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Dolls (1987)
Hey, wait!
- Banker! - You brat! Asshole. Baby, you almost hit them. You want me to go back and try a second time? Where are we, anyway? I thought you were in charge of the maps. Maps bore me. And now, for the weather. For the weekend, the outlook is for clear skies... with temperatures in the mid-60s. Clear conditions are expected to prevail well into the week. And now, back to our music. I don't like the look of these clouds up ahead. Maybe we should pull over. Where? A nearby cave? - This is incredible. - What? Isn't this something, baby? Oh, God! Come on. - Well? - Okay. Piece of shit! Couldn't get the Rolls, could you? Try it again. God damn it! All right. - God damn it! - Careful of the mud, dear. Jesus Christ! Daddy, stop swearing. Mommy says it's not nice to swear. Shut up. - But Mommy says... - Well, Mommy's not here now. - But... - Judith. Rosemary. That's "Mama Rosemary. " You're not my mother. Thank God. I could use a little help out here, dearest. Unless you plan on levitating this thing, I think it's here to stay. Damn. Daddy. - I'm gonna kill that kid. - Stand in line. It looks like the storm's kicking up again. I think we should just leave the car and split. - This whole road could flood out. - You want me to walk? Not far. Just down the road, look. Hon, that means shelter. Maybe we can make it before the rain starts up again. Lovely vacation you planned. Leave that thing here. Teddy and I go everywhere together. We're best friends. - Come on. - Not this time, tootsie. You'll travel faster solo. Teddy'll get you for that. Oh, God! - Oh, shit! - Teddy! No! Daddy. Oh, Teddy. Quit moaning about that toy and get moving. What is holding you two up? Your kid is daydreaming again. All right. What is it this time, Judy? Ghosts? Goblins? Little green men on pie-plates? Jeez, I don't know what kind of crap your mother's been feeding you. Holy cow! Look at this place. Not exactly a four-star hotel. - Come on, short stuff. - Come on! Knock. - Maybe they left because of the storm. - Maybe. Suppose they know something we don't. Suppose this place is flooding out. Suppose they left for higher ground. - Suppose we're trapped here! Suppose... - Suppose you shut up. What? I said, I suppose they shut up this place because of the storm. - Hello? - Knock again. - We can get in this way. - That's breaking and entering. Who's going to arrest us out here? Count Dracula? Come on. - Come on. - No. - Your hand. - Sorry. - This coat is ruined. - Sorry. Watch your step. This looks like a warehouse. There's got to be a light switch around here somewhere. - Nice going. - I got scared. What did you see this time? Much as we love visitors... we do prefer them to use the front door. But the front door's locked and no one answered. - And we were awfully wet. - Oh, poor dear. Got taken unawares by the storm? They do arise rather suddenly around here. All right. Come on up. Come up and get warm. - Thank you. - Thank you very much. What's the matter? Afraid of the dark? No, afraid of what's in the dark. She's always daydreaming. Seeing things. You have an active imagination? - I suppose. - That's good. Then you've come to the right house. That you have. Come into the kitchen. We have the stove on. This old house gets clammy when it rains. Wow! I'll get a hot meal inside you, then give you a tour of the house, okay? Okay. What's the matter, my dear? Just my imagination. I've never seen a storm like this. Yes, they are quite fierce. Strangers never seem to see them coming. Not that we get many tourists around here. People do frighten of the forests and the violent storms. - But we like them, don't we, my dear? - Oh, yes. This can be the most exciting place to live. - You're kidding me. - Hilary and I... Where are my manners? I'm Gabriel Hartwicke, and this is my wife, Hilary. David Bower. This is my wife, Rosemary, and my daughter... Judy. That's not my real mother. My real mother lives in Boston. Can it. This will put a little meat on your bones, dearie. - You chose an unusual spot for a vacation. - Tell me about it. Unusual, but rich in adventure and beauty. - How do you stand the weather? - We're used to these storms. They're almost magical. They seem to go on and on. It's like one long night. Exactly, my dear. The longest night in the world. How quaint. The weather brings out creativity. It helps me in my work. What kind of work is that? Witchcraft? Close to it. I'm a doll maker. I make the most wonderful toys: dolls, puppets, soldiers, ballerinas. But nowadays, people seem to want their playthings mass-produced. Nobody wants dolls that are special anymore... - that are one-of-a-kind. - I do. Yes, I believe you do. Judy, tell me, one thing I've noticed about you. You don't have a doll. That doesn't seem natural to me. A little girl without a doll is somehow incomplete. I had Teddy when I left the car, but... But the clumsy little dear dropped him in the forest. I dropped it in the forest. That's a shame. L can't replace Teddy. But I can make sure you have some company whilst you're here. A very dear friend of mine. I like him. - Say hello to Mr. Punch. - Hello, Mr. Punch. Punch's partner's name is Judy. The same as yours. Hear that? We're partners. Come on, Mr. Punch. You'll sit down with me and have some soup. Okay, Judy. Jesus! L feel like shit! Wet to the bleeding skin. God! Hi. Please excuse us. My name is Ralph. Ralph Morris. These girls, they were just hitchhiking and so I picked them up. Picked us up? - Trying to catch some talent, Ralph? - They're just kidding. I just thought because it was raining, you know. You thought you'd try a threesome? No! Lt was just because it was raining and the way you guys are dressed... I just thought... What's the matter with the way we're dressed? - Come and sit over here, Ralph. - Thank you. My name is Gabriel, and my wife, Hilary. - David, Rosemary, and Judy. - And Punch. Oh, jeez! L haven't seen a Punch doll since I was a kid. You like toys? You like to play around, Ralphie? Oh, yes! L mean, no. I liked dolls when I was a kid. But, of course, I'm not little anymore. Prove it. This is Isabel and I'm Enid. You're all welcome to stay the night until the storm settles down. Why don't you show our guests to their rooms, Gabriel? All right. Let's get you people settled in. Here, let me give you a hand. There you go. Hey, mister. - Ralph. - Ralph, are you scared? Of course not. What's there to be afraid of? - This house. - Don't be silly. Only one bed? Where's the kid supposed to sleep? She has a room of her own. That's a wonderful idea. Yes. L thought you would like it. What do you think about Ralph? What do you mean? Do I fancy him? No, stupid. I mean, is he gonna fall for it or not? I don't know. L think we ought to forget it. Look. I mean, how can we nick his wallet if we're surrounded by people... and he's in another room? Don't worry. I'll get to that fellow. And his car keys. Sir? Sir, please wait. Is that where the elves live? - Who? - The elves. No, Judy, that's just a storage room. Then where are the fairies? Maybe there are a few hiding in my workshop. Shall we see? Gabriel, this is great! You still like toys, do you? Yes, but it's too bad we have to outgrow them, right? - No one says you have to. - My daddy says you do. Daddies can be wrong sometimes, darling. They're only human. My father taught me everything I know. That's funny. I was just thinking about my dad. He used to tell us stories about how toys woke up after we were asleep. And they'd start to wander all over the house. I stayed up night after night to see if I could catch my toys playing on their own. Never made it. But I figured if they're having such a good time, with or without me... they might as well eat. So I started leaving cookies for them under my bed. And what happened? I raised several healthy families of ants. But then Dad clued me in. He said, "Toys eat imaginary cookies. " - Your father sounds like a good man. - Yeah, he was. He died when I was nine, though. But you know, Gabriel... I can remember every single toy I had when I was little. And they remember you, Ralph. Toys are very loyal. And that is a fact. Tell me where the elves live. My darling, elves live wherever they want to. Here you are. There's a bathroom next door if you want to take that paint off your faces. The rain has streaked it. - It ain't paint. Lt's makeup. - And it's not streaked. It's supposed to look like this. It is? Well, don't mind me. I'm afraid I'm not aware of what's current and what isn't. We don't have very much contact with the modern world here. - All this stuff's pretty old, ain't it? - Yes, indeed. - Is it valuable? - To us, certainly. I mean, would it be valuable to anybody? Well, I'm certain that people with an appreciation... for objects that were made with loving care... - Yeah, but are they anticues? - "Anticues"? You know, valuable, old shit. - Stuff. - Antiques. Well, I suppose you could call some of these things antique. They are old. I suppose you could call me an antique, too. I'm just as old as half of this stuff. Yeah, you sure are. Well, good night. Do you mind if we have the radio on for a while? No, not at all. Lt won't disturb us. Gabriel and I sleep at the other end of the house. Pleasant dreams. Don't let the bedbugs bite. - Good night. - Good night. - Did you hear what she said? - Yeah. We can play the radio for a while. - No! About the antikis. - Well, what about them? This place is loaded with them. I bet they have old jewelry and stuff stashed somewhere. We could swipe it tonight, leave in the morning... and those two wouldn't notice it for days. Or maybe even years. - No, they'd call the police. - Do you see any phones around? Look, we could make a fortune here. A lot more than we could nick in old Ralphie boy's wallet. I don't know. I mean, they're so old. They could be our grandparents. Well, they ain't. And besides, they'll probably be dead soon, right? No, I... Look, we'll keep this on for a while, and no one will hear me when I sneak out. And you just keep this blasting, and I'll do the swiping. It won't take me long. No prob. Okay, no prob. This is your room, sweetheart. We'll call you in the morning for breakfast. Thanks, Mr. Gabriel. - Your room is further down the hall. - Good night, Judy. Good night, Ralph. Good night, Mr. Gabriel. Good night. God damn! You can hear those freaks' music all the way across the hall. It's not so bad. Lt reminds me that we're still in the 20th century. Well, at least the old fart stocks some good wine. It tastes musty. Just like this house. All right, look. You know what I'm gonna do when we get out of here? Ship the kid back to Boston, screw the divorce settlement. - We're young, we're rich. - I'm rich. We're in the prime of our lives. Who needs an anchor? Yeah, we could be in Monte Carlo right now, if it wasn't for the twerp. "The next morning, the witch put Gretel to work... "cooking and cleaning the house. "And the witch locked Hansel in a cage. She was going to eat him first. "But she wanted to fatten him up a little. "The witch made sure that Hansel ate very well... "and every day she would ask him to hold out his finger for her to pinch. "She wanted to see how plump he had grown. " Hey, Mr. Punch, I'm thirsty. How about you? You bet. L'm real thirsty. - You want to go find something to drink? - Let's go, kiddo. Bingo. Help me. Daddy, Rosemary, the elves got one of the girls! - What? - They dragged her away. Dragged who away? The girl. One of the girls Ralph brought with him. Give me a break. I knew there was something weird about this place. - The old man is probably a sex-fiend. - Rosemary. All right, tell me what happened, Judy. - I got up to get a glass of water with Punch... - Wait. You wanted water and punch? No, I wanted water with Mr. Punch. Come on, get to the point, Judy. Come on. I saw a girl get dragged off into a room by an elf. - An elf? - Yes, and then... Judy, what have I told you about your stories? But this is... You'll wind up paying more child support. My money. Look, I know you don't enjoy spending your summers with me. I don't like it, either. But I'm sick of you lying all the time, okay? I don't want to hear it anymore. No more fairies, elves, princesses... ghosts, goblins, talking trees! I'm sick of it all, okay? I don't want to hear any more stories for the rest of the summer! Now, get out of here! Go to bed! - But... - Out! - But, Daddy... - You better do what he says, short stuff. He may not be able to give you a swat, but I can. Yes, ma'am. No. Feel free to have an imaginary cookie anytime you like. Or go ahead and get on your imaginary phone and call takeout. We've got a long night ahead of us, right? Judy. You just about gave me a heart attack. - I have to ask you a question. - Yeah? Do you trust kids? Yeah, I guess. - Do you believe things they tell you? - Sure. Why? My mom does, too. But my dad doesn't. Punch always believes me. He's my best friend. Next to Teddy, my bear. Let me guess. You got something to tell me, right? One of those girls you brought here with you... - she's gone. - Gone? - Gone where? - They dragged her into a room. She was screaming and kicking and bleeding. - Who did? Who dragged her away? - The elves. This is not a fairy tale. This is real. Great. Well, we'll just check it out in the morning. But suppose there isn't a morning? Suppose this is the longest night in the whole world? Remember what Mr. Gabriel said about the storm? Yes, but he was just being poetic. Suppose the elves get more people during the storm? Suppose they're satisfied with only one? I mean, maybe they were just lonely. Well, I guess you're right. - Judy. - Yes, Ralph? - What's that on your slippers? - I don't know. It's blood. Yeah, well, it was pretty bloody when they dragged her away. You weren't kidding, were you? - Judy. - Yes, Ralph? - Can you show me where it happened? - I guess so. Okay. Let's go. - I think it was around here. - You're not sure? What do you want from me? L'm 7 years old. - Okay, which way, left or right? - Right. I think. Stay close. I thought I heard a rat. Oh, my God. Come on. Nothing in here. Well, that takes a load off my mind. Look. Oh, no. This way. - It's sticky. - Maybe blood, huh? Maybe. - Do you think they took her up to the attic? - I don't know. Maybe there's just a window open up there, or maybe a hole in the roof. I'll tell you what. Wait here and I'll go check. Why? L've been in attics before. Okay, come on. What is all this stuff? Lt's all dusty. Looks like it hasn't been used in years. Thank God. We better go down and tell somebody about this. My dad won't believe you. He didn't believe me. They'll believe me. L'm a grownup. Ralph, look out! Ralph, are you okay? Yeah. Sure. What happened? There were some dolls up there, and you tripped over them. I thought a rat bit me. What the hell are you doing? - Something's happened to one of the girls. - Daddy, remember? L told you! Yeah, we know. Elves. No, please, listen to this. Look at this! - What is that? Blood? - Yes! - Isabel, you nearly... - He's not Isabel. I can see that. I'm sorry, but something's happened to your friend. - What do you mean? - I saw her get dragged off. Judy, I warned you about that crap. I don't know what's happened to her, but there's blood all over the hallway! What have you done with her? You took a fancy to her when you picked us up, didn't you? Isabel was right! You wanted some quick fun! What did you do, follow her? Then when she said no... No! L was fast asleep in my bed. - That's right. - How would you know? You get away from my daughter, pervert. No, please, just listen to me. Look, I don't know what's happened to her. All I know is... I don't know. There's something really funny going on in this house. - It's the little people. - Exactly! No! Lt is no... Oh, God! All I'm suggesting is that we just search the house for the girl. You can't con me. You've killed Isabel, haven't you? No, please, I didn't! No! God, look at him. You're covered in blood. I am... I am. See? L told you I got bit by that rat. I didn't see any rats. Just toys. Move away from my daughter, mister, or I'm gonna rearrange your face! - Oh, yeah? - Yeah! Well, why don't... Why don't you and I go look for the girl? If you think I'm going anywhere with you, you're bloody crazy. And you are spending the night in our room. - No, I won't. - You heard me! I want to stay with Ralph. He's my friend. I'll bet he is. Come on. Wait, Judy! Please, Enid. Give me five minutes, please! That's all... Oh, God. Judith Anne! Get out here right now, God damn it. If you don't come out right now, I'm gonna rip this doll to shreds. You think I'm kidding? Okay. All right, funny man. Let's see just how bright you can get. - Gabriel, thank goodness. - Ralph, what's the matter? One of the girls is missing, and there's... - On the living room, on the carpet. - I know. Please, don't say anything about it to anybody at all. Hilary will be so cross. Yeah, I bet she will. And just for the record, what are you talking about? I spilled a can of paint. I use it to paint the dolls' cheeks. I wanted to touch up some of the older ones. - I'll go get the mop. - Wait. Paint? You spilled paint? Yes, I do some of my best work at night. Now, about that girl... Judy saw her getting dragged away by the elves. - And you believed her? - Yeah. Well, no. Congratulations, Ralph. We'll wake up that child that's inside you, yet. Don't worry about the girl. She's probably got lost in one of the wings in this old mausoleum. If she hasn't turned up by breakfast time, I'll go and find her. What are you doing? I'm just washing some of this blood off. There you are. Boy, they really broke the skin. - With my luck, they're rabid. - I like rabbits. Judy, your father's gonna kill you if he catches you down here with me. Worse yet, he's probably gonna kill me. Ralph, what do you think we should do? About Isabel? No, about the longest night in the world. Do you know something that I don't know? I guess I do. Honey, I wish I knew what you were talking about. You know, Ralph. Deep down inside, you know. Shit. Isabel. Hush-a-bye, baby On the tree top Oh, Jesus! Stop buggering around. Is that you Isabel? Are you all right? Go back. What's the matter? Are you hurt? Oh, my God! Who did this to you? Go back. Please. Oh, my God! Oh, my God! The kid was right. The little people. They're fucking dolls. Mama. Don't worry, I'll be back! Okay, soldier boys, come and get it. And I'll give you a hotfoot all the way up to your pointed little heads! Are you asleep? Wait till I get my hands on that kid. Sent me on a wild-goose chase all over this fun house. I think I'll take a shower before I hit the hay. Don't get up. - You're sure they're in there? - Yeah. - Little people? - Very little. With my luck, it's probably a lost tribe of pygmies... with blowguns. It's locked. Let's just try someplace else. Are you sure these little people are kids? Not exactly. Turn on the light. I can't find the light switch. Maybe there's a light at the other end of the room. Gabriel said this was a storage room, right? - Probably just the wind. - Just the wind. Right. Here it is. It's a hanging light. Look at these dollies. What detail! Hello, little people. These aren't your little people, are they? They're just ordinary dolls that Gabriel made, aren't they? I guess. - Judy? - Yes, Ralph? These dolls... they're alive, aren't they? Sure they are. Remember when you talked about toys coming to life at night? But, Judy, that was just a little story. A true story. - Why don't we get out of here? - I don't think they'd like that. Yeah? Well, the hell with them! Let's go! Ralph, stop! You're making them angry, Ralph! I'm offending the toys? Excuse me! Sorry. Excuse me. Run, Judy! Stop it! Help! No! Leave him alone! Stop it! Why are you doing this to my friend? You're bad dollies! Bad! Leave him alone! Ralph, are you okay? - We got to get out of here. - Not right now. Why not? They won't let us. They're deciding what to do with us. Oh, great. Don't worry. Mr. Punch will protect us. Come on, baby. Let's not let this place spoil our whole vacation, okay? Will Mommy kiss Daddy and make it all better? Please, Mommy? Don't punish Daddy. Come on, give him a big, wet one. Oh, God! That Ralph guy did this, didn't he? That psychotic piece of shit! I'll kill him! What's going on now? They're trying to decide if you're really an adult, or just a kid in disguise. I've been trying to figure that out for years. Thank you. We can go now. - I must be hallucinating. - If that means dreaming, you're not. - But how... - You! You're dead meat! - Your father sounds upset. - He looks upset, too. - You killed Rosemary. - No, he didn't. - Yeah. No, he didn't. - Then who did? I don't know. The little people? Daddy, don't! Please! Daddy, no! - What do we have, a hero now? - Yes, he is a hero! He's probably a prince in disguise or something. But even if he's not, he's nicer than you'll ever be. Don't! Do me a favor. Just stand there, okay? Very, very quietly. Hi. Can we talk? I swear to God, there are some crazy toys down there that can kill people. Don't hand me that shit! Honest! L wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it... - but they captured me! - Yeah? - Then why didn't they kill you? - I'm young at heart, I guess? Daddy, don't! Fuck you, clownie! Such language. And such a temper. What a mess you have made down here. Just look what he's done to Judy's good friend, Mr. Punch. I'll do the same to you, you old witch. - He figured it out. - A lucky guess, that's all. - Where's my daughter? - She's safe. With friends. It's past her bedtime. She should be dreaming sweet dreams by now. I want her back. She belongs in a juvenile home, that little punk. Helping that murderer. Come on, hand her over. She's my kid! Being a parent is a privilege, David, not a right. Who the hell do you think you are? Such persistently quaint terminology. Don't worry. Everything can be repaired. Oh, yeah? Fix this, old man. It's a hunk of junk. It's junk! Yes, I'll fix him, David, with your help. You can destroy as many toys as you like. But you can't get rid of them all. Toys will be here for as long as children want them. They're the heart and soul of childhood. Hilary and I think that the bitterness people feel as adults... can turn to love if they surrender to the goodwill toys provide. Some people could be saved. We give everyone a sporting chance. But the others, like you? Well, they have to start over... and play a new role in the big game. And you still don't know what's happening, do you? You silly Mr. Punch. Mischievous Mr. Punch. Always making trouble. What a little dickens you can be, my little Punch. I must admit... you do look spiffier in your more contemporary clothing. I don't know. Don't you think it clashes with his more modern getup? You're awake. Good. Steady now. You've had an awful crack on the noggin. One of the dolls. The dolls. The killer dolls! The what? Oh, dear. I do hope he hasn't got a concussion. Welcome back, my dear. Mr. Gabriel? What happened? Last night, after dinner, you two disappeared on us. We looked high and low for you but we couldn't find you anywhere. Then we thought you might be outside trying to get Ralph's motorcar started. So we went out. By the way, we managed to get your car out of the mud for you. - Thanks. - You're very welcome. When we came back, the house was quite empty. Eventually I found you in my storage room. I thought I'd locked it. By the way, you must have knocked all my dolls off the shelves. You were out cold. How long have we been unconscious? About three hours. Ln truth, I think you were asleep most of the time. You seemed exhausted. Where's my daddy? Well, I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, my dear... but your daddy has gone on without you. No, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Adults seldom do. Your father left a note. Allow me, my dear. "Dear Judy, forgive me. "I never was a good father, I know. "Rosemary and I are leaving you here... with a hope that you will have a much happier life living with your mother, not us. "We are moving to another country and changing our names. "We are leaving you enough money for a plane ticket back to Boston. "Love, your father. " He won't be back ever? No, I'm afraid not, my dear. There, there. Some people just don't cut out to be daddies. He thought that the best, the grandest thing he could do for you... was to allow you to grow up in a household of love with your mommy. - What about the two girls? My hitchhikers? - Yes. P.S. "I am taking the two hitchhikers with me. " Let me... Her father asked that you make sure that Judy gets back to Boston. But I don't have that kind of money. He left you the money for a plane ticket, too. That's funny, because he didn't seem that generous to me. I can't believe all this was just a nightmare. There's a saying in my family that sometimes bad dreams can be good for you. It's time we were heading back to the real world. Like, now. - Will you be all right to drive? - Oh, yeah. L'm raring to go. You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to. We've grown quite fond of you. A child, and a child at heart. You can stay here and play with our toys... for as long as you like. For as long as there are toys to play with. Gee, thanks, but my mom would be worried. Is it okay if we come back and visit you next summer vacation? Of course, darling. Lt will be our pleasure. Write to us in advance, dear... and we'll get the house all dolled up for you. I think it's time we should be going. Thank you. Where's Mr. Punch? L want to say goodbye. I was just going to put Mr. Punch to bed. He's very tired after such a long, long night. The longest night in the world. See you next summer. So long, short stuff. Let's go. Let's get out of here. This place is getting real creepy. What's this? That's Teddy! He's my best friend. Next to you, I mean. Rosemary threw him away. - But what's he doing in here? - Remember what Mr. Gabriel said? No. "Toys are loyal. And that's a fact. " - Wait a minute, Ralph. - Judy, no! Mr. Gabriel, I think... I think Teddy would like it here with all the other dolls. I think perhaps that's a very good idea. We'll treat him as if he were one of our own, dear heart. And he'll be here waiting for you in case you should ever decide to come back. - Bye. Let's go. - Bye. - Ralph, are you married? - No. - Ever wanted to be? - Yeah. No. L don't know. - Have you ever been to Boston? - Yeah. You'll like my mother. She's young and very pretty. - Ralph? - Yes, Judy? Ever wanted a daughter? Damn it! Sit down! All right, let's hear it. What are we gonna do? - You see a bus anywhere? - Just relax. I don't believe this! Look. There's a house over there. |
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