As Jack The Ripper roamed East London, a macabre fascination gripped the Victorians. A hunger for heinous acts and grisly tales sat in opposition to the era’s stiff morality that choked polite society. Writer Charley Miles explores this battle between purity and corruption in her adaptation of Elizabeth Macneal’s best-selling novel The Doll Factory.

Two sisters in 1850s London spend their days working in a doll shop painting the faces of dead children onto porcelain heads. But at night, deep-seated desires erupt from the rebellious Iris (Esmé Creed-Miles) as she dreams of becoming an artist. When she meets Silas (Éanna Hardwicke), a solitary taxidermist, and Louis (George Webster), a celebrated young painter, Iris will soon learn the difference between fiery passion and sickly obsession.  

Director Sacha Polak uses her camera to investigate these tricky relationships. Panting close-ups of clawing fingers and curled toes show how easy it is to mistake pleasure for pain. Likewise, first-person camera shots remove any illusion of subjectivity. We instantly become the masked villain sneaking up on a damsel or the victim helplessly struggling with restraints. Polak creates two very distinct tones and while it achieves an uneasy atmosphere by switching back and forth, it unfortunately leads to a disconnect in the narrative.

Throughout, we are teased with faces in windows, whispered accusations and grainy memories. But the story’s truly twisted elements do not immediately invade the pretty frame that has been built around Iris and her quest for freedom. When they finally do, it is too late. Ultimately, The Doll Factory presents two interesting stories. One is about scandal and intrigue in society’s upper echelon; the other belongs in the pages of a penny dreadful. They just haven’t had a chance to bond. 

All episodes of The Doll Factory are available now on Paramount+.