Fantastic Fest 2025 Exclusive Interview: Rod Blackhurst, Fabianne Therese, and Max The Impaler Talk Dolly
- Travis Brown
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
At this year’s Fantastic Fest, one of the most talked-about titles on the ground is Dolly, a brutal new nightmare from director Rod Blackhurst. Centered on the relentless terror of a porcelain-masked monster, the film blurs the line between fairy tale and fever dream while pushing its cast to their physical and emotional limits. Horror Movies Uncut sat down with Blackhurst, along with stars Fabianne Therese and Max The Impaler, to dig into the inspirations, performances, and punishing production that brought this chilling feature to life.
On balancing homage and originality
When asked if Dolly was born from the lineage of classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Blackhurst was quick to pivot:
“What if I told everybody right now I’ve never seen Texas Chainsaw? Would they believe me? Dolly has a bit of those origins, sure, but it also has this fairy-tale quality, like a nightmare a kid might have. I grew up in the woods in upstate New York without a TV, and those woods scared the hell out of me. That’s where Dolly comes from.”
On survival, resilience, and shooting in extremes
For Fabianne Therese, who plays Macy, the shoot was as demanding as the performance itself.
“I pulled a lot from my own life, but also just had to be incredibly present in every moment with Max. We were shooting in the summer, in the woods, in insane heat. I got poison oak rashes, Max was sweating under a mask, and we just powered through. It was about finding peaks and valleys in such a relentless tone and still finding space for vulnerability.”
On wrestling, monsters, and becoming Dolly
Pro wrestler Max The Impaler brought their in-ring intensity to crafting Dolly’s physical presence:
“Honestly, it was kind of an easy transition. I’ve played monsters my whole life in wrestling. Rod gave me a lot of creative freedom, and I drew from real-life traumas and people I know. Dolly’s physicality and mask came from a mix of wrestling influence, true-crime inspiration, and just imagining what kind of world created someone like this.”
On gore, playfulness, and practical effects
Blackhurst emphasized that the violence in Dolly is never random spectacle:
“Our practical effects team—just two people under Yellow Moth Makeup—did incredible work. The gore is playful but always tied to narrative. The brutality reflects what Dolly is experiencing, and every death has weight. Horror needs that spoonful of sugar, but it also has to mean something.”
On the challenges of intensity
Therese admitted that staying in Macy’s shoes took a toll:
“It was mentally and physically exhausting. Luckily, a group of us stayed at the same hotel, had dinner together every night, and that helped unload the weight of the day before diving back in.”
On the future of Dolly and horror dreams
For Max, Dolly marks a surprising turning point:
“I’m no longer with NWA, so this is serendipitous. I’ve wanted to be a horror movie monster since I was a kid. Wrestling was the closest I thought I’d get, but now this opens the door for more films. That’s the dream.”
Blackhurst added,
“I just hope people either love it or hate it. I want them to have a strong reaction. Horror has been such a big part of my life—I want to contribute to it. And yes, there will be more Dolly.”
With its raw intensity, nightmarish imagery, and a breakout monster performance from Max The Impaler, Dolly is shaping up to be one of the most memorable horror films of Fantastic Fest 2025.