Even if you didn't know how director Zeda Müller had once phoned Italy from her home in Australia as a child to try and get in contact with Dario Argento, within minutes of 13 Dolls in Darkness, you know this is someone who loves and knows the horror genre inside out.
13 Dolls in Darkness' opening scene could be from any number of slasher films of the 1980s; a couple in the woods are making out until someone shows up with a pitchfork, on paper at least, and this is the really clever part, it's put together like a silent film! Seeing so many familiar elements from different decades of the horror genre mixed together puts a huge grin on your face.
It's not all smiles though, the silent film angle makes one scene later on, even that more shocking. And the doll motif is suitably creepy and at times even manages to top many of the giallo films it's paying homage to. A shower scene is also worth mentioning for it's clever use of misdirection.
I really hope 13 Dolls in Darkness finds an audience, as Zeda Müller clearly loves the genre and I'd like to see what she could do with a bigger budget and that twisted imagination of hers!
