The session: "Bring Your Own Movie Month"
As in past years, we each take turns bring a movie and presenting it.
Week 5 (Bobbo): Devil Doll (1964)
Directed by Lindsay Shonteff
My Level of Prior Knowledge
Never heard of it.
Plot:
A sinister ventriloquist uses his eerily lifelike dummy and hypnotic powers to manipulate a wealthy heiress. Meanwhile, a reporter uncovers the ventriloquist's dark secret.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
The Doll immediately reminded me of an episode of Twilight Zone that involved a ventriloquists' dummy come to life. That set my expectation for the direction this film would take. Of course, my expectations were wrong -- in fact, they wdere a complete inversion. Which is fine, since the story itself held up pretty well.
This had a very small-time feel, though it did a very good job of building tension and making the viewer guess. In fact, if you you ignore the nudity, it would have done well has a long Twilight Zone episode.
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