Directed/co-written/produced by Rod Blackhurst (Night Swim) and starring Fabianne Therese, Seann William Scott, Ethan Suplee, Max the Impaler, Dolly unleashes terror in the woods and embraces gritty craftsmanship, practical effects, and a sense of place that bleeds into every frame, as it follows Macy, who is faced with a deranged, monster-like figure.
A nod to the legacy of homemadehorror born in the woods, the movie finds Macy fighting for survival after being abducted by a deranged, monster-like figure who wants to raise her as their child.
A daring blend of New French Extremity and 1970s American horror, the movie is gory, frightening, and a must-watch for fans of the genre.
We recently sat down with Dolly's lead stars, Max the Impaler and Fabianne Therese.
The latter plays the movie's "Final Girl," Macy, who must survive the twisted title character. Max, a professional wrestler who has competed for NWA and AEW, transforms into Dolly, delivering a stellar physical performance.
During our conversation, the duo reflects on their collaboration, how they dealt with the movie's gnarly prosthetics and fake blood, and the transformations they both underwent to bring Dolly and Macy to life.
You can check out the full interview with Max and Fabianne in the player below.
Max, I wanted to start with you because I'd love to know how your work as a professional wrestler really helped you prepare for this transformation into this iconic horror character in Dolly.
Max the Impaler: It was very similar. In fact, it was pretty easy to transition because Maxine Pal doesn't speak. I have to tell a lot of my stories and emotion through my body language and my face—although Dolly is in a mask—but I feel very fortunate that they saw my work and wanted me to do it on the big screen because it's essentially what I do in wrestling.
And Fabianne, when you've got a co-star who is obviously this terrifying horror character, does that make it a lot easier for you to get into the headspace of a character like Macy and what she's going through in this film?
Fabianne Therese: Max is a big softy. Honestly, the fact that it was all so practical—the effects were so practical—made it believable to enter into this world. But it was actually nice that Max was such a safe space and partner to go to in between takes, so that it was sustainable because we were shooting really crazy hours.
When you've got that contrast of obviously the lighter scenes with Seann William Scott right at the beginning of the film, and then how twisted this relationship becomes with Dolly, what was that contrast like for you to go from those two extremes?
Fabianne Therese: Well, Seann came actually towards the middle of our shooting, so we shot a lot of the really difficult stuff first—all the outdoor stuff we did first—and then Seann came, and then we moved into the house. It was a real necessity for a break in the pattern for Seann to come because he just brought so much lightness, joy and fun. All of a sudden, instead of screaming, I'm getting to improv and getting to laugh. We were just kind of going off script and making people laugh. It was necessary. Both of them were necessary
Max the Impaler: Like Fabi said, he's just such a great person, and it was really surreal working with him because I grew up watching a lot of his films in the early 2000s. He was just so encouraging and inspiring, and he really was a big cheerleader for me. "Wow, this is your first movie? No way. I wouldn't guess that." I was like, "Stop, Seann."
Fabianne Therese: Seann is like everyone's hype man—not even just the actors. There's this day where we were shooting outside in the blistering sun on a cliff, and a PA was holding an umbrella over us so that we didn't get sunburnt. Seann was like, "No, I can't have you holding an umbrella for me." But they were like, "No, you need to have the umbrella over you." He was just so uncomfortable with anybody being uncomfortable on his end.
There is such a crazy dynamic between your two characters as this relationship unfolds. So working the two of you together, what was that like to try and figure out what those moments would play like, particularly when they get a little bit darker and a lot more physical?
Max the Impaler: I really leaned on Fabi for direction and a lot of the acting and how we go about these things. Obviously, we talked about it and walked through stuff. I just think our communication was really great, and we got close. Communication was really important, like in the wrestling world and during this film. I never want to hurt anyone ever. I could care less about my own safety. It's the other person that I'm more worried for. So I just wanted to always make sure that Fabi was comfortable, that everything was okay, that I wasn't doing anything too hard or whatever. Just communication.
Fabianne Therese: Yeah, I think that we developed a real bond. Beyond just the physicality—which was so wonderful for me to have a partner like Max because Max truly knew how to do the dance—it is a dance. I had to be led through the specifics of a lot of this in a way that I could just fully trust my partner, and I felt so safe that I could go to any extreme. But I also think emotionally we were both pulling from real trauma and real experiences that can be very isolating. It was nice to have this touchstone person continually.
Max, as Max the Impaler, you undergo this amazing transformation in the ring, but to don Dolly's costume and the mask, what did it feel like the first time you suited up and became this character?
Max the Impaler: Well, I wish I could say it was magical, but the helm is very uncomfortable. It's a mask, but it's more like a helmet because it's super-thick silicone. There's not a lot of ventilation. But I mean, it was akin to what I do as Max the Impaler. Once I put on my face paint and the costume, the switch just flips, and I become that monster. So, I had to keep thinking, this is the dream. This is what I want to do. This is everything I wanted.
Fabianne, to see Max undergo this transformation and to walk onto set. What was it like the first time you saw Dolly?
Fabianne Therese: I mean, I remember when we first opened the box that had the head in it, and I was just like, I can't believe how good this looks. And when we were doing our tests for prosthetics and stuff, it was really incredible to see it come to life. And with all this stuff, when you're going to such extremes, there's the risk of it being really cheesy. And I think had they gone the CGI route, it would have felt really cheesy. But because we had such a small budget, leaning into it all being practical, Alex and Ashley, who were our duo that did all of our prosthetics, were so great. And Haven, who did our costumes, was there sewing it onto our bodies and putting the blood on. And it was just like everybody getting to practice their art truly. It was very collaborative. And I think I lost the point of the question, but I was just very proud of everybody.
I'm glad you mentioned the prosthetics because both of you obviously get pretty hands-on with some gnarly kind of prosthetics, a lot of fake blood. So, what do you enjoy most or maybe not enjoy so much, about that? I know a lot of actors talk about fake blood being this sticky nightmare, but how did you both find those experiences?
Max the Impaler: It wasn't too bad. I mean, I was mostly covered. Poor Fabi had to wear a little doll dress, but I had a full head-to-toe, and all the blood was mostly—I think the thing that was most gruelling for me is I have hand tattoos, and every day they had to cover up my hand tattoos, and my hands were always really super bloody. And then I would eat, but it stayed on there because it was alcohol-based. And not that I would care anyway because I was so hungry, but my hands were caked in blood constantly.
Fabianne Therese: Yeah. For me, it was covering up the poison ivy and poison oak rashes from the first two weeks of shooting. Honestly, the makeup part sometimes took longer than the prosthetics, but the prosthetics are cool. My ear prosthetic was probably my favorite. It's so good.
Dolly arrives in theaters on March 6.