Review: ‘Mimics’ is a welcome addition to the evil ventriloquist dummy tradition

Kristoffer Polaha’s Mimics joins a long lineage of evil ventriloquist dummies. From a segment in 1945’s Dead of Night to Magic (1978) and Dead Silence (2007), it’s a well-tapped premise that never gets old. With a script written by Marc Oakley, Mimics delights with macabre humor and a deranged plotline that explores our collective hunger for fame, fortune, and validation. It doesn’t matter that it’s not necessarily inventive; it excels at capturing the slow, winding descent into madness and mayhem.

Polaha also stars as our lead protagonist, Sam Reinhold, a struggling comedian and mediocre ventriloquist. He does his damnedest to fine-tune his act, but audiences never buy into what he’s selling. He specializes in imitations of famous people, but his work just isn’t any good. While he moonlights as a so-called performer, he works at a local grocery store by day. His co-worker, Virginia Martin (Moriah), encourages him, perhaps even placating him into believing his voices are top-notch. But a crush’ll do that to you. Sam’s father, Melvin (Stephen Tobolowsky), lives vicariously through him and always cheers for his success, as well.

Sam surrounds himself with a bunch of Yes-Men, including a talent scout who thinks he has what it takes to go to the next level in his career. They want to sign him to a management agency, but there’s a catch: he must perform with a wild-haired ventriloquist dummy named Fergus. He’s reluctant at first, but the promise of superstardom is just too great to ignore. And he has no idea what he’s signed up for. Fergus plots a strategically diabolical and murderous plan of his very own. Sam finds himself trapped in a contract he can not break, unless he’s willing to pay a heavy, fleshy price.

In playing double duty, Polaha delivers a solid horror setpiece that is equally creepy and cheeky. The humor never comes at the expense of the terror. In fact, it simply accentuates the terrible fear that radiates from Fergus’ evil and rotten soul. Human desperation almost always gets you in trouble, and Polaha’s Sam Reinhold demonstrates what happens when you’re willing to overlook countless red flags (you can see them from a mile away, actually). If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. A goofy, adorably awkward performance from Polaha makes for a great viewing experience on its own, and when you toss in an absurd, terrifying storyline, you have gold in your hands.

Mimics is rated PG-13, and that’s okay. Plenty of horror movies have landed in that category, and they’re still horrifying (Poltergeist has entered the chat). Marc Oakley’s script perfectly walks the genre balance of horror and humor, and in Kristoffer Polaha’s very capable hands, Mimics comes to throbbing vitality in more ways than one. If you’re looking for a damn good time, add this to your watchlist immediately. You won’t be disappointed.

Mimics is now playing in theaters.