There’s really nothing else quite like 1999’s Blood Dolls. Sure, Charles Band has played in this sandbox plenty of times before with killer puppets, bizarre billionaires, and freak-show oddities. Still, this one feels like he grabbed all of those ideas, cranked the absurdity to eleven, and decided to see just how far he could go. The result is a strange, trashy, and insanely entertaining little piece of late-’90s Full Moon weirdness.
At the center of it all is Virgil Travis (Kristopher Logan), a grotesquely deformed billionaire who hides his twisted face behind an even stranger mask. He surrounds himself with a caged all-girl rock band, a cadre of henchmen, and a trio of pint-sized assassins known as the Blood Dolls. Together, they make life miserable for his enemies in the most absurd, mean-spirited ways imaginable.
The dolls themselves are a highlight; they’re cheap but effective creations with enough personality to carry their scenes. They’re nasty, mean-spirited, and deliver the kind of sadistic foreplay Full Moon fans show up for.
Virgil, played with gleeful excess by Kristopher Logan, is one of Band’s most bizarre bad guys, a mix of Bond supervillain, circus ringmaster, and cartoon mad scientist. He’s so over-the-top it almost feels like parody, but somehow it works in the warped universe this film builds. It’s also great to see other genre faves appear, like Phil Fondacaro and Nicholas Worth.
The soundtrack leans into campy hard rock, and I love it. The caged girl-band concept might be exploitative to some, but it’s also pure midnight movie energy with its trashy, absurd, and strangely catchy tunes.
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The video quality is on par with many of their current reissues, which isn’t great, but still the best it has ever looked. There’s a handful of bonus features included on the disc, like the original trailer, a collection of Full Moon trailers, bloopers, a Videozone episode, “Hollyweird” promo, and more.
Blood Dolls is a true oddity, and that’s what makes it fun. Full Moon in the late ’90s wasn’t trying to compete with Hollywood anymore; they were building their own bizarre, off-kilter empire of VHS fever dreams. This film is a perfect snapshot of that era. If you’re a fan of the label and embrace its eccentricities, Blood Dolls will feel like a hidden treasure.
If you’re new to Full Moon, it may not be the best place to start. However, if you’re ready for something gleefully twisted, low-rent, and totally unique, it’s worth pulling off the shelf.
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