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Devil Doll

Devil Doll

  • Status: Released
  • 01-09-1964
  • Runtime: 81 min
  • Score: 4.719
  • Vote count: 48

An evil hyponotist/ventriloquist plots to gain an heiress' millions.

Bryant Haliday

The Great Vorelli

William Sylvester

Mark English

Yvonne Romain

Marianne Horn

Sandra Dorne

Magda Gardinas

Karl Stepanek

Dr. Heller

Francis de Wolff

Dr. Keisling

Nora Nicholson

Aunt Eva

Alan Gifford

Bob Garrett

David Charlesworth

Hugo Novik

Sadie Corre

Hugo the Dummy

Lorenza Colville

Mercedes

Trixie Dallas

Miss Penton

Guy Deghy

Hans

Heidi Erich

Grace

Philip Ray

Uncle Walter

Ella Tracey

Louisa, secretary

Margaret Durnell

Countess

John Tatum

Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)

CinemaSerf

I remember being terrified of this when I saw it as child. "The Great Vorelli" (Bryant Haliday) is a successful, but distinctly dodgy looking, ventriloquist with his puppet "Hugo". When he meets the wealthy "Marianne" (Yvonne Romain) he sets his heart on her fortune, and to that end manages to render her comatose. Her journalist boyfriend "Mark" (William Sylvester) is suspicious and begins to investigate. These enquiries soon reveal that the entertainer's past is somewhat murky - made more so when his girlfriend "Magda" is found dead, and that's not the first corpse associated with the man. Thus far, the film is actually quite menacingly entertaining. The girl awakes from her coma, decides to marry "Vorelli" and it is soon clear that "Hugo" might not be quite as much of a dummy as his plastic exterior suggests, This is when the suspense drains away; the story loses it's way, becomes way too dialogue heavy and the ending is really weak and inconclusive. Haliday is quite effective, but the rest of the cast really don't deliver - lots of hysterics from them and the violins in the orchestra just don't cut it. The years haven't been kind to the sense of jeopardy here - pity.