Dollhouse

by Tim Miller

Ernie Lester is a grown man who likes to play with dolls. Except his dolls are not actually dolls. They are living, breathing women. Using drugs to paralyze them, he brings new girls into his "Family" where he bathes, feeds, and uses them to decorate his Dollhouse.

When Ernie sets his sights on Jodi, he realizes he must have her at all costs. Everything about her would be perfect for his Dollhouse. Problem is, Jodi comes with a heavy price. Will she end up as one of Ernie's dolls? Or will Ernie finally push things too far? Find out in one of Tim Miller's most terrifying tales to date.

Genres: Horror

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

['Q' aka CoCo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was almost angry when reading this because it just had so much potential. As far as erotic horror goes, it doesn't get much creepier than this. Ernie is the quintessential nice guy. Described as a bald Ned Flanders, he's not exactly giving off that predator vibe, but he's got his system down to a science.

Ernie wants a family, a family of beautiful, doting, sweet women. Problem is that damn free will. No worries, though, Ernie found a way around that. Getting them to his house is the only tricky part, but after that, he uses moonseed berries to put them in a state of paralysis. They're still conscious, but they can't talk, can't move--they're the perfect dolls for him to dress, position, play with.

There are a couple things I really liked about this book. I'll admit here that I'm an obsessive fact-checker. I don't do this to be an asshole, trying to catch authors in a mistake. I do it because I can't not do it. It's why I'm a wealth of useless information ;-/ If I read something, it's almost a compulsion for me to look it up to see if it's true. If it is, I give kudos where kudos are due because I appreciate authors who do their research. If it's not, I get angry because, really, how hard is it to do a Google search? In this, I applaud Tim Miller because he, at least, did his research. It's also an interesting premise, and it could've been sooooo good, so very creepy, if not for a couple things...

One, the editing (or lack of) was a huge distraction. Now, I know I harp on this a lot, but it's seriously lacking here. The tenses switched, the pronouns were misplaced, and it was just, in general, hard to follow at times. Two, the dialogue was stilted and sounded forced. Every time the characters spoke, I felt ripped out of the scene. And three, the way the police handled (or rather, didn't handle) the investigation wasn't believable. At all. And it was such a critical point, not only in the story but for Jodi's character as well, that I felt like everything after that was kind of meh because of it.

So this is, in all honesty, a 2 star read for me, but I'm throwing in an extra because of the moonseed research Miller had to have done. Outside of them being poisonous and fatal, you actually have to dig a little deeper for the other effects, and I learned something.

[Gohnar23 (hiatus but still reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

#️⃣3️⃣0️⃣5️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 ⛈️⚡🚨
Date : 📢 Sunday, June 22, 2025 🍙⚔️
Word Count📃: 28k Words 🏕️

──★ ˙💥🪨💣🪨💥 ̟ ⋆✮˚.*⋆

ദ്ദി ≽^⎚˕⎚^≼ .ᐟ My 43th read in "Explosive Impactful Reads June"

5️⃣🌟, damn, u stupid ahh woman 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ and the men too here are stuped stuped ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we have equality here everyone 🫶🫶🫶, everyone is deadass stupid 😍😍😍 ✨Everyone is Stupid✨
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➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

(Omagaaa holy shit, I'm getting late in my own schedule of book reviews 😭😭😭, the books that i read in sunday i'm reviewing in tuesday which is 2 days late, better get pumped up and gotta go fast with writing these long reviews 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️)


OKAYYYYYYY, so imagine you're Jodi the main character and then after that you basically just get kidnapped by Ernie the female rapist who kidnappes and rapes "dolls" (basically women) then he brings another guy to do the same thing (Bob) then the two of them do the partner in crime thing and just kidnap more and more women then jusss rape them to death ALL WHILE JODI IS WATCHING SINCE SHE IS LIKE ONE OF THE FIRST WOMAN TO GET KIDNAPPED TO BY THEM 😆. (And the woman that Ernie is most obsessed with)

THEN AS I THOUGHT THAT AT THE END SHE WAS GOING TO LIKE HAVE HER REVENGE STORY,..,.,.,CUZ ALMOST EVERY SPLATTERPUNK BOOK DOES THAT, since she like already got out, shes already free, she has the axe, she killed bob already, there's only Ernie left, the revenge story is like right there already, it's already happening, BUT I GET HIT WITH ONE OF THE MOST FUNNIEST PLOT TWIST EVER 😆, AN OPPSIE HAPPENED AAAAAND THEN SHE WENT BACK TO BEING TIED UP AND GETTING RAPED TIL THE END OF TIME 😭😭😭😭

It is only in the splatterpunk genre where you can find one of the most trashiest ideas in entire literature (the entire book is literally about Jodi just getting raped the entire thing TIL. THE. END. ) in which you can get intentionally infuriated with all of the characters, but you know it's entertaining af, reading trash books knowing they're trashy is one of the main reasons why i'm so invested with this genre.

[J.C. Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deliciously demented nightmare you won't soon forget

Go into the mind and actions of a mentally disturbed man.
Before Ernie's wife and daughter were killed, his psychosis had begun but was somewhat under control. However, after their deaths he spiraled down into the darkened depths of a psychotic state beyond imagination. To the everyday person he looks as normal as the next man--most psychos do. This man takes the mentally insane to a whole new level with his dollhouse.
You see, Ernie's mind and thought processes have driven him to believe women are weak, don't make good decisions, need to be taken care of, and that is exactly what Ernie intends to do--take care of his family. The problem is, his family--well, let's just say they're not a part of Ernie's family by choice.
The mid of Tim Miller, as dark and twisted as it may be, has created a deliciously demented nightmare you won't soon forget.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieser Autor hat genau meinen Nerv getroffen. Der Grusel- und Ekelfaktor hat volle 10/10 Punkten erreicht. Schade das es nur eine Kurzgeschichte war. Dadurch ging einiges zu rasant für mich. Sprachlich sehr einfach. Alles in allem hat mich die Geschichte gut unterhalten (wenn man das bei so einem Thema so sagen darf 🙊)

[✨Cassie ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hair raising, skin crawling, stomach turning book from Tim Miller. And I say all that in the best way possible.

Another hair raising, skin crawling, stomach turning book from Tim Miller. And I say all that in the best way possible.

When getting one of Tim's book's, you never know what or how the story will be, but one constant for this author is the ultimate horror he inflicts in us reader's. The Dollhouse is everything I've mentioned above.

One man's dream of having women who are everything to him, his living dolls. Ernie is one twisted soul. He is super creepy. Remind me never to meet someone at Starbucks, please.

' Ernie's family wasn't dead, but they were no longer alive. They were his dolls.'

Jodi will become one of his living dolls, but will this doll awaken and bring hell with her?

"Once they are my dolls, they stay my dolls."- Ernie

Bob is infatuated with Jodi... like creepy stalker infatuation. Bob made me swallow down my Pringles, that I didn't think I would be able to get down. Praying they wouldn't come back up. Yep, the Pringles were put away and my stomach was churning.

Bob and Ernie are one sadistic team, that's for sure.

The infamous cattle prob returns.... I love that dang thing. Like always, I'm a huge fan of Tim's, and his book's are the only horror book's I've read, and probably will always be only his book's. The author gives us this twisted world. And for that, I thank him.

[Kandi Branson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people are not what they appear to be!

This was such a weird story, but , sorry to say, so close to what happens in real life behind closed doors. You hear crazy news reports of psychos holding people captive. But neighbors report the guy was a normal guy. I thought she was finally getting her payback, but was sadly mistaken! Read the entire book in one sitting, because I had to know what was going to happen!

[Anja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim is another one of my favorite horror authors. Everything he writes is nasty, demented, and super gory. This author is highly recommended if you want to step into the darkside it's either go big or go home.

Once again blown away by another one of Tim's twisted tales. This one is about a creepy man that takes woman drugs them up and makes human dolls out of the poor victims. There is also a couple of twists in here that made the story shine even more. I love how he ended the story.

I also recommend getting this in audio it's fantastic!

[Emily Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for true gore and a little bit of shock then this is the book to do it. Okay maybe a lot of shock, also don't eat before or while you read if you have an eyeball thing, -shudders- I'll read more from Miller.

[Bonnie Racki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story from one of my favorite author's

I definitely wasn't expecting the ending. I loved the idea of a crazy man turning women into dolls. It was a cool idea to mention the Moonseed Berries as Ernie's choice of drug.

[Christina McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepiest 'family man' ever! Ernie Lester earns this title and then some! Tim Miller never disappoints in the horror, gore, weirdness & more! Can't get enough of this author!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, the cover featuring Bonny Capps was eerily beautiful and drew me to this book. I have previously enjoyed many of Tim Miller's books and this was another terrifying story to read. All that Jodi had to endure physically and be witness to was the stuff of true nughtmares. When Ernie gained a partner, things become even more horrific. There was a slight sliver of hope and then revenge and yet, the darkness was always waiting to take over once again. That ending was equal parts terrible and perfect!
Tim Miller's always pushing the limits with his words and it's one of the reasons that I enjoy his tales. Dollhouse was a frighteningly fantastic addition to my collection and I highly recommend it.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will start with this, if you have triggers this is definitely not a book for sure. This book is full of horror and gore.

What happens when someone puts moonsoon berries in your system? You become a living doll where you feel everything, see everything but unable to move because you’re paralyzed. This happened to Jodi after meeting the Ned Flanders lookalike deranged Ernie Lester.
It was a fast past read, love the twist at the end but hated the cops scene for obvious reason.

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid extreme horror

Miller's Dollhouse starts off well with good solid character development of the main character and the villain is better drawn.

The plot moves at a good pace and he masters building tension very well. The various plot turns are handled masterfully. There is a glimmer of hope for the antagonist but sometimes minute details get in the way when dealing with forensics and criminal psychiatry that limits some believability to some small instances. This does not take away from the story but causes a slight hole in the plot.

Miller is an extremely talented writer and at times this does come through strongly when developing his characters and plot. It sometimes let down by the need to rush through the action segments which if pace was loosen just a smidge could bring his stylised writing to the next level.

Dollhouse is well written and Miller has upped his game in this twisted psychological terrorised world that he has developed. The action pieces are sick and often perverted run a very opaque manner but for the core audience, this will fit extremely comfortable in this genre.

This is a cut above what you would normally find in this subgenre of horror and Miller is top of his game here. The main characters are flushed out lifting from the cardboard cut outs normally found in this genre. Jodi is exceptionally well written with a believable pathos.

The ending is either positive or negative depending on how you like your endings which won't please everyone. Personally, I kind of liked the ending but might have preferred the alternative. Saying this, I do respect the choice here.

Miller is a talent in the extreme horror field and does show a high amplitude in his writing which grows from strength to strength. I am eager to see where is writing goes as I can see him breakaway and coming out with an extreme horror novel that could be the opus in this genre.

Dollhouse is a quick read and enjoyable and is highly recommended. It is extremely violent and if you like this type of horror then this is definitely for you. If you are new to this genre, then this is definitely a great place to start.

Working on multiple levels, Dollhouse is a definite qualified read to see how it is done.

[Yvonne Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hats off to Tim Miller. I loved the book and the whole storyline. You rocked it out. When Ernie took Jodi I was hoping that she would be able to escape but that didn't happen right away and what he did to his dolls just sent shivers down my spine. I think the true fear comes in when Ernie teams up with Bob, Jodi`s ex-boss. This man is just as sick if not sicker than Ernie. When Jodi manages to escape you cheer for her, when the cops basically take Bob and Denies word that she is making it all up you get passed and when she turns the tables on them you cheer again, but what does happen? You will have to read this horror story for yourself yo find out. Worth the money.

[Terralyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This came up as a suggested read......
I just blew threw 200 pages of literal crap. The story itself was gruesome and horrific beyond belief.
Maybe I could have overlooked a terrible story. What I couldn't overlook was the terrible (maybe no) editing. The tenses bounced all over, spelling errors were found too often, and in general, it seemed to be written by a middle school aged tween.
I couldn't even give this book one star for effort. It got one star because that's the lowest rating I could give it.

[Letitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is demented!
Demented in all the right ways.

This was my first Tim Miller book and it won't be my last.
If you're into extreme horror, don't go past Dollhouse.

Looking forward to getting into some more by this author.

[Nerd Girl Vixen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I can always count on from Tim Miller is horror and the creepy factor. This book definitely brought the creep factor! You never know how the story will end and there's a twist you didn't see coming.

[Pyropatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Lots of gore and sex. Very extreme do not read if squeamish. Very original would love to see it as a movie. Couldn't put it down.

[Tracy Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love dark and twisted read and this is so dark you can't see. It's proper demented. Loved the story line but wtf it just ends. Is there a follow on cause I really need to know what happens

[Stacy Kingsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was torn between one and two stars for Dollhouse by Tim Miller. I will be honest, my problem wasn't with the writing, mostly. The story revolves around Jodi, a woman who has a bad attitude at times, and a needy, or strong attitude at other. Ernie Lester is a man on a mission, to build a dollhouse full of his new family. He loves his family, and he believes that his family loves him, even though they can't respond to his questions or advances. Ernie meets Jodi one day and can't get her out of his mind, so he decides to make Jodi one more addition to his dollhouse.

This is registered as extreme horror, and I expected a little more graphic violence throughout. I wondered if it was extreme because of how many "fucks" were said throughout, but even the rape scenes seemed a little toned down, especially if you have read authors like Edward Lee and Richard Laymon. I honestly would have like a little more direct and explicit violence, and I would have liked a little more brutality. In the book there were three main characters, Jodi, Ernie, and Bob. Bob adds an element of brutality, but he doesn't quite go there enough. I also would have liked a little more backstory to the characters. Parts of the story were just a little confusing as Ernie states that all of his issues started when there was a death in his family, but another minor character states that it was a different death that changed who he was, and so we never really know what started him collecting his dolls. We never really know why he chooses Bob to be his buddy after a time either.

That being said, my big issues with this were the bad grammar and wording throughout. I hate the continuous use of the word "just" as it often doesn't need to be there, or can be replaced with "only." There were several misspelled words. or the use of the wrong word. The characters all spoke the same, so the dialogue started to run together and it didn't differentiate the characters enough from one another. In fact, I wished that one or the other would use a word besides "fuck." Ernie kept saying that he had been doing this for a long time, but the reader is never given any insight as to how long. However, even with all of this, I could have read the book and not had issue with it. My main issue with this book is that the spacing was double or triple per page, and the end of each chapter was like three to five lines in the middle of a separate page, which made this a fast and frustrating read. I feel like, for this version, it was a waste of money as a book that claims to be 206, if formatted properly, would have been under 100 pages. This type of formatting doesn't make indie authors look good, and it causes people not to by a book written by an indie author.

Now I know Tim Miller has done well for himself, and this is in no way meant to cut him down. He has been successful, and continues to be successful, making sure he continues to write a new book as often as he can, and going to as many conventions to help stay known and relevant. I admire him for that. And, this book was not a bad read, although I could have used a little more depth, and less of a predictable ending.

I really wasn't a fan of the formatting, and I personally found the errors and the formatting very distracting. I can't say I do or don't recommend book by Tim Miller, as several of them sound interesting. I, personally, might let this book percolate before picking up another.

[Foxys.Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Cover ist einfach grandios gewählt und passt toll. Dann dieser sehr flüssige Schreibstil und ich flog innerhalb 2 Stunden durch die Seiten.

Die Story war toll, erschreckend, beängstigend, ekelig und wieder eine neue Erfahrung. Und mein Hass für Bob und Ernie sind absolut präsent. Nur das Ernie für mich wirklich krank ist und ich bei Bob einfach nur noch Abscheu, Ekel und Hass empfand. Wie kann man nur so...?! Mir fehlen die Worte. Mein einziger Minuspunkt ist, das mir die Story einfach zu kurz war. Ich hätte sehr gerne mehr Seiten gehabt. Ansonsten kann ich nur sagen, daß ich Puppenhaus nicht so krass fand wie Porno, dafür ich aber bei Puppenhaus mehr das Gefühl von "Realität" bekam. Einfach da so ein Szenario für mich wahrscheinlicher wäre. Daher denke ich, daß Puppenhaus sogar einsteigerfreundlich ist, da mich nur wenige Szenen komplett verstörten.

[Super Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had all the creep factors necessary to scare your pants off. I do not have a weak stomach at all, but there were parts of this book that made me queasy just thinking about the situations these characters were placed in.
Tim Miller does not fail in the genres of gore and horror. His writing style is vivid and detailed. The one thing I have noticed in his books are a few spelling and/or grammatical errors. However, his ability to write very detailed and descriptive stories make up for it. The ending in this book left me a bit surprised as well.
If you don't have a weak stomach, and you’re up for a good scare with lots of gore, then read this book or any book by Tim Miller. You will not be disappointed.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always up for a disturbing gory/slasher book, but this one was a little too much. I feel like reading this in today's climate, with all the abuse towards women, was a little too close to what goes on in the world today. It would have been better if the ending was different, and Jodi came back with a vengeance and got her revenge, but the cops failed her and then she ended up back where she started with rape and physical abuse. It just didn't sit well with me. I would have loved a good revenge story. Also, I did notice lots of grammar and spelling errors which took away from the story. This was definitely not a favorite of mine.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some things are worse than death, and this book proves it. Not all torture is physical. Yes, there was physical but maybe being trapped inside your mind and not being able to move or speak is far worse. When I was a child, I read some horror book about mosquitos that carried some disease that paralyzed you forever, but kept your mind intact. This was kind of along those lines. As a child, that book haunted me. Now as an adult, that gets cranked up to 10 because this isn't mosquitos hurting humans, it's human hurting humans! People! They're the worst

[cecilia in bookland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nichts für schwache Gemüter, typisch Festa Extrem!

Kurzweilige Story, da es ein sehr dünnes Buch ist. Mir hat es gefallen, ich habe das bekommen, was ich erwartet habe. Für Extrem Fans empfehlenswert!

[Mandy R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hat mir gut gefallen, waren schon einige perverse Stellen dabei. Eddie ist mal ein Psycho nach meinem Geschmack, irre und unberechenbar. Das Ende war jetzt nicht so meins, so mag ich das nicht, aber trotzdem toll.
Typischer Festa!!!!

[N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die knapp über 100 Seiten sind eine reinste Achterbahnfahrt gewesen mit einer krassen Brutalität und jeder Menge Twists. Dazu war es spannend den Weg von Jodi zu verfolgen und mit ihr mitzufiebern. Eine der besten Storys von Tim Miller!

[carol mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So terrible in a great way

Wow, really good book but terrible ending. What a couple of sick psychos! Both Ernie and Bob deserve to die. Poor Jodi and the other girls. Jodi deserved better!

[R · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was...bad.

The writing wasn't great and had the story been better I could have forgiven that but the whole thing was just awful.

Feels like the author got bored of their own story and decided to just end it before fleshing out any of it.

Wouldn't recommend.