Dripping with Lynchian style, The Dollmaker (Encantador; Argentina, 2025) is part charming, funny, decidedly weird and enjoyably bloody. Things are not all they seem to be in a cheerfully idyllic town that soon becomes a hotbed of female kidnappings. No one seems to care much about the missing women including nerdy video store clerk and amateur dollmaker Tomás (Rodrigo Noya.) But when a new inspector comes to town determined to find the solve the disappearance, Tomás soon becomes the unlikely prime suspect. A horror film which becomes increasingly dark, and gruesome, and unpredictable.
Cinephobia Releasingis proud to announce the North American release of directorJose Maria Cicala‘s(Shadow of the Cat, Sola) latest featureThe Dollmakeron VOD, digital onAugust 25.
”The Dollmakeris creepy, bloody and surreal…and I loved every minute of it”, said Ray Murray, President of Cinephobia Releasing. “Cinephobia Releasing is excited to bring this original film to the art and genre audiences.”
An unnerving combination of the weird and macabre,The Dollmakertakes place in a quiet village and follows a charming young man, who leads a simple life: caring for his mother, working at the video store and collecting dolls. As women start disappearing, newly arrived Inspector Porter investigates, and focusing on the Dollmaker as his prime suspect.
The DollmakerstarsRodrigo Noya,Alejo Garcia Pintos,Arturo Puig,Griselda Sanchez,Mario Alarcon,Alejandra Baldoni,Guillermo Zapata,Eduardo Calvo,Santiago Dominguez, andSilvia Petri. Written byJose Maria CicalaandGriselda Sanchez, the film was produced byAbril CicalawithShock House Filmsserving as the production company.
The Dollmaker received its US premiere at Screamfest in Los Angeles where Rodrigo Noya won the award for Best Actor.