​THE SEX DOLL SHE BITCH (2009) - FILM GUTTER REVIEWS

Dir. Jaison H Costley, USA, 35 mins​

Of all the unlikely statistics I could think of, this is the third horror film to date I have watched about sex dolls. There was the actually very good Love Object – which I'd heartily recommend taking the time to check out if you haven't seen it yet – followed by the fun if slightly cheap and nasty The Bitch is Back. I'm sure there are more about there – I'd welcome any more weird and wonderful suggestions, of course – but completing the trio here is The Sex Doll She Bitch, which distinctly leans more on the comedic vein. Thankfully this is a relatively short offering – and I can tell you that sometimes in the world of extreme horror reviewing you're grateful for something short and sweet...

What is it about sex dolls that keeps coming back into the horror consciousness anyway? I can only think there's some sort of uncanny valley connection about them, them looking so human but not actually being human, that makes the thought of them coming to life in some way at least a little unnerving to at least some viewers. Or maybe the sexual connection makes them ideal fodder for the horror-comedy angle?

The story on this occasion – such as it is – follows an abusive, philandering husband who goes home to his wife after a night of drinking and having sex with a prostitute in this car. There's actually a few genuinely funny moments in this opening, with some truly absurd dialogue being delivered. But honestly it gets even more ridiculous from there, as we discover 'her indoors' happens to be a sex doll, and whose baby is also a regular doll. He's none too happy that his dinner is not on the table, and when he turns abusive his plastic spouse replies in kind – by killing him. But this is merely the start of a murderous spree that she launches into...

You might sense from my tone that there's nothing too heavy here, but that's not to say that there's nothing to like here. Much of the comedy hits its mark, and there were a number of laughs throughout, certainly enough to keep you watching as this short movie wears on. And while I feel like it slightly falls apart in the finale, where the characters are not quite as strong as some of the earlier ones and it maybe just pushes the elements of surrealism too far, it's made with enough pace and acted with enough verve to keep you entertained. It's scarcely high-brow cinema, but that's fine in some cases, and I feel it's absolutely fine here. I doubt it'll live long in the memory, but if you're up for a few chuckles and have half an hour to spare you could certainly do worse.

RATING: 6/10. I almost feel inspired from the back of this one to see if I can dig up more obscure sex doll horror movies, but then again maybe three is enough for one lifetime. Maybe if I can find enough there could be a sex doll horror monts? Anyway, back to topic, there's nothing much wrong with this one per se, but there is almost an in-built limitation with this sort of low-budget comedy-horror. While six out of ten may not look like much on the surface, it probably puts it above many of the movies you might compare it to, and – in the eyes of this hardened extreme horror reviewer at least – this is a harmless bit of fun.