Unable to father a child of his own, Erich Streator (Telly Savalas) resents his stepdaughter Christie (Tracy Stratford), acting angrily whenever his wife Annabelle (Mary LaRoche) spends money on the girl. The latest gift to upset Erich is a doll named Talky Tina, a plastic playmate for Christie that Erich perceives to be the surrogate sister that he cannot give her. His surly attitude towards his stepdaughter causes Talky Tina, clearly a resident of The Twilight Zone, to react: 'My name is Talky Tina', says the doll, 'And I'm going to kill you!'.
Dolls, especially scary ones, have been a staple of The Twilight Zone since the beginning, whether they be mannequins, ventriloquist dummies, or just plain old toys. Living Doll is routine stuff: we know very well that Erich is going to die before the end credits roll, it's just 'how' that is the mystery. After plenty of predictable creepiness, Talky Tina making threats and somehow escaping from the trash after an unsuccessful attempt by Erich to decapitate the doll, the inevitable happens: Erich buys the farm. The way he dies, however is unexpected: Tina doesn't get stabby with a carving knife, a la Chucky... she has a far more subtle method for getting rid of undesirables.
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
Dolls, especially scary ones, have been a staple of The Twilight Zone since the beginning, whether they be mannequins, ventriloquist dummies, or just plain old toys. Living Doll is routine stuff: we know very well that Erich is going to die before the end credits roll, it's just 'how' that is the mystery. After plenty of predictable creepiness, Talky Tina making threats and somehow escaping from the trash after an unsuccessful attempt by Erich to decapitate the doll, the inevitable happens: Erich buys the farm. The way he dies, however is unexpected: Tina doesn't get stabby with a carving knife, a la Chucky... she has a far more subtle method for getting rid of undesirables.
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.