Curse of the Witch's Doll (2018) User Reviews

Curse of the Witch's Doll: No idea what they were going for here but it didn't work

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 24 February 2018]

Curse Of The Witch's Doll is an odd film, it's set across three generations and arguably tells three connected stories. Trouble is they aren't connected in an interesting way and none of them are even remotely enjoyable.

We see a woman during the 1940's fleeing the bombings with her daughter, a psychologist with a horrifying secret and your usual ghost hunters investigating an abandoned asylum.

The one thing I will say is that the doll in question is genuinely scary, that thing is deeply disturbing which begs the question why they use a different one on the front cover.

It's about half way through when it all falls apart, you can pinpoint the exact moment. Don't get me wrong it wasn't going anywhere special anyway, but it was at least heading for something generic instead of the mess it wound up as.

Curse Of The Witch's Doll is notable only for the doll itself, nothing else is memorable or entertaining.

The Good:

That doll is horrifying

The Bad:

Cover art is deceptive

Falls apart irreparably

Poorly constructed

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

We need a spinoff from this with that doll, made by different people who know what they're doing.

A lacklustre curse

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 16 April 2018]

A large part of me actually wanted to enjoy 'Curse of the Witch's Doll'. The idea for the story was so intriguing, it looked pretty creepy with a very unnerving-looking doll and the cover, while suggestive of the film being derivative of 'Annabelle', was good-looking.

'Curse of the Witch's Doll' was not a terrible film and had its moments and good things. Another good thing is that despite any fears it is not a carbon copy or rip-off of 'Annabelle', despite its deceptive advertising indicating this. Those moments and good things conversely were too few, and not enough to save the film from not doing anywhere near enough with its concept. A shame because there was a decent film in 'Curse of the Witch's Doll'.

Some of the first half actually was pretty good. There are unsettling moments, and a real creepiness and suspense. The doll agreed is genuinely eerie as is the music score.

Moreover, 'Curse of the Witch's Doll' has a slick, atmospheric and unsettling visual look. The acting is better than average generally.

There are issues with the pace though. Creepiness and suspense don't come consistently in the first half, there are dull stretches and it does take a little too long to get going. The characters are sketchy in development, and there is very little interesting or explored with the witch's character or back-story.

Do have to agree that 'Curse of the Witch's Doll' falls apart in the second half, where the creepiness and suspense is minimised further and things get duller, weirder and sometimes plain silly. The ending is one rushed and incomplete anti-climax, where it doesn't really end or resolve much needed questions leaving things hanging in the air.

Overall, lacklustre and doesn't do enough with the promise that it had. 4/10 Bethany Cox

What just happened

[janmarju · 4/10 · 7 February 2018]

This was a good movie until about the last 10 minutes or so. I was hoping to see the reason behind the doll being cursed, although you get just a glimpse of it in the beginning of the movie. There are two twist you don't expect, the first one was good, I thought the movie was going to get even better from there, then the writer blacked out came to and rushed the ending by writing a ridiculous (75 Years Later) 'lets go check out the asylum that just closed down' ending that had no substance. The ending just left you hanging, what a disappointment.

Not all bad

[royeighmey · 5/10 · 3 March 2020]

This is the type of movie you get when on a limited budget. Not much horror for a horror movie, but more of a slow burner thriller. It is watchable and the 3 different time periods worked o.k. Acting was decent enough considering the budget restraints they had to pay them with. I'd say give it a shot, just keep in mind this isn't Annabelle.

Really really bad

[mariochase-01011 · 1/10 · 25 February 2018]

It was a cheap copy of Annabelle. Acting was really really bad, the doll was everything but scary. Storyline was confusing. I don't recommend at all. This movie is very cringy. I laughed a lot with the doll's face.

I will live on.

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 10 February 2018]

Adeline Gray (Helen Crevel) and her daughter Chloe (Layla Watts) go to live in a safe manor away from the bombings in England 1942. The place is owned by Arthur Harper (Philip Ridout). Adeline and her daughter see and hear an ugly doll, we see briefly in the first scene as belonging to an accused witch in 1660. We get a twist at about an hour, one that has been done too many times, although I didn't see it coming.

The film wasn't very scary. The witch wasn't developed and neither was the doll. I assumed it was simple revenge against all of mankind 350 years later. Dialogue was dry and characters didn't grab me.

Guide: caught 1 F-word. No sex or nudity.

Good attempt, but falls flat

[jakegrogan-75235 · 5/10 · 20 February 2020]

I went into this knowing it was going to be a low budget indie film. So all the symptoms are there: mediocre acting, cheap special effects, cheap set designs, amateur writing, etc. However, I do appreciate the attempt to make something great, and with a bigger budget I believe this could've been much better. Still, there are a few negative things to get out of the way. The actors are clearly trying their best, and they aren't terrible by any means, but it ultimately ends up feeling like a local amateur stage play. Also, I don't understand why this movie had to be a period piece, especially considering the budgetary restraints. The best compliment I can give to the flick is that the doll looks great. It's genuinely frightening and the CGI effects on the doll are decent enough, once again considering the low budget. I also did enjoy some of the music, and the story was at least interesting enough to keep me invested throughout.

All in all, if you're a fan of independent low budget slow-burn horror, you may enjoy this. Otherwise, you might be better off skipping it.

Surprised some people enjoyed this film.

[asheijenkins · 1/10 · 5 June 2018]

My mom told me about this movie and said that it was pretty creepy, with several twists throughout. I decided to give it a shot as both my mother and I are horror movie fanatics. I regret taking my time to watch. First off, the doll on the cover isn't even remotely close to the one in the movie, which reminded me of a voodoo Chucky doll. The "witch" in the film (was she even really there, who can say) was neither creepy nor important to the story line; that in itself was confusing because it spanned across three different time periods, none of which seemed to matter much. Honestly, I would have rated higher had the movie ended with the first story, the one talked about in the description of the film on Amazon. However, it was slow and dull, and made me cringe frequently. I understand it's a low-budget film, but even those can be worthy of high reviews creators put in the effort.

Just watch Annabelle Creation. Creepy doll? Check. Decent reviews? Check. Simon from Frasier? Check.

Don't waste your time.

[triciaw-58202 · 2/10 · 18 July 2020]

This is the kind of film that likes to confuse the hell out of you from the start. It changes time frames, character names, brings back people who were dead from the beginning of the film.....but that's ok as you can blame it on a rather cheap looking doll. This will take you on a journey of discovery...the discovery that there are better films out there worth watching. There are no jump scares and it's only slightly atmospheric in places. The film just seems to plod on. I can't help but think it's a major waste of time and I'm glad I got to watch it for free on my Amazon Prime account.

terrible movie

[bahramj · 1/10 · 30 September 2019]

If you want to waste your time watch this movie! this is comedy not horror.

I am not like other people at all.

[mr_waterfall · 8/10 · 6 April 2018]

This was really creepy, yes storyline was confusing many times. But it had a very scary doll. To me it was around a B like the Annabelle Creation grade. I dont see how a doll with that creepy okward big eyed werid mouth cant be scary. The way it shows up out of the blue, the way its eyes turned white. The witch, it makes it at the end like itcan be some sequel coming up what i hate or had a problem with is it gets confusing really bad i didint understand much. What was happening some, but i was enjoying the awesome creepyiness that it was.

But i know most people anymore are very,very picky on what they like in horror. Even some dumb movies that gave effort most hate. But i love the freakiness of the doll here, its a freaked up doll. But what happened to the mary woman if she was the main character all along? But how it ends but kills the cool jerk guy, and probably the girl that was with him. Most horror dont most like the stupid BLairwitch or the dumb movie I HATE VVITCH or WITCH that was messed up and confusing and cant understand most the words in it even on 100 on the big screen still cant understand it. THE boy people love really? They hate this. At least it had a scary doll, some spooky scenes effort. The storyline was alover but i really love this movie. Otherscan spit alover it, but the doll is creepy if it was real and that it be great if it was in peoples house. See for themselves. But i love this movie dispite what people say.

ALl i know is i love this movie. Spooky okward storyline but great spooky doll. I loved it i just i love it. I dont know i jsut i really like this movie. Doll is creepy as hell. Even spookier way spookier than the look of Annabelle it has the face a mother could love. lol

Enjoyable Lower Budget Movie

[LovecraftLass · 7/10 · 14 April 2018]

It seems like I go into a lot of movies with low expectations because the times I do go in expecting a movie to be fantastic I'm always disappointed. And when I go in with very low expectations I'm pleasantly surprised. Curse of the Witch's Doll was one of those times. I really think the cover does it a bit of a disservice. Going from the cover (and title) it looks like an Annabelle clone. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Unfortunately I can't say too much about Curse of the Witch's Doll because there are quite a few twists and turns that were genuinely surprising and I'd hate to ruin anything. I will only say one thing. The first 'twist' made me roll my eyes a bit but I can guarantee you...stick with it. I promise it's worth it. The pacing is perfect, it always keeps moving forward with no lags at all. This is a movie that relies on acting, atmosphere and mood to scare you and it does it well. I never felt like they were going for the easy scare.

The cinematography is excellent with some truly beautiful and original shots. Combined with some decent CGI the movie is worth watching for that alone. Particularly one scene near the middle. It's a very simple shot but the way its done is just...perfect. The make-up effects are decent. I'm a little torn on the doll itself. I kept going between creepy and goofy. Although there were some genuinely creepy moments with it. There were a lot of times when they didn't go for the obvious jump-scare and used a more subtle effect. I liked that a lot. The sound design was excellent as well. The music is moody in places and only comes to the forefront during the action sequences and never telegraphs the scares. They also mix sounds in very well with the music to give you hints or to just make it creepier.

The acting is great all the way through. Everyone puts their hearts into it and it shows. The dialogue flows smoothly and naturally. There is one speech in particular that Adeline says that I really, really loved. Adeline's words and actions feel very real. You really invest in Adeline's character and, frankly, I was upset with her and for her. The finale of the movie was a bit abrupt. The switch in styles was surprising but understandable. It just left off of one part abruptly so you're a little unsure of what happens next. I mean, you have a pretty good guess but I would have liked a few things cleared up.

I would have liked a bit more information on The Witch. There is absolutely no backstory for her. I would have liked to have known a bit more with that. Presumably she was hung as a witch but how did the doll end up where it did? Was it in the same place? It's hard to say and with the Witch having an obvious French accent I think those parts should have been explained more. Even if it's just through the trusty "ye olde journal" source. All in all I did enjoy it. Enough to want to watch it again and possibly buy it to keep.

Disclaimer: Received from October Coast for review consideration. This in no way affects our reviews.

You have to wonder who watches this crap oh my G I do.

[eventlaunch · 2/10 · 6 July 2019]

Yes another Robert the doll type movie with bad acting this one has three stories that should come together but fails to do so

Just bad

[Gunnar_R_Ingibjargarson · 4/10 · 1 March 2018]

A young woman and her young daughter moved into a big mansion and strange things starts to happen, which all seems to connect to a old doll.

Not good at all

[Marynewcomb2013 · 2/10 · 13 January 2019]

Thought this would be a good movie after seeing the trailer & seeing it's British but was very disappointed!! The story line has been done many times before!! Reminded me of Shutter Island where the main character is living in a made up world only to find her reality is the complete opposite!!! Very disappointed!!!

A nicely done slow burner

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 5 October 2021]

England in the early 1940's. Adeline Gray (a fine and appealing portrayal by Helen Crevel) and her daughter Chloe (a solid performance by Layla Watts) seek shelter in an old rundown manor. After Chloe suddenly goes missing, Adeline suspects that a scary doll possessed by the vengeful spirit of a witch (a creepy portrayal by Claire Carreno) is responsible.

Writer/director Lawrence Fowler relates the absorbing and intricate story at a deliberate pace, offers a flavorsome period atmosphere, ably crafts a spooky and unsettling ooga-booga mood, and delivers a few neat twists, with one especially tragic twist adding some unexpected depth and poignancy to the proceedings. Philip Ridout lends sturdy support as kindly neighbor Arthur Harper. A nifty little fright flick.

Interesting horror story.

[fstapleton-75543 · 6/10 · 24 July 2020]

Mother and daughter move into creepy manor during WW2. There are 3 stories here including a 10 minute epilogue and the problem is none of them are really resolved. So anytime this really gets going it sort of goes in a different direction with mixed results. Frustrating really because there is certainly some good work here with good acting, direction, setting and a really creepy doll. Overall a decent low budget effort that could have been excellent if the story had just come together a bit better.

Not An Annabelle Clone

[LovecraftLass · 7/10 · 6 December 2018]

It seems like I go into a lot of movies with low expectations because the times I do go in expecting a movie to be fantastic I'm always disappointed. And when I go in with very low expectations I'm pleasantly surprised. Curse of the Witch's Doll was one of those times. I really think the cover does it a bit of a disservice. Going from the cover (and title) it looks like an Annabelle clone. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The age of the daughter is off as well. I think this would be better served with a revamp of the cover to be more accurate.

Unfortunately I can't say too much about Curse of the Witch's Doll because there are quite a few twists and turns that were genuinely surprising and I'd hate to ruin anything. I will only say one thing. The first 'twist' made me roll my eyes a bit but I can guarantee you...stick with it. I promise it's worth it. The pacing is perfect, it always keeps moving forward with no lags at all. This is a movie that relies on acting, atmosphere and mood to scare you and it does it well. I never felt like they were going for the easy scare.

The cinematography is excellent with some truly beautiful and original shots. Combined with some decent CGI the movie is worth watching for that alone. Particularly one scene near the middle. It's a very simple shot but the way its done is just...perfect. The make-up effects are decent. I'm a little torn on the doll itself. I kept going between creepy and goofy. There were some genuinely creepy moments with it. There were a lot of times when they didn't go for the obvious jump-scare and used a more subtle effect. I liked that a lot. The sound design was excellent as well. The music is moody in places and only comes to the forefront during the action sequences and never telegraphs the scares. They also mix sounds in very well with the music to give you hints or to just make it creepier.

The acting is great all the way through. Everyone puts their hearts into it and it shows. The dialogue flows smoothly and naturally. There is one speech in particular that Adeline says that I really, really loved. Adeline's words and actions feel very real. You really invest in Adeline's character and, frankly, I was upset with her and for her. The finale of the movie was a bit abrupt. The switch in styles was surprising but understandable. It just left off of one part so abruptly that you're a little unsure of what happens next. I mean, you have a pretty good guess but I would have liked a few things cleared up.

I would have liked a bit more information on The Witch. There is absolutely no backstory for her. I would have liked to have known a bit more with that. Presumably she was hung as a witch but how did the doll end up where it did? Was it in the same place? It's hard to say and with the Witch having an obvious French accent I think those parts should have been explained more. Even if it's just through the trusty "ye olde journal" source. All in all I did enjoy it. Enough to want to watch it again and possibly buy it to keep.

An unusual and effective independent horror film.

[parry_na · 7/10 · 9 July 2021]

This is a strangely structured film that takes in period horror and flirts with found footage. Slightly over-long, but very well acted, and a central doll that is genuinely quite scary on occasions.

I like that 'Curse of the Witch's Doll' aims to try something different, both with the horror elements and the story itself. This is a rare occurrence where a bigger budget might have benefited that ambition - as it is, some of the very talky scenes outstay their welcome a little.

It's surprising how little the doll actually features, but when it does, and considering it is only a prop, it is surprisingly effective. A definite case of less is more. My score is 7 out of 10.