Theres no point to this article, other than venting my own fears.
Pediophobia is the specific phobia, or irrational fear, of dolls or inanimate, human-like objects. Dolls, mannequins, dummies. All the same to me. I hate them and have since I was a kid.
My mom has a collection of porcelain dolls that used to (and still do) make my skin crawl. I recently bought a vintage composition doll to model for my book cover. I took the pics and sent it back. I couldnât stand the thought of it being In my house.
My earliest memories of doll fear came from Childâs Play. Specifically, the VHS cover for Childâs Play. And when Childâs Play 2 came out, the trailer scared me even more. It was a jack in the box cranking slowly to pop goes the weasel. As soon as it popped out, Chucky would stomp it to pieces.
I would watch TV and when the commercials came on, I would close my eyes and look down. If I heard a Pepsi commercial, I would exhale with a smile and watch. Next commercial, close eyes again.
In the early 90s, I became obsessed with The Twilight Zone. I watched and rewatched the marathons a million times. But there was one episode I always avoided.
Living Doll was exactly as the title states. I would check the TV listings in the newspaper and circle the time it was airing. I would stop watching the marathon about two hours before just to be sure to avoid it.
Then I got into Rod Serlingâs other show, Night Gallery. The dolls in one episode were otherworldly. In modern times, Annabelle has become a source of terror. Old dolls need no CGI. They are terrifying on their own.
We are closer to October 2025 than October 2024. Halfway to Halloween. I hope they keep turning out creepy doll movies for horror!
