Devil Doll Men (1961)
aka Curse of the Doll People
aka Muñecos infernales
Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Country: Mexico | Director: Benito Alazraki
Language: English | Subtitles: None
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 | Length: 82mn
Dvdrip H264 Mkv – 640×480 – 29.970fps – 1.32gb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063330/
Four archaeologists take a sacred idol from a holy temple. Evil and powerful voodoo priest Zandor (robustly played by Quintin Bulnes) puts a curse on the four men and their loved ones. The guys are stalked and killed by lethal dolls armed with sharp poison needles.
Director Benito Alazraki maintains a brisk pace throughout, elicits spirited acting from a fine cast (the lovely Elvira Quintana is especially good as occult expert Karina), and expertly creates a supremely spooky atmosphere. Enrique Wallace’s stark, grainy cinematography and the brooding score further enhance the overall creepy mood. But it’s the film’s ruthless open season on everybody grimly serious tone that gives this picture an additional eerie and unnerving edge (the doll autopsy scene in particular is a definite ghoulish highlight).
The doll people, portrayed by midgets in macabre masks with their victims’ faces on them, are truly freaky and unsettling creatures. Zandor’s hulking rot-faced zombie servant is likewise really cool and grotesque. The sequences in Zandor’s underground lair totally smoke. A fun and worthwhile fright feature.
Always delightful and often overlooked. Many thanks, NLZ.