Tod Browning

(On Cable TV, September 2022) Now here’s a fun surprise from the 1930s, a decade in which a few hardy creators were doing interesting things in the fantastic genre. The Devil-Doll is not exactly the most logical or tightly plotted movie out there—it’s a mixture of wacky scientific ideas, arbitrary restrictions, revenge fantasy, special effects showcase and one big hammy actor at the centre of it all. That would be Lionel Barrymore, of course, playing an escaped convict from French Guyana’s Devil Island (where Papillon would later take place) and vowing revenge on those who framed him for fraud and murder by using the human-shrinking technology of the scientist friend he escapes with. If your “you’ve gotta be kidding me!” tripwire has already been triggered by this preposterous premise, then sit down because it’s not going to get any better: Disguised as a woman (hence Barrymore’s interest in the role), our protagonist goes around Paris, shrinking people to doll size, evading police, and unleashing revenge on his enemies by using his dolls with evil intent. Oh, and checking in on his estranged daughter along the way. There are a few conceptual showcases here, such as psychologically torturing his enemy into a confession… while having a murderous back-up plan ready to go if they don’t. Plausible? Absolutely not. Rather entertaining? Yes, very much so. The film being written and directed by Tod Browning clearly gives it a halo effect from Browning’s other landmark horror film Freaks, but it’s perfectly watchable on its own. There’s a further interest in seeing how the film dates from 1936 rather than, say, Pre-Code 1934—some of the film seems to skirt or avoid the strictures of the Production Code—most notably the anti-hero escaping further punishment. Also, Maureen O’Sullivan is quite lovely here. But in the end, all of those quirks accumulate to provide yet another reason why the 1930s remain a strong decade for cinephiles—so much invention for results that remain just as accessible now as they’ve ever been.