Pin - 1988

 What is the terminology for this type of thing where it is “take the known entity and subvert in either a horror or sexual way and capitalize on that“?

Pin is added to the list of a time when I am looking for horror, versions of movies, and I watch things like Neil Jordan‘s werewolf movie, Brotherhood of the Wolf, the horror version of Red Riding Hood. Some of these I add because they’re so bad they’re good. Some of these I’m genuinely interested in what is the horror version. There is multiple evil Pinocchio movies some of which I’ve even reviewed on this.

Coming out the same year as Child’s Play, there’s an immediate comparison, especially because I watched Play recently with my girlfriend. There is a world in which this was the more successful evil doll movie and this has perhaps a sequel to instead. That’s a world I want to live in. I love Child’s Play, but I really liked Pin a lot and it’s because of the minimalism which it has a stark contrast to the maximalism of Child’s Play. 

David Hewlett stars in the “is the doll alive or is it all imagined“ plotted film where, with no blood and practically rated G, you have a tense who done it thriller that delivers. I don’t know what to say man, I’m kind of blown away by how good it was.

What makes it interesting is multi layered. It’s the lack of explanation as we have Terry O’Quinn, as a doctor with an anatomical ventriloquist dummy that he uses in his lab. He terrorizes his kids with it, and eventually after dying in a car accident, the kids are still attached to the doll, especially Liam, the boy. Pin is given more and more importance and Liam is now possibly voicing Pin, or Pin is alive, or both, and we go from there as that influences his relationship with his sister. 

There’s a lot going on here and there’s a lot of hints towards things at multiple times but all you really need to know is that it’s an excuse for who done it thriller type stuff and cool creepy scenes with dummies. Any fan of ventriloquist base horror would be overjoyed. I’d say slightly under explored trope for me, so it’s one that I enjoy seeing here and there, and this is a great example of it so I’m gonna give it like a 3 1/2. I keep wanting to go towards four, even.