The expressionless stare could fool anyone. Its dimensions are close but not quite right. This hollow grin. Although dolls are primarily intended as children’s playthings, it cannot be denied that there is something unsettling about them.
The theme has been used in several successful horror film franchises (hello, “Child’s Play” and “Annabelle”), and it looks like it’s getting an upgrade with the release of Universal Studios’ “M3GAN,” a new thriller that has already spawned a plethora of memes after the debut of its first trailer and has even started a Twitter war between doll-sized titan of terror Chucky and terrifying new arrival Megan.
The expressionless stare that is otherwise so realistic. We were almost there with the proportions, but not quite. The hollow grin.
Dolls are intended solely as children’s toys, but the fact remains that they are eerily lifelike in many ways.
With the debut of Universal Studios’ “M3GAN,” a new thriller that has already spawned memes galore following the publication of its first teaser, the theme appears ready for an upgrade after being used in more than one blockbuster horror movie franchise (hello, “Child’s Play” and “Annabelle“).
In the film, Williams adds that Johnstone’s goal was to transform Megan, an abbreviation for “Model 3 generative android,” into something more than just a frightening lifeless doll.
The finished product in the teaser is more than unsettling especially when she runs on all fours like a dog or dances gracefully in a hallway before using an office tool to wreak bloody havoc, but he couldn’t speak directly about how his titular character was created because two actresses share the credit for bringing the character to life on screen, including one for her voice. You can also read about these creepy horror movies if you like.
The novelty of producing “something that people hadn’t seen before, making something that just went further into the uncanny valley,” as Johnstone put it, was part of the motivation for designing the doll.
Serious Consequences of Acting “Childishly”
Based on Sigmund Freud’s idea of the uncanny, which defines the psychological experience of recognizing and reacting to a kind of familiarity that has been subtly altered, a school of thought has developed in Japan that explains why this can be so unpleasant or even terrifying.
When something appears real but isn’t entirely real, it causes immediate unease because of the disconnect between appearance and reality. And the more lifelike the doll, the greater the impact… It’s probably only that the proportions are close enough to be satisfying.
we’re calling it early#M3GAN pic.twitter.com/QHL57useix
— FANGORIA (@FANGORIA) October 14, 2022
Johnstone said this of the ominous figure at the story’s center: “sometimes you have to look twice at her to realize it’s actually a doll. That’s what got me going, anyway. If we could take this to the limit, we might have something unique, so we did.
Creepy Dolls vs. Killer Robots
When something appears real but isn’t entirely real, it causes immediate unease because of the disconnect between appearance and reality. And the more lifelike the doll, the greater the impact… It’s probably only that the proportions are close enough to be satisfying.
To be honest, I don’t know nearly enough about what motivates people to behave in that way in a theatre audience. We’re only guessing, but we think it would make for an interesting movie plot point if they do.
Johnstone said this of the ominous figure at the story’s center: “sometimes you have to look twice at her to realize it’s actually a doll. That’s what got me going, anyway. If we could take this to the limit, we might have something unique, so we did.
Like Pennywise the Clown, real terror can be mined by turning an innocent object like a toy into something sinister.
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