Dolly review on Shudder

FilmNewsWeb added a new review of *Dolly* this week as Shudder prepares the horror film for its streaming debut on Friday, April 24. (rogerebert.com) *Dolly* is directed by Rod Blackhurst and follows Macy, played by Fabianne Therese, after a monster-like captor abducts her and tries to raise her as a child. Shudder and Independent Film Company acquired rights for North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in November 2025. (variety.com) The film opened in U.S. theaters on March 6, 2026, runs 82 to 83 minutes, and was shot on 16mm to give it a grainy 1970s exploitation look. Reviewers have repeatedly tied it to *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre* and other backwoods slashers. (rogerebert.com) (loudandclearreviews.com) That context helps explain the review line FilmNewsWeb appears to be joining: recent notices have focused less on plot twists than on whether Blackhurst’s style can support a feature-length story. RogerEbert.com said the film “can’t quite deliver,” while Loud And Clear Reviews said the maternal theme never fully lands. (rogerebert.com) (loudandclearreviews.com) The split is visible in the broader review pool. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes critics as praising the film’s gore and grimy energy while also flagging predictability and thin story construction. (rottentomatoes.com) Several reviews single out the same pressure points that FilmNewsWeb reportedly emphasizes: character work, pacing and editing. RogerEbert.com pointed to “increasingly foolish and unrealistic decisions” by Macy, and Loud And Clear Reviews said the early relationship scenes feel like setup the film never fully cashes in. (rogerebert.com) (loudandclearreviews.com) At the same time, critics who responded more favorably have tended to focus on the physicality of the villain, the practical gore effects and the grindhouse presentation. Rotten Tomatoes’ review roundup describes the movie as a “brutal celebration” for extreme-horror fans even as other critics on the same page call it sloppy or story-light. (rottentomatoes.com) The movie also arrives during a crowded Shudder stretch. April listings for the service’s “Halfway to Halloween” programming include *Dolly* among the month’s featured originals and exclusives, placing it inside a larger push of new horror titles rather than as a standalone event. (whentostream.com) (vitalthrills.com) So the new FilmNewsWeb review lands in a familiar lane: *Dolly* is being discussed as a current Shudder release with a strong visual hook, a divisive execution and a place in the wider spring horror churn. By Friday’s streaming launch, the question is less what the film is than which side of that divide viewers join. (rottentomatoes.com) (surgeonsofhorror.com)