There is something about childhood playthings that awaken a feeling of unease even in the bravest of people. Dolls are no exception to that rule, it’s arguable to say that they are in fact, the standard. Jason Vandygriff and his iPhone XS Max have managed to play on that universal fear in a big way in a small amount of time. The Doll is an excellent example of what a filmmaker can do with today’s technologies and a little creativity. You don’t have to be Spielberg or Tarantino to make a good film. You just have to love making movies and get a little creative with what you have access to. I’ve seen big box office movies fail and zero budget films succeed. This film is a success.

A man mysteriously goes missing, and after finding an old doll in the attic of his new home, James is slowly stalked by this malevolent being. The short does a wonderful job of increasing anticipation through a “slow burn” style of horror and really plays off of that universal fear of dolls (pediophobia) to evoke a feeling of fear and entertainment all rolled into one.

The absolute best thing about this film is the cinematography. You almost wouldn’t believe this short was filmed on an iPhone. Vandygriff makes excellent shot choices that enhance the scenes and evoke the right tone for each scene. My personal favorite shot is when James hears footsteps in his attic. The camera runs across the ceiling and you can imagine the doll running just above you. When the running stops, the framing creates anxiety and tension.

Special recognition should be given to Erika Janssen and her prop work on The Doll. The doll itself looks creepy and unsettling. It looks exactly like something I would find in my house and either immediately throw in a dumpster two counties over, burn the house down, or move to an uninhabited wilderness to start my new life as a feral nomad.

I am not the only one that feels this way. This short won “Best Director” at the San Antonio Horrific Film Fest 2019 and “People’s Choice” at the Stephenville FrightFest 2019. It was listed as an official selection for Reels of the Dead 2019. So for Vandygriff’s debut directorial debut, I would say that is an excellent start. I am sure as improvements are continuously made to production in the future, we can expect promising cinematic works from this budding filmmaker.

Along with an iPhone XS Max, Vandygriff shot the film on the Filmic Pro app, and was a one-man crew for post-production. According to Vandygriff, “It started as an experiment to see if making a horror film with interesting visuals was even possible by himself and with no budget”. And a successful experiment it was indeed.

Want to know what the fuss is all about? Be a doll and watch the video below. You’ll be glad you did!