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Playing with Dolls
Playing with Dolls
	Official release poster
Directed by	Rene Perez
Written by	Barry Massoni; Rene Perez;
Produced by	Billy La Traille; David A. Lockhart; iDiC Entertainment;
Starring	Natasha Blasick; Richard Tyson; Charlie Glackin; Alanna Forte; David A. Lockhart;
Cinematography	Rene Perez
Edited by	Rene Perez
Music by	The Darkest Machines
Distributed by	Edel Media & Entertainment; Trans World Associates;
Release date	6 March 2015 (Germany);
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Playing with Dolls is a 2015 American slasher film directed by Rene Perez, co-written by Perez and Barry Massoni. It starred Natasha Blasick, Richard Tyson, Charlie Glackin, Alanna Forte, David A. Lockhart.^[1]

Plot

Cindy Tremaine is penniless after her roommate has moved out unexpectedly and with her last employer refusing to pay her. At the same time, her landlord is pressuring her to have sex for free rent. She then receives a callback from a job interview where the company offers her a position that pays a great deal of money. They provide her with a vehicle and directions to a remote cabin where she is to tend and clean for a wealthy client who is away in Denmark. As Cindy settles into the cabin, what she does not know is that a hulking masked killer has been loosed in the area and is stalking her, while every move is being observed by hidden cameras.

Controversies

After an unsuccessful run under its original title, in 2017, Lightning Pictures released the DVD in the united Kingdom under the title Leatherface: The Legend Lives On. The new title was criticized as a fraudulent attempt to confuse viewers into thinking that the film was Leatherface, the eighth installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, also released in 2017.^[2]

Perez released a statement to the Dread Central site:

"I am apposed [sic] to this title change but I am powerless to stop it. I made no money from this sale. The sales agency didn’t even inform me that a sale was made to the UK. I was unaware until I saw this article. At the moment I am making a 3rd Playing with Dolls movie. I will be self releasing the new Playing with Dolls online to avoid any issues like this in the future. Apologies to my fellow horror fans for this title change."^[3]

Also known as

(original title) Playing with Dolls
UK (reissue title) Leatherface: The Legend Lives On
USA (alternative title) Metalface

Cast

Natasha Blasick as Cindy
Richard Tyson as The Watcher / Scopophilio
Charlie Glackin as Prisoner AYO-886 / the Killer
Alanna Forte as Victim Number 1
David A. Lockhart as Burnett
Allisun Sturges as the Lawyer

Sequels

A sequel, titled Playing with Dolls: Bloodlust, was released in Germany on January 21, 2016.^[4]

A third movie titled Playing with Dolls: Havoc was released on July 18, 2017.^[5]

A fourth movie, titled Cry Havoc, was released on May 5, 2020.

Reception

Corey Danna of Horrornews.net rate the film ½ out of 5 and wrote: If you’re expecting a non-stop slaughter fest you will be let down. If you have the patience, you may find the cat and mouse shenanigans a frightening prospect. If a sequel does happen, Perez will need to pick up the pace, it works for this one film, next time he will have to take it to the next level.^[6]

Travis Lytle from Letterboxd gave the film 2 stars and he wrote: Strangely entertaining despite its best efforts otherwise, "Playing with Dolls" (also known as the on-the-nose "Metalface") is a bottom-wrung horror film filled with misplaced action beats, tinny production values, and questionable performances. Finding a down-on-her-luck protagonist taking a caretaking job at a distant estate, the film follows as she is stalked by a masked murderer and recorded by a series of cameras placed around the property. A policeman on the scene mucks up the horror by adding a winky tone and the aforementioned action threads, but it is these additions that salvage the threadbare production and stunted story from being utter garbage. Instead, it all lands as semi-utter garbage.^[7]