Stars: 4.5 / 5
Recommendation: An unusual film for Lionel Barrymore, but it is a really cool horror thriller. Impressive special effects with a little bit of goofiness in the plot that tones down the horror, yet has so much deeper meaning and touches upon one of the mail point – environment conservation – however briefly.
The Devil Doll is a 1936 American horror film directed by Tod Browning and produced by Edward J. Mannix. The lead cast included Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O’Sullivan, Henry B. Walthall and Rafaela Ottiano. It was adapted from the 1932 novel Burn Witch Burn! by Abraham Merritt.
The movie adaptation was written by Tod Browning, Guy Endore, Garrett Fort and Erich von Stroheim. It was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). It follows the story of a scientist, Marcel (portrayed by Henry B. Walthall), whose formula to shrink people in order to have the planet’s resources last longer, is used by a framed bank robber, Paul Lavond (portrayed by Lionel Barrymore) to take revenge on the people who framed him.
The film was not a financial success even though marketed as a novelty thriller. However, it received high praise by critics and has since become a cult film. I missed the beginning of the film, so here is the poster of the film’s poster from google.
Having never seen Lionel Barrymore in a horror thriller I watched this movie without any expectations. He is no Vincent Price or Peter Lorre, but he made a decent enough scary character for the viewers. His contrasting characters of Lovand and the disguise he portrays as the old woman are an epitome of his various acting capabilities he had.
However, I think the true horror in the film is the character Malita, played by Italian-American actress Rafaela Ottiano. Her hunchback, pale make-up and the white streak in her hair makes her more scarier than Lionel’s Lavond.
This was the last completed film of Henry B. Walthall who portrayed the role of the scientist Marcel in the film. He died a month before this film was released.
Maureen O’Sullivan who plays the role of Loraine Lovand is pretty and practical in the film. If you remember she was famous for her part as Jane Parker in several Tarzan movies between 1932 and 1942.
“Everything seems so small and unimportant from up here”, says Toto (portrayed by Frank Lawton) in the scene where he takes O’Sullivan’s Loraine up the Eiffel Tower. How close to the film plot that dialogue and scene comes to!
As for Toto, he reminds me of the yesteryears Hindi (Indian Language) film actor Dev Anand a lot – the peppy dialogue delivery, the cap that Toto wears and his way of standing at an angle or bending his head while talking. Don’t you guys agree with me?
The basic premise of the movie is about reducing atoms and thus shrinking the body is in itself incorrectly stated. Atoms cannot be shrunk further. Marcel explains that he had found a way to reduce the atoms in a body simultaneously. The factual error is clear. Yet, it’s a fiction, so we have to accept what the author’s mind invents, I suppose! And that is what attracted me to the film.
An unusual film for Lionel Barrymore, but it is a really cool horror thriller. Impressive special effects with a little bit of goofiness in the plot that tones down the horror, yet has so much deeper meaning and touches upon one of the mail point – environment conservation – however briefly.
Spoiler Alerts:
Movie Trivia:
- This film was remade as Attack of the Puppet People in 1958; a black and white science fiction horror movie.
- Malita’s life-like special dolls are made after the gang members know as the Apache who were very much in existence pre-World War I in Paris. They dance to the tunes of Valse des rayons (aka Valse chaloupée) composed by Jacques Offenbach in the film.
Grammatical / Historical / Location / Character Errors:
- The newspaper is folded and refolded between scenes as Lavond’s partners read about Lavond’s escape from jail.
- The film is set in Paris, but the newspapers, posters and the accent shifts from English to French and back to English in between scenes several times.
- How do shrunken animals do not cast shadows? Shouldn’t they be doing so? They also don’t leave any imprints behind. How is that possible? This clearly shows that the miniature figures were superimposed on to the film.
- In the final scene, Lavond comes as the scientist Marcel, but doesn’t change his appearance to meet his daughter. But she doesn’t recognize him. How is it possible when 17 yrs wouldn’t have changed a person that much?
- Toto’s cab has right-hand drive, but in France they drive on the right side of the road, so shouldn’t it be left-hand drive?
Galavant Reflections 