M3gan keeps the ‘devil doll’ legacy alive

Chucky, Annabelle, and now M3gan, there must be something appealing about dolls and horror that it becomes a source of inspiration for writers, directors and so much more in creative circles.This fascination then carries over to audiences, who can’t seem to get enough of these ‘devil dolls’. It could be that the idea of a toy, or a doll, which is supposed to provide comfort and is a symbol of childhood innocence, being turned on its head and becoming the personification of evil, and even going on killing sprees is what creatives and audiences find so appealing, in a weird and twisted way. Hey, that’s horror for you. 

But whatever the reason for this love-to-be-scared relationship is with these devil dolls, it certainly resonates with the box office as well. In the US, ‘M3gan opened to a $30 million weekend, which is unusual for the first few weeks of January. This further cements that audiences see horror films as something that should be enjoyed in the cinema.

Much of M3gan’s success also comes from its brilliant marketing, which can be attributed to the folks over at Universal Pictures, who targeted the TikTok adept GenZ’s, the film is rated R13 after all. Video clips of Blumhouse’s creepy doll have been going viral on TikTok, with a number of dancers/actresses dressed up as M3gan, spreading terror all over New York.

With a viral presence on social media, promising box office returns, and yes even positive reviews from critics and audiences, it isn’t hard to see that M3gan is the new box office darling. There are even news of a sequel already in early development.

A bit of camp, and there are some hilariously ridiculous scenes along the way. The film also serves as a cautionary tale and surprisingly offers parents advice on how we (yes, because I am a parent) tend to seek the ‘perfect toy’ to keep our children occupied, when in fact, what our children need is us spending time with them.  

I expected M3gan to be more violent, to have more gruesome deaths but with its PG-13 rating, it wasn’t as violent as I thought it would be, and from the messages I am getting on my inbox there are young teens who want to watch this, and I think they’ll have fun with M3gan. 

Funny and yes, even ridiculous at times, and with just the right amount of violence to keep its promise from trailers, M3gan keeps the ‘devil doll’ legacy alive.