User Reviews

While he is famous for being the mind behind Universal's 1931 horror classic, "Dracula", director Tod Browning is also often labeled as another of the director who struggled the most when the invention of movies with sound arrived to cinema, smashing the careers of many professionals of the silent medium. One of the best American directors of silents, Browning did struggle with "talkies", but thanks to the enormous success of "Dracula", found himself in a very good position. Sadly, "Freaks", his next film, became so controversial that he lost the favor of the audience and the studios, who were not ready to the tale of the love between a midget and a "normal" woman. While he managed to recover from this, he never had again the commercial success of "Dracula"; a real shame, because in 1936 he directed the film that finally proved that he had understood the benefits of the new sound era: "The Devil-Doll".

In this film, Lionel Barrymore plays Paul Lavond, a former banker who was wrongfully accused of fraud and sent to prison for 17 years. In prison he meets another convict named Marcel (Henry B. Walthall), an odd scientist who becomes his friend and plan their escape together. After escaping, they hide in Marcel's house, where Lavond discovers that Marcel and his wife Malita (Rafaela Ottiano) invented a way to minimize objects, in an attempt to reduce people in order to save space and food. Sadly, the process damages the brains of living beings, reducing them to puppets who can be easily controlled with the mind. Lavond is at first horrified by this insanity, but after the sudden death of Marcel, he decides to help Malita if she agrees to help him in his revenge. Now, disguised as an innocent old lady, Lavond returns to Paris with his devilish living dolls, decided to make those who send him to prison pay for every year he spent without his family.

The story was written by Browning himself, giving his very own spin to the plot of Abraham Merritt's novel "Burn Witch Burn"; however, the screenplay was done by Guy Endore, Garrett Fort and Erich Von Stroheim, so actually very few remains from Merritt's novel in the movie, and it's truly more a Browning film. As usual in his stories, Browning focuses on the misadventures of an outcast, in this case Paul Lavond, who while being the hero of the story, has to resort to brutal crimes to achieve his vengeance, almost like a horror retelling of "The Count of Montecristo". The story unfolds nicely, and despite being more than 70 years old, it still feels fresh and original. This is definitely because the characters of the film are so very well developed that truly feel and act like real complex persons despite the fantasy elements of the story.

Now, the true surprise of the film is definitely Tod Browning's effective direction of the whole thing. While he is revered for his work in "Dracula" and "Freaks", most critics and fans tend to agree that his best work happened in the silent era, as those films (as well as "Mark of the Vampire") have their best scenes in the silent parts. Well, this movie proves that idea wrong, as not only "The Devil-Doll" is heavily based on dialog, it is remarkably well-executed and is definitely on par with most of Browning's best silent films. As usual, Browning mixes horror and black comedy in a delightful subtle way, even referencing his own classic "The Unholy Three" in occasions. Finally, it must also be pointed out that in this film Browning crafts truly impressive scenes with special effects that still look awe inspiring even today.

Of course, not everything is about Browning, as certainly without his superb cast the final result would be very different. Lionel Barrymore is simply amazing as Paul Levond, portraying the tragic figure of the good man consumed by hate, forced to commit crimes to clean his name. Barrymore was a master of his craft, and he proves it in the scenes where he must disguise himself as an old lady. Maureen O'Sullivan and Frank Lawton, fresh from Cukor's version of "David Copperfield", are reunited again, playing Lavond's daughter and the man in love with her. The two of them are very natural, but is O'Sullivan's talent the one that shines the most. Italian actress Rafaela Ottiano gives a very good and scary performance, although the fact that Barrymore's character is the focus of the film limits her screen time quite a lot. Overall the cast is pretty effective, and one of the main reasons of the movie's high quality.

It's a shame that Browning's career was considered beyond redemption after the huge commercial failure of the misunderstood "Freaks", as this movie proves that there was still a lot in Browning to give after mastering the craft of making "talkies". While it's hard to deny the importance and value of both "Dracula" and "Freaks", it is only in this movie where Browning shows a true understanding of the new technology, as while the movie is still very visual, it's at its core a very dialog oriented film, and Browning demonstrates he can handle it. While the story has that feeling of being taken straight from a pulp novel, it's very emotional and dramatic (without being overtly sappy), and it could be said that it's in this movie where Browning finally combines the best of both worlds.

Like most people, I too used to believe that Browning's best days happened along Lon Chaney during the years of the silent era, however, "The Devil-Doll" is a film that has made me reconsider that thought as this movie has everything that made Browning great in the silents, as well as his full domination of the new technology. While definitely nowhere near "Dracula" or "Freaks", this is a "talkie" that shows him at his best. 8/10

In what was unfortunately his next to last directorial effort, Tod Browning creates a fun flick with a good gimmick (and good special effects), fine acting, and ultimately a truly touching quality. As we can see, our vengeance obsessed main character may be an antagonist but is not really a villain. His love for his daughter and mother comes through strongly, and with an actor as compulsively watchable as Lionel Barrymore in the lead, the movie is certainly easy enough to follow.

Barrymore plays Paul Lavond, a banker framed by his partners and sent up the river, who at the beginning of the movie breaks out of Devil's Island prison in the company of a persecuted scientist, Marcel (Henry B. Walthall), who's devised what *he* thinks is the answer to the worlds' hunger problem: shrink everybody and everything so that the quantity of the worlds' food will then amount to more. The thing, Marcel and his wife Malita (Rafaela Ottiano) are clearly mad, and despite Pauls' own misgivings about their actions (yes, our antagonist does have some morals) he's still okay with using them towards his own ends.

This leads to some fairly well realized sequences in which "miniaturized" dogs, horses, and people are controlled by masters such as Barrymore. The sequences in which Lachna (Grace Ford) and Radin (Arthur Hohl) go about particular missions are entertaining every step of the way. In general, the film is a little talky and never terribly scary, but Browning does generate some palpable suspense and in one great moment, as the clock is ticking, the character Matin (Pedro de Cordoba) feels his conscience getting to him. Maureen O'Sullivan, as Lavonds' daughter Lorraine, and Frank Lawton, as ambitious and cheery taxi driver Toto (!), make for an appealing couple. But getting to watch the interesting Mr. Barrymore at work is really the main reason to watch "The Devil-Doll", especially as he dresses in drag as Lavond masquerades as a doddering old character named Miss Mandilip.

Set in Paris, and scripted by Garrett Fort, Guy Endore, and Erich von Stroheim, this does have solid atmosphere going for it, as well as an affecting, emotional ending. This may not be quite as memorable as Brownings' other works, but is worth a look for fans of genre films from this period.

Seven out of 10.

Lionel Barrymore is great in this film as an escaped convict out for revenge against the three bankers who framed him for embezzlement and murder seventeen years before. He and another fellow, a scientist, escape from Devil's Island together and arrive at the scientist's house, where his wife carries on his twisted experiments: shrinking living beings. His goal is to shrink all creatures on Earth, to make food production easier, but the shrunken things' brains don't function properly. You can control them telepathically, for some strange reason, but they can't think for themselves. When the scientist dies, Barrymore devises to use these dolls to get revenge on his enemies.

There are a lot of relatively good special effects in the film, and, like I said, Lionel Barrymore is fantastic. There is a nice emotional center of the film - Barrymore's daughter has suffered a lot from her father's crimes, and she hates him. Barrymore's sole purpose in getting revenge (and getting his enemies to confess their crimes) is to free his daughter from the shame in which she has always lived because of him. I actually wish that there was at least one more sequence concerning the daughter (there are three in the present film). The final scene is quite touching. 7/10.

To the masses, Tod Browning is mostly unknown. Those who do know his name mostly remember him as the director of the original 'Dracula'. Fans of the genre remember him as the director not only of that movie, but of 'Freaks' as well.

But there is a great slightly campy classic that he directed near the end of his career, The Devil Doll.

While it never hits the highs of those earlier films, it is certainly worth a watch. The story concerns Paul Lavond (played by the always awesome Lionel Barrymore) - an escaped prisoner who learns a way to shrink humans to 1/6th their size, and rob them of their free will. He uses this secret to enact revenge on the men who framed him and sent him to prison.

Like his other films, this Tod Browning film also started a bit of a subgenre in the horror field - no, I'm not talking about creepy dolls (though a case could perhaps be made for that), I'm talking about the wronged individual that seeks redress in a vengeful manner (sure, earlier films danced around the concept - notably 'The Phantom of the Opera' - but here it is so straightforward. Lavond openly admits that he is full of "hatred", "vengeance" and even "evil". That is very refreshing, even in a film that's over 70 years old! Lavond realizes that he will ultimately pay a heavy price for his actions, but never wavers in his conviction to see his plans fully realized. Many great films in the genre followed this formula later on, notably 'The Abominable Dr. Phibes'.

Another great aspect to this film is the great supporting cast. Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane from the Tarzan films!) as Lavond's daughter, and character actress Rafaela Ottiano creepy as always as Lavond's accomplice.

Definitely worth a watch.

For those who remember the word "camp," that description would apply to this film and especially the character played by lead actor Lionel Barrymore.

He makes this movie really fun to watch, adding humor to the "horror" story, dressing up and talking like an old woman en route to satisfying his revenge. The story has no credibility - absolutely none - but the movie is so likable that it's still satisfying and always entertaining. I wish this would be put out on DVD.

Another big plus for this movie is the fact it isn't that dated for being so old. The special effects, for its day, are quite good. The combination of humor and horror works, almost 70 years after it was released! Tod Browning, who did some weird movies such as "Freaks," directed this one, if that helps make you want to check this out.

Disguised as an old woman, an escaped convict uses the creations of a pair of mad scientists to further his schemes of personal revenge.

Director Tod Browning, master of the macabre, had another winner with this little horror/science fiction film. Its glossy production values, courtesy of MGM, do not get in the way of the director's pacing or the heightening of suspense. The actual story itself - with tiny, shrunken people being used to carry out dastardly deeds in Paris - is quite absurd, but the cast is so good and the direction so able that the viewer can simply sit back and enjoy the results.

Lionel Barrymore, one of America's greatest character actors, has a field day in the lead role and is actually quite compelling dressed as an elderly lady, hobbling about like an authentic beldame. It would not be long before he would be confined to a wheelchair by crippling arthritis, but with his excellent voice and piercing eyes Barrymore would scarcely be handicapped as an actor. Here he is a positive menace, cooing & consoling his intended victims before sending the devil-dolls - controlled by his mind - to finish the job of retribution.

Fragile & ailing, Silent Film star Henry B. Walthall would be dead before THE DEVIL-DOLL could be released. Nonetheless, he still manages to give a powerful performance as a deranged scientist who has discovered how to reduce living things to one sixth their original size. Walthall's desperate eagerness over his researches replicates the dying actor's desperation to communicate with his audience. Equally formidable is Italian actress Rafaela Ottiano as Walthall's widow, feverishly continuing her husband's weird experiments. Her insane eyes and sinister mien, making her resemble Frankenstein's Bride, give the film some of its spookiest moments.

Rotund Robert Greig appears as one of Barrymore's victims; gentle Lucy Beaumont plays Barrymore's mother. Maureen O'Sullivan & Frank Lawton, reunited once again after DAVID COPPERFIELD (1935), nicely fill the requisite roles of the young lovers.

Movie mavens will recognize Eily Malyon as a mean-tempered laundress & Billy Gilbert as a butler, both uncredited.

Erich von Stroheim, brilliant & obsessive, was one of the screenwriters on this project. The special effects in the scenes involving the tiny people are quite well managed.

Todd Browning is most famous for strange films such as Freaks and The Unknown; but the strangest thing about this film is actually not the subject material; it's the way everything comes together. Looking at this film on paper would easily lead any sane person into thinking that its going to be a great big mess, but somehow Todd Browning has pulled together ideas including a criminal on the run, a mad science project to shrink every living thing in the world, transvestism and a story about a man wanting to reconcile with the daughter who hates him, and created a masterpiece out of it! The plot focuses on Paul Lavond; a man wrongly accused of robbery and sent to Devil's Island. He manages to escape along with a friend of his; a mad scientist who has discovered a way to shrink living things, with the idea of having less food consumed in mind. Lavond seizes an opportunity to use this discovery to get his own back on those who framed him; and at the same time clear his name so his only daughter won't hate his memory.

The film is extremely entertaining to watch; Browning keeps things going with a real verve and since there's so much diversity on display, things simply don't have chance to get boring. When the film finished I knew I'd enjoyed it thoroughly; but it's not until I stepped back and started to think about the film that I realised what a masterpiece it is! Browning weaves his web with great skill and frankly unrelated plots fit together seamlessly. The lead character Paul Lavond at first appears to be a dastardly opportunist; but through this story of revenge and shrunken people, his character develops and by the end, we not only like the character - but actually understand and respect his actions throughout the film! (Yes, we understand and respect why he had to use shrunken people for revenge). For what at first appears to be a silly horror film, that is a real achievement. The lead character is brought to life by Lionel Barrymore; a very talented actor that leads the film brilliantly; both as leading man and his alter-ego, Madame Mandelip! There's so much more going on than just the central story too; Rafaela Ottiano's delightfully twisted sidekick Malita is the pick of Browning's sideshows. The Devil-Doll is liable to be brushed aside by many for the silliness of its central plot; but if you look a little deeper, you'll surely find a complex little story that works much better than it has any right to. I would not hesitate to HIGHLY recommend this film to anyone that loves their off-the-wall cinema!

Don't let the genre classification as "sci/fi & horror" mislead you. It's really an excellent suspense/mystery/melodrama with the superb Lionel Barrymore (Mr Potter of "It's a Wonderful Life") and a young Maureen O'Sullivan. The sci/fi & fantasy elements - a mad scientist's ability to shrink people and control their actions - are exciting plot devices that allows Barrymore to exact revenge on the men who destroyed his life and family.

Director Tod Browning ("Freaks", the original "Dracula", and many Lon Chaney films) has created a great mix of suspense, action, light humor, & heart-tugging emotions in this tale of revenge and redemption.

The efx are (mostly) ahead of their time, and as good as the later shrunken-people sci-fi movies of the 40s and 50s, such as "Dr Cyclops", "Attack of the Puppet People", and "The Incredible Shrinking Man".

But the best part is the great acting of Barrymore. He plays a desperate escaped convict, who hides by masquerading as a kindly old woman, who in turn pretends to be maker of perfectly detailed dolls. As this character that's both humorous and murderous, obsessed and befuddled, he toys with the police and his betrayers who will be the targets of his army of living dolls. It's a tour de force of acting in this beautiful film.

Although much has been said about Barrymore in drag, there can be too much of a good thing. The performance is outstanding but on screen so much, with that irritating but realistic cackling voice and hunchback, it comes dangerously close to a detrimental domination and detraction from the bizarre, that is the backbone of the film.

The film as a whole has so much more interesting and odd characters, horror, and sci-fi elements, and just plain creepiness that it comes off as an excellent example of the the depression era 1930's proliferation of pictures that are completely removed from the everyday.

It is a supernatural stew. The magical and the mystical, the supernatural and dementia, are all in view with believable special effects and a suspenseful script.

The Director's lovely obsession with the dark side and physical and psychological abnormalities are an obvious, predominantly personalized vision that was his greatest asset and his greatest liability. Always on or beyond the cutting edge his movies are seen today with more respect and serious consideration than this renaissance man received while he was creating his work of the weird and wonderful.

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It drew me in and kept my attention. The special effects were very good. The fact that the shrinking of the people was just a subplot was totally cool. I would like to see it again.

This could as easily have been given the name of Browning's previous movie: "Freaks."

Lionel Barrymore demonstrates more range than we're accustomed to, playing an escaped convict and, much of the time, a sweet old lady.

Ottiano is scary as the widow of his jail buddy, who has the patent on making live people into dolls.

The print shown this week on Turner Classics is beautiful but seems to have gaps in its continuity, as if all that survives may be something cut up for commercials in the days when local stations showed old movies.

You know how it goes in a cinematic life. You find filmmakers that you can trust to engage you. It's not so much that you feel comfortable with them, or that they entertain you.

From the thirties, the filmmaker that delivers for me is Tod Browning. Where Tim Burton portrays a damaged world, he does so in order to laugh at it. Browning's world is populated entirely by freaks, even the cops. Its all an honorable circus.

This is one of his best, because it is less obvious and because it has some really good actors.

The story is completely incomprehensible. A framed bank president seeks revenge. He is thrown into control of a situation which begins the movie: there's a system for shrinking people and animals but they lack minds, so can be controlled by concentrating. This works for humans and animals and inexplicably the controller (usually Lionel Barrymore, the wronged banker), gets feedback somehow so he can direct the little people even when he can't see what's happening.

Things are complicated by a slew of women: the newly dead scientist's wife who has the shrinking secret and who thinks everyone should be shrunk — to save food, you see. There's the banker's mother and daughter. The latter provides some melodrama. And our banker disguises himself as a woman dollmaker.

These women grind the soft spots in our minds.

There are tons of plot holes. But we don't mind a bit because the deal here is the creation of a world of darkness and weird physics.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

An escaped Devil's Island convict (Lionel Barrymore) uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those that framed him.

This story started out from a 1934 novel by Abraham Merritt called "Burn, Witch, Burn" and a 14-page article Merritt wrote with a Dr. Lowell. The connection is loose, with the overlap being the doll shop. The script, originally called "Witch Doctor of Timbuctoo" and written by Guy Endore ("Mad Love", every werewolf film), removes any mention of Satanism. Of course, exactly what Endore contributed is unclear without reading the script revisions, because over the course of a year his work was re-written by Garrett Fort (who had written both "Frankenstein" and "Dracula"), Robert Chapin, silent star Eric von Stroheim and Richard Schayer ("Frankenstein", "The Mummy").

With direction from Tod Browning ("Dracula", "Freaks"), how can you go wrong with this? Though, again, Browning's full contribution is unclear, because retakes were done not by him, but by Leon Gordon, Sam Zimbalist and William Anthony McGuire. None of these men were credited, and it seems they must have worked on it while also doing MGM's "The Great Ziegfeld".

Maureen O'Sullivan (Tarzan's Jane) is here, as are Rafaela Ottiano ("Grand Hotel") and Frank Lawton, who had just finished playing the title role in MGM's "David Copperfield". Throw in Lionel Barrymore in women's clothing, and you have quite the story...

Interestingly, the biggest star in the film was probably Henry B. Walthall, who played the convict Marcel. His name may not ring many bells today, but in his time he was quite the star under the tutelage of D. W. Griffith and appears on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

While a bit slow at times, and inevitably compared to "Bride of Frankenstein", this is overall a good film with fine direction and a solid story. The original novel seems hard to come by, but the film is available in a box set of horror classics (though, strangely, is the only one of six not to have an audio commentary).

Two escapes convicts - Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore), who was wrongly imprisoned for robbing a Paris bank and killing a night watchman, and Marcel (Henry B. Walthall), a genius scientist who has worked out a formula that can shrink people to a sixth of their size - flee from Devil's Island. They wind up at Marcel's wife Malita's (Rafaela Ottiano) place, where Lavond witnesses Marcel's scientific experiment on his inbred, mute serving girl, shrinking her into a doll size. The plan is to shrink everyone in the world down to this size and control the Earth's food supply, but when Marcel dies suddenly, Lavond convinces Malita to come to Paris with him to seek revenge on the three bankers that wronged him.

The plot has no credibility at all. Even by 1930's horror standards, this is extremely weak plotting. But Tod Browning's solid, reliable direction (here still piecing together his career after 1932's Freaks) and Lionel Barrymore's excellent, if camp, performance, makes The Devil- Doll is a must-see curiosity for horror buffs. The early MacGuffin is set aside in favour of Lavond's revenge, and when in Paris, he cross- dresses and becomes a dear old woman who runs a little toy shop. It's in this disguise that helps him to infiltrate the three suspecting bankers - high-pitched voice, Mrs. Doubtfire-style. Barrymore certainly doesn't shrink from the task, tackling this ludicrous plot device with gutso, and rather it coming across as simply preposterous, the film becomes memorable for it.

The special effects deserve a mention also, as the three set-pieces where Lavond uses his miniature people dolls as instruments of death provide some nice moments. Of course, when compared to the CGI wonders that modern-day film-making provides, it's laughable, but for it's day, The Devil-Doll uses some impressive effects. The whole experience is certainly an odd one. It's not scary or mysterious, nor does the plot makes much (if any) sense, but there's a real heart to the film. Lavond's daughter Lorraine (Maureen O'Sullivan) has hated her father all her life for a crime she believes him to have committed, so the film becomes more than a simple revenge film. The final scene between Lavond and Lorraine is actually quite touching. This won't make any Best Of... horror lists, it's too obscure for that, but it's one of many stand-outs on Tod Browning's filmography, and a true curiosity.

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I have this on tape and had not seen it in years and decided to view it again. I did not remember it at all. This is a weird movie about a mad scientist who invented this formula to shrink people to miniature versions so that the world's food supply will last longer. He escapes from prison (why he was there in the first place, I have no clue) with his prison buddy---who was framed for a bank embezzlement scheme. The scientist soon dies of a heart attack and the friend hatches a plot to enact revenge on his former cohorts. Lionel Barrymore is in drag for most of the movie and we have this crazy woman who looks like the bride of Frankenstein or a demented version of Lilly Munster who is obsessed with continuing the work of her late husband, the guy who had the heart attack. Well, it is an experience watching this, but weird. Funny, too, but at the end, we sort of have a happy ending...sort of. Lionel reconnects with his daughter, although he does not say he is her father, so that turns out fine and dandy. But he, himself, just wanders off into the night. Weird....but interesting is the Devil-Doll.

After seventeen years in prison, the former respected Parisian banker Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore) flees with his friend, the lunatic scientist Marcel (Henry B. Walthall) that is researching with his wife Malita (Rafaela Ottiano) the miniaturization of animals and human beings to improve the resources of mankind. Paul Lavond was framed for robbery by his scoundrel associates Emil Coulvet (Robert Greig), Charles Matin (Pedro de Cordoba) and Victor Radin (Arthur Hohl) that had stolen his business while his family was doomed to shame, poverty and tragedy. When Marcel reduces the retarded servant Lachna (Grace Ford), he learns that the woman is motionless and only responds to the control of his brain and has a heart attack. After the death of Marcel, Paul Lavond sees the chance to use the miniaturization process as instrument of vengeance and he travels to Paris with the insane Malita disguised of Madame Mandilip, a nice old lady and owner of a dolls store. Paul Lavond, using the identity of Madame Mandilip, befriends his resented and estranged daughter Lorraine Lavond (Maureen O'Sullivan) and plots a scheme to revenge and vindicate his family name.

"The Devil Doll" is an entertaining film by Tod Browning with a good story and special effects still impressive in 2011. The cast has great performances but Lionel Barrymore is excellent in his double role, and convincing as an old woman. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Boneca do Diabo" ("The Devil Doll")

Tod Browning directed a great film from 1936 with a story about two escaped prisoners from Devils Island, one was a banker who was framed by his fellow workers and another was a scientist who was experimenting with animals and being able to make them into miniature dolls. Lionel Barrymore, (Paul Lovand) was the banker who had a daughter, Lorraine Lovard, (Maureen O'Sullivan) mother to Mia Farrow,"Rosemary's Baby". This film is filled with horror, murder and also a love story between a father and his daughter who are separated and anger and hatred are created between a great misunderstanding. Lionel Barrymore gives an outstanding performance and plays a double role in this film which will amuse you and at the same time terrify you at the horrors that are committed in this film. Great Halloween Film.

The main reason to watch this movie is because it is entertaining. There are several reasons behind the high entertainment value. First and foremost is just the unique odd perspective of Tod Browning. You can almost hear people say "You can't do that!" and him reply "Oh yes I can, just watch me!" Another plus is that, believe it or not, the special effects still hold up after seventy years.

Lionel Barrymore in his most unusual role displays tremendous talent and versatility. He even makes his advanced arthritis condition work for him, as his crippled bent posture and slow walking ability (he would soon become cane-using and wheelchair-bound) add to his uncanny portrayal of an elderly woman. He sort of looks and sounds like his own sister in her later years, but anyway it really works.

The musical score is not much in evidence, but if you get a chance to hear a modern CD performance of it you will note that Waxman created a sophisticated waltz-themed work. Its complicated lilting structure that first ascends, then ends with several descending series of notes is brilliant, especially if played at faster tempo. It is subtly elegant and appropriate for this film.

Sheer talent and high creativity elevate this film to an "8" out of 10 rating on my scale.

Great idea in principle. I loved the way Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore) used the 'dolls' (actually shrunken people with paralysed brains) to take revenge on his former associates. Good special effects, too. On the downside: while Barrymore's disguise as an old woman looked good, I found his artificially high-pitched voice unconvincing and after the first few minutes highly (and increasingly) irritating. Also, I am not sure the sub-plot that involves his mother and daughter (Lucy Beaumont and Maureen O'Sullivan) contributes much to the story. Something that gives Barrymore a bit of 'human interest' is probably neccessary, but given the way this sub-plot is handled it felt like an add-on and a distraction. I would also have liked to learn more about how the people turned into 'dolls' felt about being subjected to that kind of treatment. Still, all in all this is a nice horror flick, and enjoyable enough for the about 80 minutes it takes.

Tod Browning directed this Science Fiction/Revenge film that stars Lionel Barrymore as Paris banker Paul Lavond, who was wrongfully convicted of robbery and murder(framed by two crooked associates) and sent to Devil's Island, where years later he escapes with a fellow prisoner who also happens to be a brilliant scientist who invented a technique to shrink people and animals! The inventor dies in flight, but Lavond survives and makes his way home, where he begins a campaign of revenge against his enemies, though does take time to reunite with his daughter(played by Maureen O' Sullivan)in disguise as a woman, which is part of the overall plot. Good(if contrived) premise has some reasonable F/X but ruined by an astonishingly anti-climatic ending. Oh well!