Devil Doll (film)

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Devil Doll is a 1964 British film about hypnotist-cum-ventriloquist "The Great Vorelli" (Bryant Halliday) in his struggle to prove to the people who laughed at him long ago that yes, he can transfer a mind into the body of a wooden vent figure. At one show, by what seems to be pure serendipity, the 'good guy' Mark English (William Sylvester, before [[2001: A Space Odyssey]]) ropes his girlfriend Marianne (Yvonne Romain) into volunteering for Vorelli's act. English's obsessive skepticism results in acquisition of expert testimony and even an impromptu, depressing trip to Germany. Along the way, minds are controlled, people are menaced with knives, and dummies are insulted. Somehow, Vorelli's dummy turns the tables at the close of the movie, and everything ends.

For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, please go to the episode recap page.


Tropes used in Devil Doll (film) include:

Vorelli: (To Human!Hugo) This time, Hugo... you're going to die!

  • She Knows Too Much: about Vorelli's sordid past, so Magda has to go.
  • Spanner in the Works: Grace, Vorelli's replacement assistant; she interrupts him in the last scene before he can tighten the Restraining Bolt on Hugo -- and after he opens the door to Hugo's cage, allowing the puppet to destroy the plans of the Great Vorelli.
  • Useless Protagonist: Besides the "endangering his girlfriend" part, did English affect the plot in any way?
    • Essentially, English in no way facilitates the resolution of all that's made wrong...not even his urgent trip to Berlin, nor the consultations with the experts. Because of this, it makes Hugo The Hero.
  • Who's Laughing Now?: Two for the price of one!
  • Wimp Fight: Vorelli gets his ass kicked by a puppet!