PopHorror Let's Get Scared
PopHorror is beyond thrilled to not only review Dolly (2025), but to also sit down for an exclusive interview with the film’s visionary writer and director, Rod Blackhurst! In this exciting conversation, Blackhurst dives into the creative journey that brought Dolly to life, sharing behind-the-scenes insights and the passion that fueled this unforgettable film.
PH: What provided the inspiration for your short film Babygirl (2022) that pathed the way to Dolly (2025)? How was the process from taking that short to a feature film?
RB: The truth is that Babygirl (2022) is a proof of concept for the movie, right? And the movie was originally called Babygirl before Nicole Kidman and A24 stole that title. No, I’m just kidding. They have every right to that title. Everyone can have the same titles, but I think Dolly fits the movie far better. But you know, you make a proof of concept with no money with some friends in the woods where you’re playing, you know, approximations, or you’re making like a representation of what you hope the movie to be so that you can show to people what you want to accomplish with a movie. It’s the way to bring something that’s in my head to life so that other people can see what you’re imagining. I have done this several times and it seems to help. We developed a movie called Night Swim that eventually came together that way. It is because there was a tangible real thing that somebody can look at and go right-there’s capability, thoughtfulness, and intentionality here. That’s where Dolly (2025) began.
PH: Yes, even with it being a short it was intriguing to watch. I can see elements you developed into Dolly (2025).
RB: So we had written the film already in 2021 and by the end of the year we were like, oh shit, how do we make this? You can see it in the short the elements of what happens in the larger movie. You know the characters and relationships, like the male partner and the female protagonist. You can see all those things in the short. All we were trying to do is what can we make in a day in our friend’s woods in south Nashville.
Babygirl (2022):
PH: Dolly (2025) has such a strong 1970s American horror vibe. How did the horror classics from that era influence your artistic vision for the film?
RB: Well when you grew up in a town with no traffic lights then you end up watching films that you probably shouldn’t at a very young age and they end up leaving a mark. You know, like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), Tourist Trap (1979), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and all of these things ultimately for me as a creative and a storyteller are products of these references. They just kind of worm their way into your DNA and the choices you’re making. I will say that the grindhouse vibe kind of came alive through collaboration. I think on the page it was far more like nihilistic and brutal, but it became this fairy tale. I mean, even the way that the film is structured was something that we discovered later, because the thing you’re making often tells you what it is.
You can say, “I want to do this,” but you might be forcing a round peg into a square hole. But in this case, I always believe as a filmmaker, I will listen to the work I am creating. It will tell you what you need to do with it and that’s terrifying to do when you’re starting out. Overtime you realize that’s the right approach. Understanding what it is like is crazy, it’s like Frankenstein, right? You will listen to the beast or the creature that you’re bringing into this world. It will help you out and if you listen and look.
PH: Prequels and origin stories are a big trend in horror right now. Is that a direction you see Dolly(2025) taking?
RB: First of all, everyone who watches it should sit through the whole credits, maybe for some interesting tidbits.
PH: Oh, I didn’t know there was any after credits. I apologize.
RB: It’s okay, but I will also say this, everything I’ve tried to do as a filmmaker, and as an entrepreneur is with that in mind, right? Which is to say I don’t have any time or money and I’ve had to produce all my movies. Because of this they are all thoughtful and intentional with the narrative and character origins. With Dolly (2025) we’ll start manageable. I don’t come from money. I don’t have money. So what’s the most amount of money I can raise and what’s the most we can do for that money, but with respect to all of our creative ambitions. I think with Dolly (2025), what I’m very proud about is that the film has all these breadcrumbs that are there for people to pick up on.
As the movie unfolds you see the relationships, family dynamics, and mythology that might exist, but you don’t get any answers. This allows for someday to pick that up and run forward with it again. You just have to start somewhere reasonable with an independent film.
PH: Dolly (2025) has been making the rounds on the festival circuit, and now that review embargoes have lifted, reactions are starting to surface online. What kind of feedback have you been seeing so far, and how are you feeling about the response?
RB: I try to read everything. I truly do. It is interesting. This film is deeply personal and it is stressful to send something out into the world because it’s no longer yours. The number one criticism I’ve seen and it is fair is that people want more. They want to know so much more.
PH: Dolly (2025) features mainstream talent in Seann William Scott and Ethan Suplee, both of whom delivered standout performances. Seann takes on some of the film’s most brutal and gore-heavy moments, while Ethan steps into a darker role that’s quite different from what audiences are used to seeing from him. As the director, how did you approach guiding Seann through those intense, graphic scenes, and how did you work with Ethan to shape this more sinister character?
RB: Well Ethan and Shawn are both friends and they do something I can’t direct that. We can talk about Ethan’s character, for example, his character has a complicated backstory and mythology that’s hinted in the opening with the nursery rhyme. You then learn about his character in the moments where he shines relative to our protagonist, antagonist, and this house with everything that’s going on, but I can’t tell someone to do that. Those were the choices he’s making, and in fact, he told me I haven’t been able to figure it out. I haven’t asked for the specificity. There’s like, you know, there’s a moment there where he goes, “I’m channeling something that I’ve seen in a movie. Can you name it?” Somebody or something, and I can’t, I wondered if it’s Jack Torrance from The Shining (1980), but he’s never actually answered my question. I don’t know where that is.
PH: You see what I’m talking about, too. That natural glimmer and kindness that is in his eyes is completely gone. It was disturbing.
RB: It is twisted! I can’t do that. We can talk about the reasons why this character is the way they are and why they’re behaving this way. Everything else he is bringing into it. Those are his choices. He makes it happen. That’s why he’s an actor and I am not. I can’t take credit for it, because that’s his work. It makes me look good in those moments, but I can’t say to him to dim the light in your eyes.
PH: My final question is ‘What’s your favorite scary movie?’
RB: Oh my gosh! Favorite is a stressful word, but The Shining (1980). It really still messes with me. Yeah, it’s The Shining (1980)!
Dolly (2025) hits theaters on March 6, 2026. Go check it out and let us know what you think!
