Antonius Block Tod Browning's second-to-last film is campy as hell, and ya gotta love Lionel Barrymore in drag exacting revenge on enemies of his using miniaturized people he can control (but of course). The effects were great for the time period, and they're still entertaining today, including the use of giant props and inserting cut-out footage of people (and animals) into other scenes. Browning had a great eye for weirdness and the macabre, and creates real suspense with the idea that a person a few inches tall could track someone down in their apartment. Those scenes in the middle of the film are fantastic. Barrymore is strong, and Maureen O'Sullivan is just fine too; she plays the daughter who hates him for having been sent to prison and bringing shame on the family. The idea is excellent, but both the beginning and ending of the film include moments that strain credibility. I don't mind it in the science fiction that creates the technology or even the creator keeling over at just the right moment, but the melodrama at the end is all artificial and relies on a character motivation that is absurd. I have to believe that Browning was impacted by the Hays Code, which wouldn't have allowed an alternate. (I'm being vague here to avoid spoilers). I considered a slightly higher rating because of that, as it seems unfair to Browning, but have to judge it for the end product. Regardless, the film is entertaining and unique, and I would enjoy watching it again some rainy night.

poe-48833 THE DEVIL DOLL calls to mind an earlier Tod Browning film, the Silent classic THE UNHOLY THREE- and the Sound remake (directed by Jack Conway); both featured Lon Chaney in drag, and Barrymore's performance here is a Carbon Copy thereof. Chaney actually FOOLED me the first time I saw the Sound version of THE UNHOLY THREE: there was no way, I figured, that THAT was a Man... Barrymore manages, amazingly, to pull off just such a remarkable feat in THE DEVIL DOLL. It's almost a shame that they felt they had to include the "living dolls" in the act: it would've been interesting to see Barrymore match wits with a detective hell bent on "uncovering" his cross-dressing secret (shades of J. Edgar Hoover!).

Leofwine_draca An intriguing and often over-looked slice of melodrama from the 1930s, this film remains neglected alongside its bigger 'brothers' - namely Dracula, FRANKENSTEIN, and THE INVISIBLE MAN. However that doesn't mean that it should be forgotten - it's actually a very good little film that plays more like a standard romance tale than your usual horror flick.THE DEVIL-DOLL cleverly intermingles three plot strands into one and it gels nicely. The first is the standard melodramatic tale of a father loving a daughter who hates him for what he has done. All of the cast involved in this give good performances and it works nicely. Maureen O'Sullivan (star of the Tarzan films of the '30s) is excellent as the daughter who learns to forgive and forget.There is also the routine plot about a man returning to wreak revenge on the men who are responsible for his demise, and this section of the story too is quite interesting and enlivened by some varied, inspired acting. The final section - and the best - is the horrific element of the shrinking process involved in the film. Although made over sixty years ago, the special effects of the shrunken people still hold up even to this day. The special effects are elaborate and it isn't obvious that rear-screen projection was used. They're eye-opening and that's saying something.Unfortunately there is also an over the top performance from the woman playing Malita, who seems to think that opening her eyes wide will evoke terror - however all it evokes is laughter. She may be eye-opening but for all the wrong reasons. Along with that are the standard laboratory clichés - bubbling test tubes of poison, steam, foam, lots of glass tubing and containers. Barrymore carries the film somewhat and is excellent in his role as the tormented criminal with a heart of gold. This is one of those little films that has a bit of everything and it's well worth tracking down.

calvinnme Directed by Tod Browning, it's hard not to think about "The Unholy Three" where Lon Chaney dresses as an old lady as a cover for committing a multitude of crimes. However, that's where the similarity ends. Here it is Lionel Barrymore dressed as an old lady, posing as a Parisian toy manufacturer, when he is in fact hunted fugitive Paul Lavond, who was framed 17 years before by three associates and sent to Devil's Island for life. Once back in Paris, forgive and forget are not in this guy's vocabulary. Lavond says he must clear his name for the sake of his daughter, but - let's face it - he seems to be really enjoying his revenge. There are some plot holes here that confuse me. Lavond and his inmate friend Marcel escape from Devil's Island, which is off the coast of South America. Yet somehow the convicts manage to crawl to Marcel's wife's home. How did they get across the ocean? Did Marcel's wife relocate to Devil's Island hoping Marcel would escape? Although Lavond technically does not commit any crimes against the innocent, is what he does horrific enough that the production code requires his death? The ending is left so open it's hard to know what Paul Lavond's final move will be.Kudos to Rafaela Ottiano as Marcel's crazed widow with that streak of white in her hair and that Mrs. Danvers of the Devil Dolls vibe going for her as she somewhat steals the show. It's never mentioned how she lost that one arm and what appears to be part of one leg, but it sure adds to the atmosphere. Maureen O'Sullivan hams it up a bit as Lavond's embittered daughter but the relatively unknown Frank Lawton as her taxi driving fiancé somewhat dampens the effect with a fine performance as a very tolerant fellow who looks for the sunny side of life. Highly recommended as an odd little film from a director who specialized in them and that was quite daring for a movie made just after the production code.