Horror Movie Review: Evil Little Things (2020)

Zach Galligan (Gremlins) won’t be getting much sleep this May when Evil Little Things hit town!

Not my words, but the words used to advertise Evil Little Things. An anthology horror from director Matt Green, and starring Hannah Fierman, Courtney Lakin, Piper Collins and Jonathan Horne.

The reason why I have highlighted the advertising line is because it’s false. Zach Galligan is in this movie but for around 5 minutes tops. At the start and at the end, he has a handful of lines and has almost no impact on the story. It could have been anyone, so if you’re going into Evil Little Things because you saw his name attached, be prepared to be disappointed.

That aside, Evil Little Things is a good anthology horror with three stories that surround toy dolls. One of which is also the wrap-around plot too.

It’s this that opens the movie, where Zach Galligan and L.A. Winters are trying to have a relaxing night in while her son sleeps upstairs. As step-father to the boy, Galligan has little love for him so when he screams having had a nightmare, the boy gets the brunt of his anger.

His mother manages to intervene and the next day takes him to a mysterious toy shop to buy something to make him feel better. Inside they meet The Dollmaker who tells the lad a story about certain dolls.

The first surrounds a burnt Leprechaun doll that has some deep-seeded revenge plans for a family. A slow burn of a story, it’s fairly standard stuff for an evil doll. However, it’s made more enjoyable thanks to the ‘Irish’ twist and some amusing moments of possession.

Cleverly, the notion of the doll being alive is left ambiguous for most of its runtime and when the reveal does happen, it’s handled really well. Thanks to strong performances and some good-looking visuals.

The second story lacks quality in visual effects (one head-turning scene is downright awful) but makes up for it with a brilliant story and really likeable main character.

Katelin is a fragile young woman, ashamed of the scar on her face that she got from a house fire years previously. Alone, she has taken to collecting dolls and having them as her friends. One in particular is different, as it talks to Katelin. Jealous, the doll regularly trashes Katelin’s other friends insisting she is all she needs.

When Katelin meets an old flame and they begin to rekindle their relationship, the doll becomes more and more psychotic.

A stellar performance from Piper Collins is what makes this story so great. She nails the fragile innocence of her character and you’ll desperately wish for a happy ending. On the flip side of that, the evil doll is actually quite creepy. Damaged in the aforementioned fire, its creepy voice and choice of words make it seem way too smart and way too ancient to be anything but demonic.

This story alone makes Evil Little Things worth watching. Although the last one, picking back up with the boy and his mother is pretty good too. Simply because it has a certain delicious evil to it. The villain of the piece, Zach Galligan’s stepdad getting his comeuppance at the hands of a clown doll.

There’s not much original about Evil Little Things and they really shouldn’t be putting Zach Galligan front and centre in the ads. However, it’s a good anthology, one that doesn’t overstay its welcome and has one story in particular that is brilliant.