‘Dolly’ Channels Gritty Genre Roots For UK Big Screen Release

Independent horror feature Dolly is set to arrive in UK cinemas on 6 March, bringing a deliberately raw aesthetic and unsettling premise to the big screen following a successful international festival run. Directed by Rod Blackhurst, the film opens theatrically via Independent Film Company and Shudder, positioning itself firmly within the tradition of stripped-back, character-driven horror.

Shot on 16mm film, Dolly centres on Macy, a young woman whose engagement weekend takes a violent turn when she is abducted by a grotesque figure obsessed with creating a perfect family. What begins as an apparent kidnapping escalates into a prolonged fight for survival, with Macy forced to confront both physical danger and the warped domestic fantasy imposed upon her captor. The film draws stylistic influence from gritty 1970s American horror and the confrontational edge of New French Extremity, blending those reference points into a claustrophobic, deliberately abrasive experience.

Fabianne Therese leads the cast as Macy, supported by Seann William Scott, Ethan Suplee and professional wrestler Max the Impaler. Scott’s involvement marks another step in his recent run of darker material, while Suplee continues a career-long pattern of moving between mainstream and independent projects. Max the Impaler brings an imposing physical presence to the film, underscoring its reliance on practical effects and in-camera brutality rather than digital enhancement.

Blackhurst directs from a screenplay co-written with Brandon Weavil, expanding on ideas first explored in their 2022 short Babygirl. The feature-length version builds out the mythology hinted at in the short, while maintaining a tight focus on Macy’s ordeal. The director’s background includes documentary work such as Amanda Knox and genre titles like Here Alone, which won the Tribeca Audience Award, and that experience informs Dolly’s grounded visual approach.

The film has already screened at major genre and international festivals including Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Sitges, FrightFest and Telluride Horror Show, helping to establish early awareness ahead of its theatrical release. Following that response, a prequel exploring the origins of the titular character is already in development, indicating plans to expand the story beyond a single instalment.

Dolly arrives in UK cinemas as a throwback to harsher modes of horror filmmaking, shaped by modern independent sensibilities. Check out the trailer below.

Dolly trailer