Horror has been infatuated with terrifying mannequins and wax figures for over 100 years. From The Golem (1914) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) to Tourist Trap (1979) and beyond, the genre playfully taps into one of society’s greatest fears: an inanimate object taking on human-like characteristics.
The Mannequin, the sophomore feature film from writer/director John Berardo (Initiation), picks up the mantel and continues the tradition of scaring you down to the core. The film effectively utilizes its namesake for many of its best scares, all saved for the unhinged back half; however, it takes a while to get off the ground, with the first portion riddled with clichéd imagery we’ve seen dozens of times before.
The Mannequin begins in the 1930s. A young woman named Ruth Calvert (Krystle Martin) arrives for a photo shoot at Jack Bernard’s (Jack Sochet) studio. Photographing pin-up girls, Jack knows exactly how to capture beauty in its purest, most alluring form. The session quickly takes a sinister turn when Jack steps away and leaves Ruth alone. Later known as a serial killer, Jack toys with her in a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse, leading to a gruesome display that sets up the film’s vicious tone.
In the present day, Sophia (Gabriella Rivera) and her sister Liana (Isabella Gomez) pull into the parking lot of the newly renovated space, once a mannequin factory. Sophia hopes this fresh start will be the source of renewed creativity. Renting the building for her fashion studio, she envisions the layout of the work tables, yards of fabric, and clothing designs. When the building manager (Berardo) gives her a tour, they stumble across a slew of items left behind by the previous tenant, including a disturbing mannequin. Keys in hand, Sophia quickly puts her studio together, and things are smooth sailing – at first. Unexplained footsteps and shadows moving in the background indicate something wicked lurks just out of view. As these eerie occurrences escalate, all signs point to the mannequin being possessed, and it becomes a race against time before it savagely slaughters Sophia and Liana.
With the first half reading more drama than horror, Berardo focuses on fleshing out the relationships between Sophia and Liana, and Liana and her two closest friends, Hazel (Lindsay LaVanchy) and Nadine (Shireen Lai). The filmmaker sprinkles in light, fluffy scares that do very little to build tension and suspense. It’s a shame when you consider what the film evolves into by the third act. Thankfully, the cast, particularly LaVancy (who starred in 2020’s Initation) and Gomez, sell the hell out of the script with real emotional weight and nuance. You stay invested in their characters’ friendship, so by the finale, you care deeply about their fate.
With a plethora of bone-tingling scares, one of which includes the mannequin’s head popping off, The Mannequin sees Berardo unleashing the dogs, so to speak, in the final home stretch. He swings for the fences, and it mostly works. When Liana ropes in her ex-boyfriend and paranormal YouTuber Peter (Maxwell Hamilton), the story takes a hard left and reveals the dark secret about the mannequin. While the third act is a thrill ride, it also feels too rushed and packed to the brim. Perhaps, some scares could have been rearranged for a better build-up to a finale that holds nothing back.
The Mannequin still carries quite a thematic sucker punch, though. It’s ultimately a tale about the abuse of women, reckoning with the past, and how cycles nearly always repeat themselves. Where Initiation unpacked #MeToo messaging, John Berardo merely dips back into that well for a wholly different narrative and approach that is just as compelling.
The Mannequin will come to life on Digital outlets on October 14, 2025.
The post ‘The Mannequin’ Review – A Decently Creepy Mannequin Tale appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
