Joe Solomon released Devil Doll in Phoenix, Arizona on 26 August 1964. He released it widely the following month. The producers must have had trouble getting distribution elsewhere because it didn’t show up in the UK until the following year.
Like many people, I discovered Devil Doll via MST3K. But I was annoyed at the crew and wanted them gone. As they all know, you can mock the greatest film ever made. The show mocked many good films. And Devil Doll was probably the best.
Critics dismissed the film at the time of its release. But since then, its reputation has grown. Michael Weldon wrote, “Aside from a Dead of Night segment, this is the best ventriloquist’s dummy film.” Even Leonard Maltin has praised it, which makes you wonder. But no! It really is good.
My hot take: The worst time to judge a film is when it is first released. It selects for commodity over art. And it makes watching the film on its own terms far more difficult.
I don’t have a lot to say. It’s a great film. But there is no one especially notable in the production except for co-screenwriter Ronald Kinnoch, who produced and co-wrote Village of the Damned. And you will recognize William Sylvester from 2001: A Space Odyssey. (He worked primarily in TV.)
Here’s a free copy of Devil Doll via Archive:
Other 26 August Anniversaries
Filmmakers
- Yvette Vickers (1928-2010?): Actor known for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and more. Her death is the stuff of horror films.
- Don LaFontaine (1940-2008): Iconic voice actor in almost every trailer you saw in the 1990s.
- Melissa McCarthy (1970-): Actor known for Identity Thief and the underrated Ghostbusters reboot.
- Macaulay Culkin (1980-): Star of the most disturbing horror film ever, Home Alone.
- Chris Pine (1980-): Captain Kirk in that Star Trek reboot that people seem to like.
Films
- The War of the Worlds (1953): Science fiction classic with issues.
- The Abominable Snowman (1957): Two scientists head to the mountains to find the monster.
- Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975): Giallo featuring abortion, nudity, and murder!
- Let’s Do It! (1982): Bert I Gordon sex comedy.
- Natural Born Killers (1994): Very stylish serial killers do their thing.
- The Brothers Grimm (2005): Con artist brothers end up in fairy tales.
- The Cave (2005): Underwater explorers are attacked by evil creatures.
- Resurrection Mary (2007): A young man dates a woman who might be a ghost and his friends start dying.
- Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010): Excellent remake of the 1973 TV movie.
- No Escape (2015): A family needs to find a way out of country in revolution.
- Don’t Breathe (2016): Three kids break into the house of a blind veteran only to regret it.
- I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016): A psychopathic teen fights a supernatural serial killer.
- The Invitation (2022): A woman finds that she is an ancestor of vampires. And now they’ve noticed.
Devil Doll (1964) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
