Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 4.0 | 22/31 | Tod Browning
A spotlight shines out from a prison tower on Devil’s Island. A guard stands by on a turret, ready to shoot if necessary. Guards guide dogs through the marshy jungle. Paul and Marcel push on, discussing what awaits them when they escape.
— You have only hatred in your heart. My work will help the world to live. — And my work will help three men die.
Malita works in a lab on the outskirts of French Guiana when her dog, Briggs, barks a warning. The other dogs join in outside. They run to the door to find Malita’s husband, Marcel, and Paul in a boat. When they go inside, Paul reveals how ill Marcel has been.
Marcel and Malita show Paul what he thinks are toy dogs, but are dogs reduced to 1/6th their original size. Marcel aims to reduce everyone to 1/6th their size and lower their demand on the Earth’s limited resources.
Paul tells Malita about his three business associates who framed Paul and put him in prison. After Marcel figures out the solution and passes it to Malita, he dies. Paul helps her complete the work on a woman. Paul must concentrate and she will respond to his will.
Armed with the formula, Paul disguises himself as an elderly lady. Malita assists him in using the formula to create “toys,” which he then employs for revenge against the men who harmed him.
The film has a great setup. It takes a little time to weave together the story pieces and get to the actual revenge. Those scenes, and some of the police investigation, have some satisfying tension.
The effects are solid and remind me of The Bride of Frankenstein. I guess this is technically a “killer toy” movie, but it’s too much of its own weird thing to fall into easy classification.
Todd Browning kills it again.