"Love Object" draws its inspiration from two well-known sources, one a literary classic, the other a classic of twentieth century pop culture: first, the Greek myth "Pygmalion," in which a sculptor carves "the perfect woman" out of stone only to discover that it isn't all that easy to love an inanimate object that can't love you back; and, second, the "Twilight Zone" episode entitled "Living Doll," with Telly Savalas as an abusive stepfather who is haunted and eventually done in by a little girl's Talky Tina doll, whose anthropomorphic capabilities go far beyond mere conversation.
In "Love Object," Kenneth is a psychopathic loner who orders a customized, anatomically correct companion named Nikki off the internet. When the shy, introverted young man falls for Lisa, a pretty blond co-worker, he begins to project all of the unsuspecting girl's qualities and traits onto the doll, treating Nikki as if she were Lisa and Lisa as if she were Nikki. Eventually he gets the two so completely mixed up in his head that it seems as if the mannequin herself, driven by paranoia and jealousy, is beginning to act out her anger in fits of potentially homicidal rage.
As twisted low budget horror films go, "Love Object" works fairly well for the first hour or so, even though it feels as if we have seen this basic storyline a few too many times before (often with a ventriloquist's dummy as the nemesis). In addition to the creepy atmosphere, writer/director Robert Parigi provides a few highly effective moments of dark humor to keep us unnerved and off balance. Unfortunately - as is the wont of so many horror movies these days - the film's tone turns so ugly and sadistic in the final half hour that the movie loses us completely and we find ourselves simply wishing that the whole bloody ordeal would get over as quickly as possible. More's the pity, since Desmond Harrington delivers an effectively understated account of a man teetering on the brink of insanity, while Melissa Sagemiller is warm and winning as the flesh-and-blood dream girl who becomes, first, his love interest and, later, his victim. Rip Torn provides some subtle humor as the boss more concerned with workplace propriety and avoiding sexual harassment lawsuits than with cultivating a case of young love blossoming in his very own office.
The movie also does an effective job making the case that the modern corporate world sees its workers more as dispensable automatons and robots - or dolls, if you prefer - than valued human beings. What a shame that the movie undercuts all its various virtues in the end by going whole hog over-the-top. Where's Rod Serling when we need him?
In "Love Object," Kenneth is a psychopathic loner who orders a customized, anatomically correct companion named Nikki off the internet. When the shy, introverted young man falls for Lisa, a pretty blond co-worker, he begins to project all of the unsuspecting girl's qualities and traits onto the doll, treating Nikki as if she were Lisa and Lisa as if she were Nikki. Eventually he gets the two so completely mixed up in his head that it seems as if the mannequin herself, driven by paranoia and jealousy, is beginning to act out her anger in fits of potentially homicidal rage.
As twisted low budget horror films go, "Love Object" works fairly well for the first hour or so, even though it feels as if we have seen this basic storyline a few too many times before (often with a ventriloquist's dummy as the nemesis). In addition to the creepy atmosphere, writer/director Robert Parigi provides a few highly effective moments of dark humor to keep us unnerved and off balance. Unfortunately - as is the wont of so many horror movies these days - the film's tone turns so ugly and sadistic in the final half hour that the movie loses us completely and we find ourselves simply wishing that the whole bloody ordeal would get over as quickly as possible. More's the pity, since Desmond Harrington delivers an effectively understated account of a man teetering on the brink of insanity, while Melissa Sagemiller is warm and winning as the flesh-and-blood dream girl who becomes, first, his love interest and, later, his victim. Rip Torn provides some subtle humor as the boss more concerned with workplace propriety and avoiding sexual harassment lawsuits than with cultivating a case of young love blossoming in his very own office.
The movie also does an effective job making the case that the modern corporate world sees its workers more as dispensable automatons and robots - or dolls, if you prefer - than valued human beings. What a shame that the movie undercuts all its various virtues in the end by going whole hog over-the-top. Where's Rod Serling when we need him?