Verdict
Summary
While it doesn’t offer the same gore and carnage as some other films in the vampire genre, The Vampire Doll is loaded with style and atmosphere and features a unique-looking bloodsucker.
Plot: When her brother disappears while visiting his girlfriend, Keiko (Kayo Matsuo) and her fiancé, Hiroshi (Akira Nakao), travel to the girl’s imposing home to investigate.
Review: You know what makes horror movies so enduringly popular? It’s not just because they are easily accessible for horny teenagers to take their dates and cop a feel when the girl gets scared. It’s not just because they’re cheap thrills, so more bang for your buck. It’s not just because a ton of rock stars have featured in them.
No, it’s because you get a wide variety of thrills with horror movies. You want a killer with a knife offing a bunch of annoying teenagers? Slasher. You want a madman mentally torturing an unwitting, unsuspecting victim? Psychological Horror. You want a home infested with evil spirits just waiting to make things go bump in the night? Supernatural horror.
Yes, there’s something for everyone with that particular genre, and if you want a horror flick with a lot of style and eerie music, then I present to you, The Vampire Doll. While folks who like their vampires to splatter and maim may not find this movie satisfying, if you’re into out-and-out creepiness, this is your bag.
This movie oozes atmosphere. Creepy house on a hill? Check. Rain, fog and miserable weather to make the house look spookier? Check. Music that sounds like it was composed by the Phantom of the Opera? Check. Weird-looking vampire girl with golden eyes? Check, check and check. This flick has everything you would want in a scary movie as far as setting the mood.
As for the scares themselves, I can’t recall any particular scene that stands out. There’s no scene like in Viy where a coffin is flying around, and there’s no blood gushing through a door like The Shining. There’s searching. Lots and lots of searching. Going to a graveyard and searching. Searching the house. Searching and more searching.
However, at 71 minutes, this movie doesn’t have a long run time, which is good. The movie e relies entirely on style over substance and succeeds in that regard. The female vampire is strangely creepy, even without the prototypical fangs you would expect from such a creature. The movie makes you feel more is happening than it is, simply by setting up the world and drawing the viewer into it. While I can’t say this is the most exciting vampire film I’ve ever seen, it definitely feels like a top-notch bloodsucker. Even if the vampire rarely shows up and you never see her physically attack someone. For those who like their body count, I advise looking elsewhere. For those who like their vampire film to have a little more style and a little more panache, even when nothing is really going on, then this is your movie.