out first, because Dolls's post production effects took a year to finish.
• Real-Life Relative: The whispering sounds of the dolls were provided by Stuart Gordon's children, as well as some of his friends.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: Isabel briefly and accidentally pops out of her top during her death scene. Fan Disservice, though.
• What Could Have Been:
  • During post-production, it was felt that the film was too tame. They re-shot some Bloodier and Gorier inserts for the edit, but then realised they were too much, and so were removed (one such sequence was a doll pulling Rosemary's intestines out with a fork). Funnily enough, some Stuart Gordon fans (particularly those of Re-Animator) complained that Dolls wasn't gory enough.
  • The dolls were supposed to be hollow on the inside in the original script. Stuart Gordon however then thought of giving them an organic skeleton under the porcelain to make them creepier.
  • A sequel was planned, but it never materialized. The plot revolved around Judy and Ralph (who became Judy's stepdad in between films) being sent dolls in Boston that resemble Gabriel and Hilary.