There is an interesting phenomenon called the Uncanny Valley. In brief, people show more and more positive responses to something that looks more and more like a real human being, but past a certain point, their responses start plummeting because that same thing looks similar to but not quite the same as a real human being, resulting in feelings of uncanniness. Theoretically, once something looks so much like a real human being that it becomes indistinguishable, people’s responses will start improving again, thus the name of the Uncanny Valley.
At the moment, there is no clear explanation for the phenomenon. Some people have speculated that it is an unconscious aversion to anything that seems like it is in a poor state of health. In contrast, other people have suggested that the conflicting cues about whether something is human or not causes psychological discomfort in those who see it. Whatever the cause, the Uncanny Valley seems like an excellent explanation why people often find dolls to be unsettling, which in turn, explains their numbers on the movie screen.
Here are some of the scariest dolls that have ever come to life in the movies:
Chucky
Chucky from Child’s Play remains one of the most memorable examples of living dolls in horror movies. In brief, he is a doll animated by the soul of a serial killer, who has used magic to survive what should have been a fatal shooting. As a result, he goes on to terrorize a number of victims, culminating in an attempt to possess the young boy who was blamed for some of his crimes that was stopped in the nick of time. Although some of the later movies in the Child’s Play franchise have eroded his menace, there can be no doubt about the fact that Chucky was a figure of pure terror in the movie that started it all.
Annabelle
Annabelle is inspired by a real doll of the same name that is included in the collection of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were a Roman Catholic couple who investigated the paranormal. Although it was no more than a side character in The Conjuring, the doll nonetheless managed to make quite an impression on those who saw the movie, so much so that the movie-makers decided to give it its own feature film in the form of Annabelle, which came out in 2017. Said movie had its faults, but it was successful enough to inspire a prequel that will be released in August of 2017.
Fats
Technically, Fats from Magic wasn’t a doll that came alive but a crystallization of the protagonist’s worst instincts that expressed itself through the ventriloquist dummy that he used for his magic show. Still, there can be no doubt about the fact that the dummy took on a metaphorical life of its own, convincing the protagonist to kill a couple of people before he chooses to commit suicide when pressed to kill his lover as well. Disturbingly, the final scene of the movie suggests that there is something more to Fats than one component of an unwell mind, as shown by the lover speaking in a voice that sounds like nothing so much as a female interpretation of the same character in the final scene of the movie.
Clown Doll
The clown doll was not the focus, but its attack on Robbie is nonetheless one of the most memorable moments in Poltergeist, which was both a critical and a commercial success that has since cemented its place as a horror classic. Partly, the clown doll is memorable because of the suddenness with which it attempted to drag Robbie under the bed. However, it should also be noted that clowns are a relatively common source of fear in their own right, thus making the doll that much spookier.
Zuni Doll
Amelia was one of the three short films that made up Trilogy of Terror, which was an anthology horror movie that was broadcast on ABC in 1975. In it, the titular character buys a rather unpleasant-looking doll with pointed teeth, which is said to contain the spirit of a Zuni warrior. Unfortunately, Amelia loosens the chain that is supposed to be restraining the spirit, with the result that she is attacked by the doll when it comes alive. In the end, she wins the physical confrontation by burning up the doll in her oven, but makes a serious mistake when it turns out that fire has no effect on the spirit contained within whatsoever.
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