From Hollywood to independents, the film industry has always been quick to capitalize on one movie’s success with a cycle of imitators, and the horror genre is perhaps more guilty of this than any other. From classic monster movies to the zombie boom to the slasher cycle, everyone wants a piece of the pie. 1991’s Dolly Dearest is a direct result of that mindset, arriving in the wake of Child’s Play and its first sequel.
After an excavation of presumed Mayan ruins in Mexico unleashes an ancient evil, the Wade family - father Elliot (Sam Bottoms, Apocalypse Now), mother Marilyn (Denise Crosby, Pet Sematary), son Jimmy (Chris Demetral, Sometimes They Come Back), and daughter Jessica (Candace Hutson, The Land Before Time) - relocate from Los Angeles to reopen a nearby doll factory where the malevolent spirit is dwelling.