Ragdoll (film)

Ragdoll is a 1999 American black horror film directed by Ted Nicolaou. The film was later edited into a thirty-minute short entitled Voodoo Doll for the horror anthology Devil Dolls.

Plot
A talented teenage rapper named Kwame uses his Grandmother's ancient voodoo (magic of the killing kind) to help him in his revenge against the sadistic crime boss trying to extort his group, after he and his two brothers put her in the hospital. He summons the dark spirit known as the Shadow Man, to kill the criminal and his brothers. When the Shadow Man asks Kwame what he will pay, Kwame says that he will promise him any thing, except his Grandmother, or the deal is off.

The Shadow Man uses magic to give life to an old ragdoll, and sends it to kill. Kwame soon learns that with each death of his enemies, the ragdoll then kills someone he cares about. When his girlfriend, Tisha, is targeted, his Grandmother uses her magic to secretly trade places with Tisha. When the ragdoll comes and kills her, it breaks the deal with the Shadow Man, as Kwame said his Grandmother could not be harmed. Though Tisha is safe, Kwame can only mourn for his dead friends and Grandmother.

Cast

 * Russell Richardson as Kwame
 * William L. Johnson as Jean
 * Jennifer Echols as Woman Detective
 * Derrick Jones as Man
 * Rick Michaels as Second Detective
 * Freda Payne as Gran
 * Jay Williams as Emcee
 * Rejjie Jones as Third Detective
 * Jennia Fredrique as Teesha
 * Tarnell Poindexter as Little Mikey
 * William Stanford Davis as Pere
 * Danny Wooten as Gem
 * Troy Medley as Louis
 * Frederic Tucker as Shadow Man
 * Lamar Haywood as Agent
 * Jemal McNeil as Bartender
 * Renee O'Neil as Sylvie

Production
The film was originally announced in 1992, but it did not begin pre-production until 1999. Charles Band stated that rumors that Paramount had shut down production of the film were untrue; he chose not to shoot the film, as he felt that it needed more time to develop.

Release
Big City Records, a music label owned by Full Moon, released an associated soundtrack, Ragdoll: Music Inspired By The Motion Picture. This was the label's first release.

Reception
Dread Central thought highly of the edited version of the film for Devil Dolls, writing "here’s a halfway decent story here and some enjoyably hammy acting bolstering it".