The Devil-Doll

The Devil-Doll is a B&W 1936 horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring a cross-dressing Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan as his daughter, Lorraine Levond.

The main thrust of the plot of this little-known B-movie classic where Barrymore plays the fellow inmate of a mad scientist who is trying to create a formula to reduce the size of people to 1/6th of their original size, with the idea of conserving the resources needed for survival: clean water, food, energy, etc. which are limited on the Earth last longer for an ever-growing population. The scientist dies after their escape. Barrymore's character joins the fellow escapee's widow, "Malita," and uses the shrinking technique to obtain revenge on business associates who framed him and vindication for himself.

While unavoidably a camp film, there is a serious message underlying the entire plot: that of the concern of over-population, and that the resources on Earth are by nature limited, and that at some point if population growth is not controlled and limited, these resources will be too limited to allow mankind to survive. This is fairly forward-looking for a film penned in 1934.

Cast * Lionel Barrymore- Paul Lavond * Maureen O'Sullivan - Lorraine Lavond * Frank Lawton - Toto * Rafaela Ottiano - Malita * Robert Greig - Emil Coulvet * Lucy Beaumont - Madame Lavond * Henry B. Walthall - Marcel * Grace Ford ... Lachna * Pedro de Cordoba - Charles Matin * Arthur Hohl - Victor Radin * Juanita Quigley - Marguerite Coulvet * Claire Du Brey - Madame Coulvet (as Claire du Brey) * Rollo Lloyd - Detective Maurice

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• The
• Devil-Doll

[in2b]

I seen this movie for the first time Oct. 2011; it's fascinating..... It was about 3 a.m. couldn't change the channel. lol Where can I purchase a DVD?

tbarbie!!!

[1axalove]

Thanks for posting-- the scene where Malita watches the two 'dolls' dancing Apache' is creepy, bizarre and unforgettable! One of my favorite movies.

[Lowerthetone1]

An absolute classic. Right up there with "Freaks", "The Black Cat" and "The Raven" (it will hopefully join them in a UK DVD release one day). Rafaela Ottiano is both repulsive and terrifying; a twentieth century hag from hell.

[83survivor]

My parents recall this movie during the old days in the 60s....seeing Lionel Barrymore in drag is a scream.

[bigwoolleypenguin]

I remember watching this years ago it was really creepy and haunting. Amazing film , Id love to see it again properly. These old films were fabulous and genuinely frightening. For all the modern technology and special effects , etc, theyll never be able to make anything quite like these films ever again. I dont know exactly what it is about them , they were just fabulous. You can keep all the modern films. Just compare the 1999 " The Mummy " with the 1933 version & see which is scariest !

[renata1934]

I loved this movie! I just watched it for the 1st time, wow it's AMAZING!

[FFFan3445]

I've been spazzing out about that song for weeks. It still gets to me, too. LOLOLOL.

[adnap123]

Lol!

[FFFan3445]

"Devil Dolls! Are they human?"

Or are they dancer? Lulz. That was freaking perfect.