‘He’ll crack you up.’
The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is a 2021 British horror film about an old doll that seemingly returns to life to wreak havoc and death. Concerned by their mother Wendy’s memory problems, diagnosed as early-stage dementia, Liz and her younger sister Hazel take her back to the country home where she raised them.
Written, produced and directed by Scott Jeffrey [real name: Scott Chambers] (Spider in the Attic; The Mutation; Bad Nun: Deadly Vows; Don’t Speak; Cupid; ClownDoll and many, many more).
A sequel, The Curse of Humpty Dumpty 2, was released in 2022 although the plot is unrelated and the killer doll is man-sized. A further sequel, The Madness of Humpty Dumpty, followed in 2024.
The movie stars Nicola Wright (Dragon Fury; Amityville Scarecrow; Cupid; Don’t Speak), Sian Altman (Alien Abduction; Crocodile Vengeance; The Offering), Antonia Whillans, Richard Harfst (The Ghosts of Borley Rectory; The Candy Witch; Rise of the Mummy), Kate Milner Evans, Danielle Scott, Chris Cordell (Spider in the Attic), Antonia Johnstone and Kate Sandison.
Our review:
The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is a definite improvement on many other Scott Jeffrey productions. It has decent performances from most of the cast, especially Nicola Wright, and a decidedly creepy doll. The theme of dementia is explored in a way that most horror movies just skate over making for a very downbeat yet more considered viewing experience.
The film’s low-budget shows here and there – an antique shop is unconvincingly rendered and Antonia Johnstone’s police officer seems to have no accoutrements and a half-baked uniform – but there are signs that with a little more time and care, Jeffrey’s no-frills fare could be quite good rather than just merely ok or often piss poor. The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is worth a watch if doll horror is your thing.
Ade Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“There was a lot of potential here to become something fun, emotional and claustrophobic, but instead it was just… a lot of talking and bitching. At least the flashback scenes helped some. Maybe director Scott Jeffrey wanted to rely on real feelings instead of an onslaught of murder and mayhem. Maybe the “deep routed horror” genre just isn’t for me.” Horror Society
“To its credit, Curse of Humpty Dumpty produces a malevolent-looking doll, which looks particularly evil once it starts advancing on people with its mouthful of razor-sharp teeth open. The main problem is that, aside from one or two deaths, the film never ends up doing much. The problem is also the screenplay’s conceptual point-of-view that seems to shift around between ideas about evil dolls, devil worship and something that happened in the past with Nicola Wright’s husband.” 2 out of 5, Moria
” …a powerful look at dementia and the impact it has on sufferers and their families. All wrapped up in a film that makes you question whether anything we’re seeing is real. Anything. And this, unlike some of Jeffrey’s films which lean towards a more “campy” nature, is a very, very, downbeat film. One driven by a superb performance from actress Nicola Wright who, in the past couple of years has seemingly jumped feet first into the horror genre…” 5 out of 5 (!), Nerdly
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