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“D is for Doll” is an episode of the supernatural drama Evil, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin. It originally aired under CBS before moving to Paramount+. As of this review, it’s available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.

The assessors investigate a demonic infestation. David (Mike Colter) has a crisis of faith as tension runs thick. Sheryl (Christine Lahti) gets ahead of the family business. People decide to play with dolls. The dolls play back.

A doll in a sailor outfit that looks decrepit. Behind him is a room.
A Sailor Doll of Horrors

What I Like about “D is for Doll”

One of the renegade Catholics (Leon Addison Brown as ‘the’ Minister’) returns, providing David with a potential alternative. While no longer a practicing Catholic, the Minister assumes a different role and responsibility as a religious figure. It’s not taken as seriously as the point deserves, which seems like a missed opportunity, but it still provides moments of interest.

Boris McGiver’s Monsignor Koreski returns. Again, this leaves a dynamic of the clergy moving around, which must serve a purpose, but one that eludes me. He takes on the role of the lead once again. There’s also a moment that suggests he was away for particular reasons, but this reason doesn’t get fully explored.

Dr. Boggs (Kurt Fuller) brings the case to the team, building on his growing interest in the supernatural. After “D is for Doll,” Dr. Boggs will dive further into this interest. His desire to write a book on the paranormal and the events of this episode will lead him down a darker journey.

David’s doubt remains the central focus of this episode as he explores other perspectives and becomes disillusioned by Catholic bureaucracy. The doubts too neatly reaffirm David’s stance, but the additional perspective adds value to his journey.

White background, rubber stamp with disclaimer pressed against the white background.
Disclaimer Kimberley Web Design

Tired Tropes and Triggers

As the title suggests, creepy dolls play a role in the plot. They rarely act beyond supposedly being a catalyst for evil. These dolls lead to a greater scheme for future episodes to explore.

I mention the simplification of the religious perspectives, turning the Minister into a flawed character pushed out of the priesthood. This decision somehow relates to him being wrong, but life isn’t that simple. It seems like an underexplored point we take as fact.

A doll in a clown outfit sits in the middle of a shrine.
A Doll in Their Shrine

What I Dislike about “D is for Doll”

There’s the unintended issue of turning religious leadership into a choice between the supernatural and natural evils of the world. This decision creates issues when Evil works so hard to connect these points.

Dolls hold a lot of horror potential for camp or genuine horror. The dolls in “D is for Doll” don’t inherently execute either. They simply exist and possibly produce an evil aura. The sigils seem to connect with these dolls, but nothing yet gets explored. As of now, it’s a missed opportunity. Even the ending cinematic suggests how intrusive or playful the concept could have been.

We see a character earn a demonic sigil, and it raises more questions than answers. The playful way in which the character earns a sigil undermines what these sigils supposedly represent. As Evil connects these families with natural and supernatural evil, the promotion process seems strangely goofy. Evil provides dark comedy, but this isn’t particularly dark comedy.

Final Thoughts

“D is for Doll” explores the demonic sigils further. Some of the revelations leave more questions or undermine the work already established. However, Dr. Boggs’ journey into the supernatural and David’s struggles with the priesthood add interesting conversations and perspectives. This episode is not the most haunting, but one that plants a few seeds for future episodes.
3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

Zeth received his M.A in English with a focus in Creative Writing at CSU, Chico. As a human writer, he published in the 9th volume of Multicultural Echoes, served on the editorial board of Watershed Review, and is a horror reviewer for Haunted MTL. All agree he is a real-life human and not an octopus in human skin. Fascinated by horror novels and their movie adaptations, Zeth channels his bone-riddled arms in their study. Games are also a tasty treat, but he only has the two human limbs to write. If you enjoy his writing, check out his website.

Movies n TV

Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut, or The New Daughter

The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film & Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name.

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The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film and Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut. The film is based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name. The New Daughter stars Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis, and Gattlin Griffith. As of this review, the film is available on VUDU Free, The CW, Hoopla, Tubi TV, Freevee, and Plex, with additional purchase options.

John James (Kevin Costner) moves his children to a rural South Carolina town to start anew after his wife leaves him. Louisa James (Ivana Baquero) can’t stand this change, and Sam James (Gattlin Griffith) doesn’t understand why his mother isn’t with them. But after finding a burial mound, their attitudes suddenly switch. As John uncovers more of their new home’s history, he realizes there’s much to fear.

A man stares outside, half covered in darkness. He hold a shotgun, ready for something.
Kevin Costner as John James

What I Like About Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut

Despite its 2009 release date, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films nominated it for the Saturn Awards’ Best DVD Release in 2011. As Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut, the film manages to hold an audience with a tight script and direction.

The acting sells this ominous mystery, which might otherwise become obscure amongst others in the genre. In particular, Kevin Costner’s John James and Ivana Baquero’s Louisa James center The New Daughter around their characters’ strained father-daughter relationship.

Ultimately, The New Daughter thrives in its atmosphere and execution. If we take the film plot point by plot point, The New Daughter doesn’t break the mold. Between Luiso Berdejo’s direction and the writing of John Travis and John Connolly, however, the film executes this uncomfortable tension that invests viewers.

The New Daughter
  • English (Subtitle)

Last update on 2025-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

It’s in The New Daughter‘s execution where it haunts its audience. There’s this uncomfortable powerlessness as John attempts to protect his family against the horrors in the mound and its corrupting influence.

The ending might seem uncommitted, but I would disagree. The film executes a balance between hope and horror that leads to ambiguity but doesn’t leave the audience dissatisfied. A bolder film might conclude with an unhappy ending, but The New Daughter gives a sliver of hope in its dark ending.

White background, rubber stamp with disclaimer pressed against the white background.
Disclaimer Kimberley Web Design

Tired Tropes and Triggers

A cat dies in the film. The act isn’t shown, but I understand this can be a dealbreaker. In loose connection, there are also animal carcasses.

There’s a loose and underdeveloped connection to Native American mythology, following along the idea of “Indian (Native Americans) burial grounds.” While this initial thought proves inaccurate, it still holds familiar plot points that might irk some.

There are some strange decisions revolving around Louisa. Needless to say, a part of the plot revolves around her beginning puberty. While nothing is explicit, the creatures require a mate, which suggests sexual assault.

The New Daughter written below. Behind is a poorly lit house with a girl standing to the left hand side. In front, a man stands looking away from her.
The New Daughter Alt Cover

What I Dislike about Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut

The aesthetic of the burial mound doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy. This becomes a problem when it looks like any hill in a forest. I don’t particularly see how the James family recognizes this as something strange and worth fixating on. As the film progresses, there are obvious reasons, but the aesthetic doesn’t execute this strangeness.

As addressed above, the premise remains familiar and safe, perhaps too safe. A family moves into a rural home, escaping a past withheld from the audience. The mother is out of the picture, and the father struggles to connect with his young daughter. I don’t subscribe to the idea that these are lazy points, but it might seem formulaic with how thick it dominates the film’s beginning.

A kraken devouring a boat. The art looks dated with a weathered filter over the design.

Final Thoughts

The New Daughter is an impressive feature-length debut but one with notable flaws. There’s a familiarity and safety in the plot that hinders what could have been. However, the ominous mystery and acting provide the needed execution to create a haunting experience. If you’re looking for a horror following a terrified family against supernatural creatures, The New Daughter delivers.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

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Movies n TV

Original Sin returns with The Big Bad Body Problem

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After taking a week off, Dexter Original Sin is back. And while no piece of art can ever be entirely perfect, this was as close to perfect as I think we can expect.

The story

We start this episode right where the last one left off. Dexter, with a body in his trunk, finds his dumping grounds swarming with cops. So, keeping his head as cool as ever, he pulls out his forensic badge and pretends he’s supposed to be there. Then, he feeds the remaining arm from his second kill to the alligators before anyone can print it. But, not before Angel recognizes a distinct ring on the hand’s finger.

Jewelry really will be the death of Dexter.

While he might have gotten himself out of that mess, he still has a body to deal with. He decides to take it to a dump in broad daylight. Sometimes he acts like he wants to get caught. But then, maybe he does.

Patrick Gibson and Jeff Daniel Phillips  in Dexter Original Sin.

Meanwhile, the police are still looking for whoever kidnapped Nicky. There’s a horrific scene in this episode in which the poor kid has his finger chopped off. But this finger might well be the evidence that Miami Metro needs to catch the kidnapper because Dexter notices a sense of hesitation before the cut on Nicky that wasn’t present on the first little boy.

He also finds a drop of blood that doesn’t belong to Nicky.

Once again, it all comes back to blood.

What worked

As I’ve watched this series, and after consuming all of the rest of the work this franchise has offered us, one thing has become more and more clear.

Harry Morgan is a terrible human being.

Let’s just take this episode as an example. We see him strongarming a CI that he had an affair with, threatening to stick her in jail and drop her kids into foster care if she doesn’t keep risking her life for him. We then see him go home and lecture his wife, who he cheated on, for not forgiving him fast enough. And we know how this all ends for the Mosers. We know that Laura ends up dead and Harry takes the baby he liked, leaving Brian to the horrors of the foster care system.

Dexter: The Complete Series + Dexter: New Blood
  • Michael C. Hall (Actor)
  • Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The thing is, we were never supposed to like Harry. More and more I realize that Harry is the bad guy. He’s the antagonist of Dexter. And as I’m rewatching the original series, I see clearly that he’s been the bad guy from the start. And I think that’s such a brilliant idea.

Brittany Allen and Eli Sherman in Dexter Original Sin.

Not quite as cool, but still impressive was the serial killer advice scene in this episode. Dexter, struggling with where to hide his dead bodies, researches how other serial killers have done so. We see him talk to Ed Gein, David Berkowitz and John Wayne Gacy. This scene brought the absurdity of the series to the forefront. Our main character admires these men. These monsters did horrific things. And we still, somehow, against all decency, like him.

Let me also just say that Scott Reynolds who played Gacy did a fantastic job. The body language and line delivery were just so creepy. For someone who wasn’t on screen for more than a few minutes, he knew how to make a killer impression.

Finally, I want to applaud the twist in this episode. But, as always, I want to do so without giving it away! I will only say that there is a large reveal regarding the person who killed the judge’s son and abducted Nicky. And, I have to say, I didn’t see it coming. It was amazing and raised so many questions. Questions I cannot wait to have answers for.

Honestly, everything in this episode worked. It was well-written, well-acted, and well worth my time. My only complaint right now is that there are only three episodes left.

Of course, it’s usually the last episode of a Dexter show that ruins the whole thing. Let’s see if they can avoid that this time.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Movies n TV

Goosebumps The Vanishing, Back on Track With The Haunted Car

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After the last episode of Goosebumps, I was concerned. I wasn’t sure where the season was going, and I worried I wouldn’t like it.

Wayne Lopez, David Schwimmer,  and Ana Ortiz in Goosebumps The Vanishing.

Thankfully, this episode got the story and my interest back on track.

For the most part.

The story

We begin our story with a flashback from Alex, finally finding out why she was sent to Juvie. She was at a party that resulted in a house fire, through no fault of her own. Rather than helping her, Alex’s mom Jen simply assumes she set the fire and refuses to help her. So, you know, ACAB.

When Alex gets back, she wants to clear her name. So she decides to find Murph, the person who actually set the fire. To do this, she needs a car. So she decides to borrow Trey’s car.

Jayden Bartels and Francesca Noel in Goosebumps The Vanishing.

You know, the car that is currently infected by the homicidal sewer spores.

What worked

One thing I’ve enjoyed about this season so far is that no one’s really at fault here. Yes, some of them are doing dumb things. I wouldn’t consider Trey breaking into Anthony’s basement and wrecking stuff to be a great decision. But I can also see how he got there, and why he was pushed to that. I love how we have the opportunity to see the motivations of almost every character.

I also enjoyed how Alex’s character is being filled out. She is compassionate, funny and brave. I think she’s going to end up being my favorite character this season.

On that note, a lot of this episode revolved around Alex and her mother. This was important, as we needed to round out the cast. However, I appreciated that we got that focus while still moving the storyline along for the characters we already have established. It’s sometimes hard to strike that balance when we’re not telling a story in a linear fashion. But I think they pulled it off.

What didn’t work

As much as I love the Alex/Cece relationship, I don’t love how Cece is being portrayed.

Maybe I just don’t like Cece.

She is too perfect. She is too charming. Everyone likes her. And several times in this episode she batted her pretty eyes, tossed her blond hair, and got people to do things for her. While I am amused that Alex weaponized this, it’s also irritating. I’d like to see less pretty privilege.

Finally, in this episode, we saw this demonic or haunted spore (or whatever it is) transition from a car to, of all things, a cup of coffee.

What even is this thing? What are the dimensions? What are the rules? What the hell is it doing?

Suspension of disbelief can only take us so far. We have to have a set of rules for the world for us to buy into it. I can buy a sentient spore. I cannot buy it jumping from living creature to car to coffee cup.

Do better.

Even so, this was a really fun episode. I’m enjoying the story so far, and I’m interested to see how long it takes everyone to get the parts of their story together so they can see the whole picture.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

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