Jeffrey Dollmer (2026) by Mark Savage

Director: Mark Savage

Year: 2026

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Killer Doll

Plot:

Forced to do a photoshoot, a group of models heads out to a remote shoot in the wilderness with an eccentric director looking for a specific aesthetic for his shoot, but as they continue the assignment, they realize that a doll possessed by the spirit of Jeffrey Dahmer has started killing them one by one.

Review:

For the most part, this was a better-than-expected, if still slightly flawed genre effort. Among the better features here is the immensely likable storyline that accounts for how the doll possessed by the spirit of a deranged cannibal serial killer ends up at the photoshoot for a jean photoshoot in the woods. The early parts, bringing the doll back to life and getting it caught up in the attention of one of the models, make this start well enough and allow the usual series of moments where the group is blissfully unaware that anything out of the ordinary is happening or that they're being spied on by the doll to take place here, as this manages to provide a solid enough explanation for what's going on with the shoot. Trying to make sense of the various disappearances happening around the staff and crew while also taking care of the concurrent police investigation that tracks down the killer doll is a solid enough setup that makes for a solid enough time here.

From there, the series of stalking scenes and interactions that take place here feature the doll going around the woods trying to knock off the crew and models on the shoot. There are some decent attempts at keeping it in the background while the models try to flirt and hook up with everyone else, watching and admiring everyone to the point of growing sexually attracted to them and openly groping himself due to the sexual nature of the shoots around him, before getting to the series of impressive stalking scenes later on. From chasing one through the woods while the rest of the crew is oblivious to the chase, a great scene in the cabins involving one of the victims believing it's someone else before the doll appears, and the frantic finale where the trapped survivors are barricading a special bar against the doll, which leads to some solid action and some decent enough bits of gore here in the kills that provide the film with a lot to like.

There are some issues here that bring it down. One of the main drawbacks present with this one is the outrageous sense of coincidences that have to take place for the story to make sense, as this is fine in small doses but goes on some wild tangents merely to make the events come together. The change in setup for the real-life character that places him as the centerpiece for the film is a bit much to take, especially when the series of connections are revealed that bring him front and center in the case of the missing doll. That makes the interactions with the doll running around feel immensely disappointing, trying to make the whole group unaware of the doll going around when it's plainly obvious he is, and trying to ignore him to make everything work as it does. As well, some of the humor here tends to be quite hit or miss when trying to paint everything as being because of his sexual orientation more than anything and doesn’t always land, creating the flaws here that keep this one down.

Overview: ***/5

A likably cheesy, if flawed, genre effort, this is an immensely fun genre effort that keeps going well enough that everything here keeps it up against the few flaws on display that hold it back. Those with an appreciation for this kind of genre fare, or who are fine with the issues present, will have the most to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.