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Psychological trauma and aberrant sexuality abound in this twisted 1972 tale of a young woman whose severe daddy issues send her on an unforgettably bleak downward spiral.

Yearning for the love of her absentee father, Jamie inhabits an infantilised world surrounded by toys, including those which her wayward pops bizarrely continues to send her. Unable to consummate her new marriage with dashing colleague Charlie, Jamie’s chance encounter with aging sex worker Pearl leads her into the murky world of prostitution where her most disturbing erotic fantasies begin to play out.

Grim, quirky and strangely affecting in equal measure, Stanley H. Brasloff’s Toys Are Not for Children is a truly one-of-a-kind effort from the heyday of the American exploitation independents, which builds to a haunting and devastating climax that lingers long after the credits roll.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
• High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain
• Newly-filmed appreciation by Nightmare USA author Stephen Thrower
• ‘Dirty’ Dolls: Femininity, Perversion and Play - a brand new video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Original theme song “Lonely Am I”, newly transferred from the original 45-RPM vinyl single
• Original Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Vanity Celis

Wow, Toys Are Not For Children is one of my most wished-for titles. A truly sick exploitation classic. Could not be more excited for this.

Watched this last night, and

Spoiler

it lives up to its reputation. However, as sleazy as the story and subject matter are, the film treats its lead character with unexpected sympathy. I fully expected the climax (the father-daughter sex scene) to be gratuitous, but to avoid the flesh and instead place Jamie's moaning over childhood memories of her father? Sickeningly smart.

Also, note Jamie's expression when she undoes the tie of the blindfolded john; she looks as excited as when she opens one of those boxes of toys her father sends her.

Now excuse me while I bathe in ice water.

At this point of the lockdown, I’m just plugging in unwatched Arrow discs without caring much what they’re supposed to be. This title sounded like a giallo, though maybe it was a disturbed serial killer flick. Turns out it was actually a very strange, extremely sleazy drama, played about as straight as the limited competence of cast and crew could manage. You can guess where the filmmakers want us to think the film is headed from very early on, but the surprise is just how far they go down that particular road. It’s not a good film, but that single-minded determination and weirdly serious attitude makes it trashily watchable. You may want to douse yourself in disinfectant afterwards, mind (I don't think ice water will suffice, I'm afraid)!

The film's editing and all the sudden flashbacks are well done in its depiction of the heroine's fragmented mindstate. Yes, it has its exploitative DNA, and all the armchair psychology also doesn't help. But the film shows some directing chops, and the actors are not bad too. IMDb shows only one credit for Marcia Forbes, who plays Jamie. (But what do you know? She now looks lovely as ever working as a Youtube tech adviser under the name Trisha Hershberger!)