Ragdoll (film)

Ragdoll, a 1999 American black horror film, was directed by Ted Nicolaou. For the horror anthology *Devil Dolls*, the movie was later trimmed down to a thirty-minute short called *Voodoo Doll*. The film holds the distinction of being the debut release from Big City Pictures, a Full Moon Studios sub-label that specialized in urban films with predominantly African American casts and crews.

Kwame, a teenage rapper, turns to his grandmother’s ancient voodoo—described as magic of the killing kind—to get revenge on a sadistic crime boss who is extorting his group. After the boss and Kwame’s two brothers put his grandmother in the hospital, Kwame summons the dark spirit known as the Shadow Man to kill them. When the Shadow Man asks for payment, Kwame agrees to promise anything except his grandmother; if she is harmed, the deal is off. The Shadow Man animates an old ragdoll and sends it to kill. Kwame discovers that each time the doll kills an enemy, it also kills someone he cares about. When his girlfriend Tisha becomes a target, his grandmother secretly uses her magic to swap places with her. The ragdoll kills the grandmother, breaking the deal because Kwame had forbidden harm to her. Tisha survives, but Kwame mourns his dead friends and grandmother.

Released on VHS and DVD on December 21, 1999, *Ragdoll* was also accompanied by a soundtrack, *Ragdoll: Music Inspired By The Motion Picture*, released by Big City Records, a Full Moon music label. This was the label’s first release.

Dread Central praised the edited version featured in *Devil Dolls*, noting that it contained a decent story and enjoyably hammy acting.

In 2000, Full Moon Toys released a twelve-inch replica of the ragdoll. A sequel entered development in the early 2000s but never progressed past pre-production.