Unbelievable obscurity from the mid-80s revels in its pornographic and horror inspirations. A church-going lady saving herself for marriage goes shopping at a thrift store and picks up a Jamaican puppet believed to have evil powers. It then proceeds to rape the living bejeezus out of her and turns her into a horn dog, only human meat cannot satiate her newfound hunger for puppet penis. Absurd on every level with pacing that can block a magnum bullet, this has garnered a cult status for all the right reasons. Only a few freeze frame montages show any creativity and deliver the biggest belly laughs, unless you count the disco scene from 1984 with numerous extras shaking their booties to Casio music. Which is the film's other main asset: score. The opening credits droll for a full 6.5 minutes with an accompanying song you'd swear was performed and vocalized by Aaron Stielstra; the rest of the songs coming from a Casio keyboard demonstration (literally) and an unbearable one-note synth drone that sounds like your tape is broken. Remarkably, the puppetry is very competent and I couldn't spot any humans manipulating the Fat Albert-voiced doll. Many, many scenes of erotica and nudity from one of the most unattractive women to grace the screen. The thrift store owner's line reading is hilarious and deserves its own drinking game.
38 Reviews
Once you go puppet...
BA_Harrison30 April 2020
Having just endured director Chester Novell Turner's horror 'anthology' Tales From The Quadead Zone, I thought I would see if his earlier film, Black Devil Doll From Hell, was any better. As it happens, it's just as inept, with almost seven minutes of opening credits, equally terrible acting, cheap special effects and the same atrocious Casio organ music, but it does manage to be marginally more entertaining thanks to its incredibly silly plot which results in the one-of-a-kind sight of a ventriloquist dummy having sex with a woman (well, one-of-a-kind until Black Devil Doll, a 2007 'homage' to this film).
The lady who receives wood from the doll is devout Christian Helen (played by Shirley L. Jones), who purchases the dummy from a thrift store, despite being warned that it has strange powers and always finds its way back to the shop. Unpacking her new purchase and placing it on a chair in her bathroom, Helen decides to take a shower, unaware that the doll is watching. While she soaps up her jugs, Helen daydreams about making it with the dummy. The woman's fantasies become reality when the doll jumps on her back, ties her to her bed, and has sex with her, making her beg for him to continue.
Waking up the next day to find the doll gone, Helen is distraught: having experienced mind-blowing sex, she wants more. Now a sinner, she ditches her religious paraphernalia, puts on some lipstick and her biggest pair of glasses, and goes looking for a man to satisfy her the way the doll did. No one can (not even Will Smith in a hat), so she returns to the shop, where the doll is waiting. Buying the dummy for a second time, she takes it home and demands more action. Nothing happens, so she threatens to destroy it, a mistake that costs her dearly.
Black Devil Doll From Hell is, as you've probably figured out, utter garbage, but bonkers enough to appeal to fans of z-grade cult oddities: the dummy (part Rick James, part Stevie Wonder, with just a dash of Whoopi Goldberg) is hilarious, especially when it gets up and walks (clearly a child in similar clothing), or when it shouts at Helen, "How do you like that, *****?". Watching the doll as it licks Helen's breasts, goes down on her, or gets nasty is a truly bizarre experience. And what the hell is up with that smoke it belches in her face? She might not be much of an actress, but I take my hat off to Jones just for being game.
2/10. It's bad... but don't let that stop you from watching.
The lady who receives wood from the doll is devout Christian Helen (played by Shirley L. Jones), who purchases the dummy from a thrift store, despite being warned that it has strange powers and always finds its way back to the shop. Unpacking her new purchase and placing it on a chair in her bathroom, Helen decides to take a shower, unaware that the doll is watching. While she soaps up her jugs, Helen daydreams about making it with the dummy. The woman's fantasies become reality when the doll jumps on her back, ties her to her bed, and has sex with her, making her beg for him to continue.
Waking up the next day to find the doll gone, Helen is distraught: having experienced mind-blowing sex, she wants more. Now a sinner, she ditches her religious paraphernalia, puts on some lipstick and her biggest pair of glasses, and goes looking for a man to satisfy her the way the doll did. No one can (not even Will Smith in a hat), so she returns to the shop, where the doll is waiting. Buying the dummy for a second time, she takes it home and demands more action. Nothing happens, so she threatens to destroy it, a mistake that costs her dearly.
Black Devil Doll From Hell is, as you've probably figured out, utter garbage, but bonkers enough to appeal to fans of z-grade cult oddities: the dummy (part Rick James, part Stevie Wonder, with just a dash of Whoopi Goldberg) is hilarious, especially when it gets up and walks (clearly a child in similar clothing), or when it shouts at Helen, "How do you like that, *****?". Watching the doll as it licks Helen's breasts, goes down on her, or gets nasty is a truly bizarre experience. And what the hell is up with that smoke it belches in her face? She might not be much of an actress, but I take my hat off to Jones just for being game.
2/10. It's bad... but don't let that stop you from watching.
One of my favorite movies
mhwkjones5 November 2000
I remember a friend of mine got a copy of this from someone when I was in about 10th grade. We must have watched this movie about 40 times, and laughed hysterically every time. Unfortunately, he somehow lost his copy of it. This is seriously one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I highly recommend it. If you're lucky enough to find a copy.
I DEFY you to keep a straight face while watching this!
Tresix26 December 2000
I used to always pass this box at the video store and, after over a year, I decided to rent it. I can't remember when I laughed so damned hard in my life! There are some legitimate comedies that haven't tickled me this much, definitely a "So-Bad-It's-Good" classic. The story concerns one Shirley Black (Shirley L. Jones), a deeply religious woman who stops at a thrift shop and buys a doll that looks a lot like Webster with French braids. The woman running the store tells Shirley that the doll was the property of an East Indian gentleman with strange powers (although the doll has a West Indian hairstyle, but, never mind) and that it always returns to the store under its own power. Hearing that should put anyone off of purchasing the doll, but not our intrepid and spiritual Shirley (so brave and righteous is she that she preaches to men trying to sell her stolen merchandise on the street). She buys it and even tells it "You'll be the only man to see me naked other than my husband" before taking a shower. She then has visions of being attacked by the doll.
Once again, anyone else would be getting rid of the doll at this point. But Shirley hangs on to it. The next day, it jumps out of a closet and knocks her unconscious. It then ties her to the bed and has its way with her before running back to the thrift shop. Shirley is then sent into a downward spiral of sexual degradation as she looks for the thrill that her "little woodenheaded b*****d" has given her with mere mortal men. Let's face it, once you've gotten it on with a doll that looks like a cross between "Lester" of Willie Tyler & Lester fame and Stevie Wonder on the HOTTER THAN JULY album cover, well, no flesh and blood piece will do (Meshach Taylor's line from MANNEQUIN comes to mind: "I would never interrupt you while you were getting a piece of wood."). Other people I know who have seen BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL have also had the same reaction: Utter hilarity! Especially at the Mr. T-sounding voice of the doll ("B----, b----, I said wake up, b----!").
If you're looking for a coherent, competent piece of cinema, you'll be disappointed by THE BLACK DEVIL DOLL. But if you're looking for something in the PLAN 9/ROBOT MONSTER ouevre, by all means, check THIS out. By the way, LOVE that cheesy organ music.
Once again, anyone else would be getting rid of the doll at this point. But Shirley hangs on to it. The next day, it jumps out of a closet and knocks her unconscious. It then ties her to the bed and has its way with her before running back to the thrift shop. Shirley is then sent into a downward spiral of sexual degradation as she looks for the thrill that her "little woodenheaded b*****d" has given her with mere mortal men. Let's face it, once you've gotten it on with a doll that looks like a cross between "Lester" of Willie Tyler & Lester fame and Stevie Wonder on the HOTTER THAN JULY album cover, well, no flesh and blood piece will do (Meshach Taylor's line from MANNEQUIN comes to mind: "I would never interrupt you while you were getting a piece of wood."). Other people I know who have seen BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL have also had the same reaction: Utter hilarity! Especially at the Mr. T-sounding voice of the doll ("B----, b----, I said wake up, b----!").
If you're looking for a coherent, competent piece of cinema, you'll be disappointed by THE BLACK DEVIL DOLL. But if you're looking for something in the PLAN 9/ROBOT MONSTER ouevre, by all means, check THIS out. By the way, LOVE that cheesy organ music.
A true movie of horror.
deadcoil16 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
My fiancée and I like to watch bad movies. It's an addiction, you see. We watch bad films, searching for the worst of the worst just so we can inflict them on unsuspecting friends. To heck with the Geneva convention.
Thanks to our hunt for the perfect bad film, my eyes have been forced to undergo trauma akin to that inflicted upon the victims of Nazi death camps. I have seen Tattoo from Fantasy Island have sex with an older redhead on a dinner table. I have seen Jesus Christ fight vampire lesbians in Canada. I have memorized a long tirade against the evils of grapes. I have seen a man walk through a ballroom full of zombies with a running lawnmower held out from his chest. I have seen gay black aliens remove the scourge of womankind from the earth. I have seen a Leprechaun do things very unLeprechaunlike, if boxes of Lucky Charms are to be believed.
NOTHING on EARTH is worse than Black Devil Doll From Hell. NOTHING. The other posters aren't kidding - this film was shot on NO budget through a VHS Camcorder. If the "director" decided to buy his cast a six-pack of beer, this could be considered the first movie with a NEGATIVE budget.
The horror comes from watching it. No joke - it's so foully painful that I can't imagine ANYONE watching this movie without rubbing their heads to relieve the overwhelming urge to turn off their television and smash it into pieces with a hammer.
Here's your first spoiler: A devout Christian woman buys a Rick James doll from a store, takes it home and is raped by it. It then disappears while she has sex with two more men. She finds it at the store again, and re-purchases it. It kills her.
Second spoiler: THERE IS NO SECOND SPOILER.
I'm going to go take a few thousand showers now to wash away the filth covering my body, having freshly watched this abomination.
Thanks to our hunt for the perfect bad film, my eyes have been forced to undergo trauma akin to that inflicted upon the victims of Nazi death camps. I have seen Tattoo from Fantasy Island have sex with an older redhead on a dinner table. I have seen Jesus Christ fight vampire lesbians in Canada. I have memorized a long tirade against the evils of grapes. I have seen a man walk through a ballroom full of zombies with a running lawnmower held out from his chest. I have seen gay black aliens remove the scourge of womankind from the earth. I have seen a Leprechaun do things very unLeprechaunlike, if boxes of Lucky Charms are to be believed.
NOTHING on EARTH is worse than Black Devil Doll From Hell. NOTHING. The other posters aren't kidding - this film was shot on NO budget through a VHS Camcorder. If the "director" decided to buy his cast a six-pack of beer, this could be considered the first movie with a NEGATIVE budget.
The horror comes from watching it. No joke - it's so foully painful that I can't imagine ANYONE watching this movie without rubbing their heads to relieve the overwhelming urge to turn off their television and smash it into pieces with a hammer.
Here's your first spoiler: A devout Christian woman buys a Rick James doll from a store, takes it home and is raped by it. It then disappears while she has sex with two more men. She finds it at the store again, and re-purchases it. It kills her.
Second spoiler: THERE IS NO SECOND SPOILER.
I'm going to go take a few thousand showers now to wash away the filth covering my body, having freshly watched this abomination.
Absurd
adriangr9 August 2013
Black Devil Doll from Hell has gained something of a cult following but think carefully before paying large sums of money to obtain it - it's not worthy of any serious investment. It is, however totally, hysterically, funny entertainment.
Shot on home video without a budget using home locations and presumably friends and family as actors, the story tells of a cursed doll, that when purchased, grants it's owner any wish, but this service obviously comes at a price. And the star of our tale, meek, church- going Helen, is about to find out what that is! Helen spies the doll in a curiosity shop one day and is compelled to buy it, despite the shop owner's doom-laden warnings. On getting the doll home. she makes a place for it in the toilet (!?) and then the terror beings, as Helen first starts to be visited by weird hallucinations about the doll coming to life - and then it actually does come to life and subjects her to a "puppet sex attack"!
Now already this sounds absurd, not to mention very sleazy, but as the film is so amateurish, you can only laugh at the proceedings rather than anything else. Everything is played straight, in fact the actress playing Helen does her best to contribute a performance of sorts - but it's all for nothing as once the Black Devil Doll himself starts to wake up, you'll forget about any realism at all. Basically, the doll is a commercially bought ventriloquist's puppet with a Rick James style hairstyle, and when he comes to life, he's pretty much animated in the same way (ie, with a stage hand's arm up him, waggling him about). The scenes in which the puppet assaults Helen are what this film is famous for and you may have to pinch yourself to know that what you are seeing has actually been committed to film. There's nothing graphic in the film, Helen is never shown fully naked and there is no violence to speak of, it's just the hilarity of the situation that will imprint it on your memory. That and the doll's foul-mouthed, "Mr T" accented vocal tirade, which good taste prevents me from transcribing here.
The whole wretched thing is scored with a Casio organ, seemingly set on one single demo loop that goes "boom-titty-boom-tish" over and over again, oh except for the serious scenes when what are presumably supposed to be sinister chords are represented by a sound more like ear-splitting feedback.
Due to the rarity of any copies of this item, it has become more talked about than actually seen. Sadly if more people did see it, the fog of curiosity would probably evaporate leaving what is simply, one man's very warped attempt at a home horror movie. It's not shocking or extreme, so if you do get a copy, my advice is to have a party and invite a bunch of friends over to watch it. Personally i am very glad my love of bad movies led me to it, and I feel all the richer for having a copy to enjoy.
Shot on home video without a budget using home locations and presumably friends and family as actors, the story tells of a cursed doll, that when purchased, grants it's owner any wish, but this service obviously comes at a price. And the star of our tale, meek, church- going Helen, is about to find out what that is! Helen spies the doll in a curiosity shop one day and is compelled to buy it, despite the shop owner's doom-laden warnings. On getting the doll home. she makes a place for it in the toilet (!?) and then the terror beings, as Helen first starts to be visited by weird hallucinations about the doll coming to life - and then it actually does come to life and subjects her to a "puppet sex attack"!
Now already this sounds absurd, not to mention very sleazy, but as the film is so amateurish, you can only laugh at the proceedings rather than anything else. Everything is played straight, in fact the actress playing Helen does her best to contribute a performance of sorts - but it's all for nothing as once the Black Devil Doll himself starts to wake up, you'll forget about any realism at all. Basically, the doll is a commercially bought ventriloquist's puppet with a Rick James style hairstyle, and when he comes to life, he's pretty much animated in the same way (ie, with a stage hand's arm up him, waggling him about). The scenes in which the puppet assaults Helen are what this film is famous for and you may have to pinch yourself to know that what you are seeing has actually been committed to film. There's nothing graphic in the film, Helen is never shown fully naked and there is no violence to speak of, it's just the hilarity of the situation that will imprint it on your memory. That and the doll's foul-mouthed, "Mr T" accented vocal tirade, which good taste prevents me from transcribing here.
The whole wretched thing is scored with a Casio organ, seemingly set on one single demo loop that goes "boom-titty-boom-tish" over and over again, oh except for the serious scenes when what are presumably supposed to be sinister chords are represented by a sound more like ear-splitting feedback.
Due to the rarity of any copies of this item, it has become more talked about than actually seen. Sadly if more people did see it, the fog of curiosity would probably evaporate leaving what is simply, one man's very warped attempt at a home horror movie. It's not shocking or extreme, so if you do get a copy, my advice is to have a party and invite a bunch of friends over to watch it. Personally i am very glad my love of bad movies led me to it, and I feel all the richer for having a copy to enjoy.
Painfully bad,but vastly entertaining in a hysterical way.
HumanoidOfFlesh7 March 2006
The plot of "Black Devil Doll from Hell" is fairly simple:a foul-mouthed ventriloquist dummy terrorizes a defenseless religious zealot.Helen Black,a prim and deeply religious woman,buys a strange doll in a curio shop.The shop's owner tells her that the doll has been purchased four different times,and each time it has found its way back to the shop.Soon the Helen is thrown into a nightmare as the doll begins to terrorize her...Wow,this piece of blacksploitation sleaze is completely abysmal.The acting is horrible,the score is incredibly awful and there is no gore.The special effects are some of the worst I have ever seen.Still the lengthy sex scene between Helen and a doll is hilarious.That sequence,with the puppet(obviously controlled by a guy shaking it off-screen)humping this plump but ecstatic Bible-thumper had me laughing so hard I was crying.The action drags tremendously,with most scenes going on for way too long and others being totally unnecessary.Overall,a must-see for fans of trash cinema.
Hard to believe it could cost $8,000 to make it.
Hey_Sweden10 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Helen Black (Shirley L. Jones) is a devoutly religious Plain Jane who goes shopping in an antiques store one day. There she spots a rastafarian ventriloquists' dummy; she's given warnings about the nature of the dummy, but she's quite taken with it and goes ahead and buys it anyway. Soon after she's taken it home, it comes to life and reveals a salacious nature, having its way with her and leaving her wanting more.
Auteur Chester Novell Turner tackles the subjects of sexual repression and awakening in a "Holy expletive, I can't believe what I'm seeing" style. Suffice it to say, those people who thought that the 'Prey' segment of 'Trilogy of Terror' wasn't cheap enough or crass enough are treated to this mind-boggling, jaw-dropping no budget oddity. It's painfully slow, and extremely crude, but damn if it isn't fascinating in spite of itself.
The acting is by and large atrocious, the effects quite primitive, and the persistent keyboard score is by turns aggravating, hilarious, and even kind of catchy. The main attraction is the Devil Doll itself; operated and voiced by Keefe Turner, it's an incredibly horny and nasty little demon who actually demands that Helen *beg* to be taken. This character is so memorable, and priceless, that one really does miss it when it's gone.
This is the kind of thing a dedicated B movie enthusiast should see at least once, even if only to say that they *have* seen it.
Five out of 10.
Auteur Chester Novell Turner tackles the subjects of sexual repression and awakening in a "Holy expletive, I can't believe what I'm seeing" style. Suffice it to say, those people who thought that the 'Prey' segment of 'Trilogy of Terror' wasn't cheap enough or crass enough are treated to this mind-boggling, jaw-dropping no budget oddity. It's painfully slow, and extremely crude, but damn if it isn't fascinating in spite of itself.
The acting is by and large atrocious, the effects quite primitive, and the persistent keyboard score is by turns aggravating, hilarious, and even kind of catchy. The main attraction is the Devil Doll itself; operated and voiced by Keefe Turner, it's an incredibly horny and nasty little demon who actually demands that Helen *beg* to be taken. This character is so memorable, and priceless, that one really does miss it when it's gone.
This is the kind of thing a dedicated B movie enthusiast should see at least once, even if only to say that they *have* seen it.
Five out of 10.
Black devil doll from somebody's shaky 8 mm home movie
karmaDhyana2 June 2005
I agree with the poster who said it has to be seen to be believed.
I saw this movie in the mid '80s; I rented it from a video store that I worked at, and this was one of a thousand titles my company had just purchased. Because I'm somewhat a horror fan, one look at the box told me I HAD to rent it.
This movie is not bad-bad, it's BAD bad-bad! I sat through the majority of the movie with my mouth agape, amazed at how one movie could fit so much crappy acting, poor camera technique, and just plain tackiness into it.
If you're a fan of 'le bad cinema', or if you just feel like laughing through a TRULY awful film, put this one at the top of your list.
And by the by, had IMDb.com provided a "zero" rating option, I wudda taken it and thanked them for it.
I saw this movie in the mid '80s; I rented it from a video store that I worked at, and this was one of a thousand titles my company had just purchased. Because I'm somewhat a horror fan, one look at the box told me I HAD to rent it.
This movie is not bad-bad, it's BAD bad-bad! I sat through the majority of the movie with my mouth agape, amazed at how one movie could fit so much crappy acting, poor camera technique, and just plain tackiness into it.
If you're a fan of 'le bad cinema', or if you just feel like laughing through a TRULY awful film, put this one at the top of your list.
And by the by, had IMDb.com provided a "zero" rating option, I wudda taken it and thanked them for it.
This is the Worst film ever made on this earth!!!
czar-1026 October 2000
This is one of the worst films ever made, HANDS DOWN!! A lonely black female buys a Doll (with a rasta wig!) in a thrift shop, she takes it home and before you know it she's getting molested by it. The doll manages to tie her up, and what follows is the most hilarious scenes ever commited to video tape.
Black Voodoo Doll reaches new heights in trash film by using a doll (a black howdy doody) in simulated rape scenes that are quite laughable. The inexplicably drawn out rape scene is only heightened by the rants that this possessed doll makes, while blowing smoke out through his mouth and laughning really menacing. Whats even more hilarious is when the doll is shown from behind it's obviously a small child with dreads. (Chucky looks like a drooling baby compared to this howdy doody from the hood)
In the end after a long s**** the doll mysteriously disapears and the women is left feeling empty and lonely. The doll makes it's way back to the thrift shop and another women buys him continuing the cycle.
This made on video, low-budget rarity, is extremely hard to find so good luck seeing this at your local Blockbuster.
Black Voodoo Doll reaches new heights in trash film by using a doll (a black howdy doody) in simulated rape scenes that are quite laughable. The inexplicably drawn out rape scene is only heightened by the rants that this possessed doll makes, while blowing smoke out through his mouth and laughning really menacing. Whats even more hilarious is when the doll is shown from behind it's obviously a small child with dreads. (Chucky looks like a drooling baby compared to this howdy doody from the hood)
In the end after a long s**** the doll mysteriously disapears and the women is left feeling empty and lonely. The doll makes it's way back to the thrift shop and another women buys him continuing the cycle.
This made on video, low-budget rarity, is extremely hard to find so good luck seeing this at your local Blockbuster.
Ohhh, my aching head
Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki19 May 2012
Do we really need a title sequence which lasts for six minutes, forty-nine seconds?
Do we really need a bone-gratingly bad metal song played over the aforementioned six minutes, forty-nine seconds-long title sequence?
Do we really need to hear a five-minutes-long telephone conversation, while the camera aimlessly roams about the girl's apartment, drifting slowly in and out of focus, as if the cameraman forgot what the hell he was supposed to be filming and why?
Do we really need such obnoxious, over-poweringly LOUD noises, buzzes, and hissing on the soundtrack? Buzzing noises which can make dogs start baying two blocks away?
And must those ear-shattering noises accompany such ugly female nudity?
Do we really need to see this woman repeatedly getting boned by the doll that she bears an uncanny resemblance to?
What was the purpose of the still-photographs used during the attack scenes? Was it to conceal the crappy effects?
And if the doll keeps returning to the same Thrift Store by itself, why the hell doesn't the Thrift store worker just get rid of the bloody haunted thing?
None of these questions, and less, may ever be answered, even by the few people who have the tolerance to endure this putrid example of shot-on-video horror.
Not that it matters, but this is basically a one-person story, about the title object terrorising a pug fugly woman in her house. Well, actually it was probably filmed in Chester Novell Turner's house, on Chester Novell Turner's camcorder, written by Chester Novell Turner, directed by Chester Novell Turner, produced by Chester Novell Turner, edited by Chester Novell Turner, scored by Chester Novell Turner, with sound effects by Chester Novell Turner, featuring friends of Chester Novell Turner, and probably distributed by Chester Novell Turner, who handed copies of this to random passersby on the street, and leaving copies of it in local video stores, and perhaps anonymously mailing copies to people he didn't like.
It is kind of admirable, really, that this goofball had the commitment to actually see something like this through, and that he could actually persuade his friends to be in, and work on, a film like this, and see it through fruition. But really, it is an awful monstrosity of a so-bad-it's-good movie. Chester Novell Turner's friend David Ichikawa provides what is quite possibly the worst song in the history of recorded music, until that little toilet-bug Damon Fox came along nine years later with "his" Traces of Death.
The Simpsons tackled this same basic premise far more effectively (and funnier) eight years later, in the 'Klown Without Pity' segment of Treehouse Of Horrors III. Watch that instead.
Do we really need a bone-gratingly bad metal song played over the aforementioned six minutes, forty-nine seconds-long title sequence?
Do we really need to hear a five-minutes-long telephone conversation, while the camera aimlessly roams about the girl's apartment, drifting slowly in and out of focus, as if the cameraman forgot what the hell he was supposed to be filming and why?
Do we really need such obnoxious, over-poweringly LOUD noises, buzzes, and hissing on the soundtrack? Buzzing noises which can make dogs start baying two blocks away?
And must those ear-shattering noises accompany such ugly female nudity?
Do we really need to see this woman repeatedly getting boned by the doll that she bears an uncanny resemblance to?
What was the purpose of the still-photographs used during the attack scenes? Was it to conceal the crappy effects?
And if the doll keeps returning to the same Thrift Store by itself, why the hell doesn't the Thrift store worker just get rid of the bloody haunted thing?
None of these questions, and less, may ever be answered, even by the few people who have the tolerance to endure this putrid example of shot-on-video horror.
Not that it matters, but this is basically a one-person story, about the title object terrorising a pug fugly woman in her house. Well, actually it was probably filmed in Chester Novell Turner's house, on Chester Novell Turner's camcorder, written by Chester Novell Turner, directed by Chester Novell Turner, produced by Chester Novell Turner, edited by Chester Novell Turner, scored by Chester Novell Turner, with sound effects by Chester Novell Turner, featuring friends of Chester Novell Turner, and probably distributed by Chester Novell Turner, who handed copies of this to random passersby on the street, and leaving copies of it in local video stores, and perhaps anonymously mailing copies to people he didn't like.
It is kind of admirable, really, that this goofball had the commitment to actually see something like this through, and that he could actually persuade his friends to be in, and work on, a film like this, and see it through fruition. But really, it is an awful monstrosity of a so-bad-it's-good movie. Chester Novell Turner's friend David Ichikawa provides what is quite possibly the worst song in the history of recorded music, until that little toilet-bug Damon Fox came along nine years later with "his" Traces of Death.
The Simpsons tackled this same basic premise far more effectively (and funnier) eight years later, in the 'Klown Without Pity' segment of Treehouse Of Horrors III. Watch that instead.
Worst Movie of All Time....
spencers-618 April 2006
First of all, I don't think I ever laughed so hard ever watching a so-bad it's good horror movie.
That being said, with all due respect to BDDFH, there is a much worse horror movie out there folks. Trust me, I've seen a lot. If you haven't seen this, you have to put it high on your list. Good luck finding it though.....
I give you:
#1) Barn of the Blood Llama #2) Attack of the Beast Creatures #3) Black Devil Doll from Hell
Also, you can go to Badmovies.org. It's an awesome sight.
You might also look at:
God Monster of Indian Flats Night of the Lepus Frankenstein Island
:-) Spencer
That being said, with all due respect to BDDFH, there is a much worse horror movie out there folks. Trust me, I've seen a lot. If you haven't seen this, you have to put it high on your list. Good luck finding it though.....
I give you:
#1) Barn of the Blood Llama #2) Attack of the Beast Creatures #3) Black Devil Doll from Hell
Also, you can go to Badmovies.org. It's an awesome sight.
You might also look at:
God Monster of Indian Flats Night of the Lepus Frankenstein Island
:-) Spencer
Evil Rasta Puppet tortures Nice Lady to bad music
imdb@stranko.com3 April 2004
Brilliantly sincerely evil and naive. It could be compared to John Waters work in it's disregard for societal racial, drug and sexual taboos even tho I think they were going more for a PUPPET MASTER vibe. The plot is less convoluted than that of PUPPET MASTER (nice lady goes to open air market, buys cute rasta dummy/puppet, takes it home, puppet raises hell, smokes pot, is mean and gives her oral sex.) This movie is worth seeing - if you can find it. The soundtrack is Phillip Glass minimal and the sex scenes with the puppet are shockingly bad/funny. Beyond so bad it's good, so crinchingly terrible it's wonderful. Laugh your way through scenes never intended to be funny while you groove to the fumbled 2 finger synth sound track.
Only recommended if you must see every beyond bad movie ever made or are interested in the sex lives of puppets
dbborroughs11 September 2006
Shot on video monstrosity about a repressed deeply religious black woman who buys a ventriloquist dummy with dreadlocks that happens to be possessed. The Dummy seduces her and then takes her over turning her into a sex fiend.
As they say you have to see it to believe it. Obviously the intent was to make a serious film about the fall from grace, yadda yadda yadda, but the result is painful, Mostly because scenes run on and on and on with no end in sight. We get a long phone conversation while the camera pans around the house showing all the religious items in it. The opening credits take almost 7 minutes of screen time (thats about one tenth the length of the film). The music is awful. And the sex scenes...well did you ever want to know what it would look like if Charlie Mc Carthy ever managed to marry a real live girl? Yea, me neither. This is a painful film that is only recommended for seasoned bad movie lovers or mental patients, preferably people who are both. This walks that fine line between MST3K good bad and mind destroying bad.
You've been warned.
As they say you have to see it to believe it. Obviously the intent was to make a serious film about the fall from grace, yadda yadda yadda, but the result is painful, Mostly because scenes run on and on and on with no end in sight. We get a long phone conversation while the camera pans around the house showing all the religious items in it. The opening credits take almost 7 minutes of screen time (thats about one tenth the length of the film). The music is awful. And the sex scenes...well did you ever want to know what it would look like if Charlie Mc Carthy ever managed to marry a real live girl? Yea, me neither. This is a painful film that is only recommended for seasoned bad movie lovers or mental patients, preferably people who are both. This walks that fine line between MST3K good bad and mind destroying bad.
You've been warned.
WORTH SEEING PURELY BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED
EL BUNCHO17 December 2001
Shot-on-video horror movies are probably the only kind of movies that come close to the depressing look of video pornography. The sheer lack of production values leads the viewer to contemplate whether or not the money that he or she has in their wallet could have funded a better piece of cinema. That said, BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL is just about the shoddiest movie I've ever seen, and that's saying something! I've braved more bad movies than I can even remember, and this one ranks pretty much as one of the three all-time worst pieces of galloping horse crap that I have ever endured. Terrible pacing, an annoying casiotone sound track, execrable acting and a truly pointless story are just some of the many non-highlights.
The only reason to see this is for the unintentionally hilarious rape scene wherein a pious sister of the church is tied down to her bed and given a serious rodgering by an evil, horny ventriloquist's dummy with dreadlocks. The scene where he "orally pleasures" her will forever be burned into my memory, not only because if was silly beyond all human comprehension, but because his tongue looks like a popsicle stick. And, yes, we do get to see his, er...wood. Rent it, and fast forward to this scene. After seeing it, immediately remove the tape from your VCR and use it as a skeet shooting pigeon.
The only reason to see this is for the unintentionally hilarious rape scene wherein a pious sister of the church is tied down to her bed and given a serious rodgering by an evil, horny ventriloquist's dummy with dreadlocks. The scene where he "orally pleasures" her will forever be burned into my memory, not only because if was silly beyond all human comprehension, but because his tongue looks like a popsicle stick. And, yes, we do get to see his, er...wood. Rent it, and fast forward to this scene. After seeing it, immediately remove the tape from your VCR and use it as a skeet shooting pigeon.
home made video
trashgang23 December 2008
Way before Chucky was born some guy made this flick. And immediately it became a cult one. Why, I can't tell but you must see this one, maybe that's the reason. First of all, it never had a wide release and it was only sold on VHS. Never appeared on DVD and will never see a proper release. So the hunt is on to catch a copy. If you catch a copy then you will see that it really is one of the lowest budgets ever. There is most of the time just one actor. Acting is just reading the lines from a paper or trying to remember them. There are no effects in it, if there are any than it is the video effects (freeze frames) to make it creepy. Only at the end you will notice some blood. They never used extra lights. The editing was made I don't know how but sometimes it isn't synchronized as is the sound. The credits on the beginning are way too long, almost 6 minutes and nothing to see, only a black background. The score used is always the same tune sometimes pitched up or down and is surely made on a Commodore 64. And the score sometimes overrules the voices so what they are saying is a big secret. And the way the sound is recorded is, to say the least, terrible, a lot of hiss. Anyway, the idea for the script is original. A puppet possessed by the devil makes your dreams come true but you have to pay a price for it. There were only black people involved in it and that's a reason that it became cult, remember Abby, much fuzz about that one too and also a bit OOP as this one. If you have the time and are really in exploitation or grindhouse then you must see this home made flick. Oh yeah, don't think Black Devil Doll made in 2007 is a remastered version of this flick, it's more a remake. So you see, it is a cult one....
A whole new level of bad
anthromajorjulie4 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is the best worst movie ever. You will be laughing so hard that your eyes well up with tears. The story is bizarre, the acting is atrocious and the special effects are amazingly bad. The doll's voice is awesome! It is a husky growl coming from the smiling face of a doll. How could you not love that? The director is some kind of genius. How did he know that people love watching dolls rape and murder humans?
Another thing that is fun about this movie is seeing all the amateur mistakes like neighborhood kids waving to the camera in the background, unnecessarily long amounts of time spent filming an old lady walking slowly, scenes of same old lady shopping for stolen TVs from the back of people's cars, etc. You know, things that have nothing to do with devil dolls.
If you find a copy, do not ever give it up; you will regret it. I watched this back in early college and I can't get it out of my head 10 years later. Get a big group of friends in a goofy mood and enjoy.
Another thing that is fun about this movie is seeing all the amateur mistakes like neighborhood kids waving to the camera in the background, unnecessarily long amounts of time spent filming an old lady walking slowly, scenes of same old lady shopping for stolen TVs from the back of people's cars, etc. You know, things that have nothing to do with devil dolls.
If you find a copy, do not ever give it up; you will regret it. I watched this back in early college and I can't get it out of my head 10 years later. Get a big group of friends in a goofy mood and enjoy.
This is the worst thing ever
supermonkeychan13 January 2001
I cannot warn anyone enough about how bad this film is. I have seen some crap but boy does this thing take the cake. I wanted blood, they refused. I wanted something funny but even this was too cheesy to laugh at. Maybe it was the fact that I wanted to watch a different movie that made me hate this. No, I think the movie itself made me hate it. I was actually surprised anyone else has seen this thing, it is so low budget its funny. If you can find it watch it and know you are witnessing the worst film you may ever see.
Barely even worthy of Z-grade status
Tromafreak27 April 2009
Like any normal collector of low-budget/obscure/gory cinema, sometimes I get a craving for unknown shot-on-video horror specifically from the mid-80's. After hearing about this movie, and after reading the ever so informative reviews of IMDb, I was intrigued enough to make it my business to turn over rocks till I found my very own copy of Black Devil Doll From Hell. As luck would have it, I found a dvdr from an Amazon seller. After a mix-up, it ended up arriving a month late. To be a good sport, the seller stuck another movie in with it, Venus Flytrap (a good movie), making that the one only thing that made such a long wait worth it. As for the one I actually paid for... ouch!!
Part Blaxploitation, part Christiansploitation, and full-blast Z-grade garbage, Black Devil Doll From Hell is about a Christian woman who visits a pawn shop, and is immediately drawn to a Rick James (?) look-alike doll. She must have it, even after being warned, something about an evil spirit, they play a loud, piercing, cheap-sounding keyboard while the clerk was explaining the plot, ruining any chance of this movie ever making any sense so, who knows? The doll turns out to be a sexual deviant who makes it a point to turn his new, wholesome owner on to the evils of sex... yeah, sex. The scenes that follow would technically make this "movie" soft-core puppet-porn... on second thought, maybe it was worth the wait after all.
We're looking at a flat-out sin against film making. Not one second of genuine entertainment, everything is seemingly unintentional, the humor being the most obvious example. Directed by Chester Turner, with a budget of about 30 bucks, Black Devil Doll sets new standards for amateur on so many levels. Although, it really is a must for collectors who like it bad. Truth be told, there's only one movie I've seen that I consider worse than this one, and that's The Chooper, don't believe me? Check it out, or don't, I don't care, you're probably better off staying clear of that one. If you think you got zero standards for your B-entertainment, if you think you can sit through anything, I dare you to seek this one out. Otherwise, play it safe and track down something worthwhile like Venus Flytrap. Now that that's out of the way, all I got to do is find Turner's other movie, Tales From The Quadead Zone. Here we go again...
Part Blaxploitation, part Christiansploitation, and full-blast Z-grade garbage, Black Devil Doll From Hell is about a Christian woman who visits a pawn shop, and is immediately drawn to a Rick James (?) look-alike doll. She must have it, even after being warned, something about an evil spirit, they play a loud, piercing, cheap-sounding keyboard while the clerk was explaining the plot, ruining any chance of this movie ever making any sense so, who knows? The doll turns out to be a sexual deviant who makes it a point to turn his new, wholesome owner on to the evils of sex... yeah, sex. The scenes that follow would technically make this "movie" soft-core puppet-porn... on second thought, maybe it was worth the wait after all.
We're looking at a flat-out sin against film making. Not one second of genuine entertainment, everything is seemingly unintentional, the humor being the most obvious example. Directed by Chester Turner, with a budget of about 30 bucks, Black Devil Doll sets new standards for amateur on so many levels. Although, it really is a must for collectors who like it bad. Truth be told, there's only one movie I've seen that I consider worse than this one, and that's The Chooper, don't believe me? Check it out, or don't, I don't care, you're probably better off staying clear of that one. If you think you got zero standards for your B-entertainment, if you think you can sit through anything, I dare you to seek this one out. Otherwise, play it safe and track down something worthwhile like Venus Flytrap. Now that that's out of the way, all I got to do is find Turner's other movie, Tales From The Quadead Zone. Here we go again...
Completely unprofessional and stupid...but somehow it's a must see
The_Void24 July 2008
This film kicks off with a credit sequence that lasts about six minutes and features some terrible guitar music over the title credits, which are made up of a bunch of names that you've never heard of. The credit sequence goes on so long that it almost feels like they're delaying starting the movie. It's almost like there's some reason why the filmmakers don't want to show it to you. Well, now that the movie is over - I can say that if that was the filmmakers' intention; I really wouldn't be surprised! Black Devil Doll from Hell has a really catchy title...but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most unprofessional productions of all time. The plot focuses on a woman named Helen. She's a religious fanatic and apparently doesn't believe in any kind of wrongdoing. While out shopping one day, she happens upon a small thrift shop and a black wooden doll catches her eye. The shop owner tells her that every time the doll is sold, it makes its own way back to the store...but unlike most people, Helen is not deterred and buys it anyway...
At first the film feels like a really poor attempt to be a serious horror film; once the first half hour has elapsed, it becomes obvious that the film is played for laughs more than anything else. It turns out the doll has its own urges, brought on by watching our heroine take a shower. If you never thought you'd see a woman having sex with a doll, you should really see this movie. It's quite unbelievable that this film ever got made; but despite the lunacy, there is something strangely captivating about it all; the doll's voice for example. Despite the low quality of the film, director Chester Novell Turner does deserve some credit; it's clear that this one had no budget whatsoever and in a way it's marginally impressive when that fact is considered. After the standout scenes which are in the middle of the movie; things never really pick up again and unfortunately the film just sort of drowns out. Overall, however, I would have to say that this film is at least worth a look. It only runs for seventy minutes so it's not a taxing watch, and certain scenes really do have to be seen to be believed.
At first the film feels like a really poor attempt to be a serious horror film; once the first half hour has elapsed, it becomes obvious that the film is played for laughs more than anything else. It turns out the doll has its own urges, brought on by watching our heroine take a shower. If you never thought you'd see a woman having sex with a doll, you should really see this movie. It's quite unbelievable that this film ever got made; but despite the lunacy, there is something strangely captivating about it all; the doll's voice for example. Despite the low quality of the film, director Chester Novell Turner does deserve some credit; it's clear that this one had no budget whatsoever and in a way it's marginally impressive when that fact is considered. After the standout scenes which are in the middle of the movie; things never really pick up again and unfortunately the film just sort of drowns out. Overall, however, I would have to say that this film is at least worth a look. It only runs for seventy minutes so it's not a taxing watch, and certain scenes really do have to be seen to be believed.
How much longer can I stare at this space????
matildamother29 March 2004
One of my favorite things to do is rent obscure movies at the video store. I have found some real gems this way. Several years ago I came across BDDFH. It seemed just as good a selection to take home as any. I should have known I was in trouble by the incredulous look the clerk shot me at the counter.
It didn't take long to understand. Getting right to it, the thing that stands out most for me - and to anyone else I've talked to that's seen this - is the perverted sex scene between doll and woman. I'm ashamed that this is the part that I remember the best!! Talk about an uncomfortable viewing experience (which is probably why it's stuck in my memory bank). That's not to say that I didn't laugh throughout the entire episode. It was so ridiculous - as was the rest of the movie - that I'm still not sure if I was in on some twisted joke or not.
Surely the makers of this film could NOT have been serious. BDDFH is so very bad it is barely amusing (if it was supposed to be campy it missed). I don't think I'd bother to rent it again (a promise going eight years strong). I certainly won't ever buy it, but if someone brought it home I'd look at them incredulously and might just consider watching it again. I'd have to see if it was really as awful as I remembered it.
Watch this one at your own peril. The acting is bad, the story is bad, the whole thing is truly horrid. It's crap and not even the endearing variety.
It didn't take long to understand. Getting right to it, the thing that stands out most for me - and to anyone else I've talked to that's seen this - is the perverted sex scene between doll and woman. I'm ashamed that this is the part that I remember the best!! Talk about an uncomfortable viewing experience (which is probably why it's stuck in my memory bank). That's not to say that I didn't laugh throughout the entire episode. It was so ridiculous - as was the rest of the movie - that I'm still not sure if I was in on some twisted joke or not.
Surely the makers of this film could NOT have been serious. BDDFH is so very bad it is barely amusing (if it was supposed to be campy it missed). I don't think I'd bother to rent it again (a promise going eight years strong). I certainly won't ever buy it, but if someone brought it home I'd look at them incredulously and might just consider watching it again. I'd have to see if it was really as awful as I remembered it.
Watch this one at your own peril. The acting is bad, the story is bad, the whole thing is truly horrid. It's crap and not even the endearing variety.
Painful to watch
zombieoutbreak-741993 April 2021
This is It! The Undisputed King of Terrible Movies...
matrixj2312 March 2007
I have spent a rather disproportionate amount of my life seeking out bad, obscure, horrific, insane, and exploitative film/video trash. That being said, this incredible movie occupies a very special spot in my Heart. No movie I have EVER sat thru even comes close to the sheer, mind-numbing ineptitude on display here. ..
From the amazing trance-inducing Casio excreted soundtrack, to the unparalleled videography on display, 'Black Devil Doll From Hell' truly stuns...
If you can actually sit thru this entire movie in one sitting whilst sober(I was able to once), you should be given some sort of award. The proceedings crawl along at the pace of a Quallude-ridden slug...
Do not let that deter you from cinema-history. Some of the hottest love scenes ever committed to celluloid (oh wait, this is video), await the daring viewer. I will not reveal anymore. Hearing about the content of this movie is absolutely no substitute for actually witnessing it...
If you consider yourself to be a connoisseur of the bizarre, the bad, and the trashy; there is no excuse for not running out and acquiring this masterpiece. I obtained mine via Ebay for a mere $10- It was the best $10 I have ever spent in my entire life. I would gladly pay $500 for this incredible Masterwork. Stop what you are doing right now and GET THIS MOVIE!
From the amazing trance-inducing Casio excreted soundtrack, to the unparalleled videography on display, 'Black Devil Doll From Hell' truly stuns...
If you can actually sit thru this entire movie in one sitting whilst sober(I was able to once), you should be given some sort of award. The proceedings crawl along at the pace of a Quallude-ridden slug...
Do not let that deter you from cinema-history. Some of the hottest love scenes ever committed to celluloid (oh wait, this is video), await the daring viewer. I will not reveal anymore. Hearing about the content of this movie is absolutely no substitute for actually witnessing it...
If you consider yourself to be a connoisseur of the bizarre, the bad, and the trashy; there is no excuse for not running out and acquiring this masterpiece. I obtained mine via Ebay for a mere $10- It was the best $10 I have ever spent in my entire life. I would gladly pay $500 for this incredible Masterwork. Stop what you are doing right now and GET THIS MOVIE!
Terrible, but oddly watchable!!!
schism10120 September 2008
BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL, is one of those films that fit into a category of abysmal, but watchable. Watchable for all the wrong reasons that is. When a devoutly religious women, purchases a black doll, with dreadlocks, from a thrift store, a doll which the store owner says always returns to the store under its own powers, the women intrigued takes the doll home, yet isn't prepared for what happens, when the doll comes to life and attacks her, ties her to a bed and rapes her. Rather than being traumatised by the rape, the women ends up liking it and throws her religious convictions out of the window, and since the doll has gone she searches for another man who can fulfil her unwanted sexual desires, though this is unsuccessful and she longs for the 'black devil doll.' Never before have i sat through a film and looked on in amazement, at the shoddy production, wooden, more like very wooden acting and awful keyboard soundtrack, that sounds like someone has just brought a new keyboard and is trying it out for the first time, oh and the keyboard soundtrack also is so loud and interfering that it makes some scenes hard to understand what the characters are saying. Its the lowest end of Blaxploitation and is crudely politically incorrect, yet oddly watchable and in times of political correctness, there's seems something refreshing in seeing something so bad, that it ascends or many ways transcends to a sort of transgressive style of underground trash cinema. In many respects it would work as a great film to watch under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. A funny and abysmal little film, well worth seeking out, if you want to see what a zero budget film, with no money and terrible soundtrack can achieve. Ed Wood would be proud!!
Better Than Most Low Budget Efforts
Reviews_of_the_Dead8 March 2022
This is a movie that I didn't learn about until getting into horror movie podcasts. I believe it was the 22 Shots of Moodz and Horror that covered this movie. They also brought up how this is one of the rarest VHS films to find. As I was searching down watching this movie, I also found out it was Shot on Video. This might mark the first time I'm seeing a SOV movie, which is shocking. What made me seek it out was for my Black appreciation episode here in February on Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast. The synopsis is a woman buys a doll at a magic shop. Unbeknownst to her, the doll is possessed by an evil spirit and it proceeds to take her over.
For this movie, we start in a church. Reverend Obie Dunson (portrayed as himself) is giving a sermon. We then see Helen Black (Shirley L. Jones) in attendance and she walks home. As she does, she is accosted by Ricky Roach, who is trying to sell her stolen items. She tries to ignore him and she scolds him as a sinner. Helen is deeply religious. Her house as a lot of icons and we hear her scold her friend Barbara (Kathleen Turner) over the phone. She is trying to hook up Helen with a friend, but she thinks all he wants is to sleep with her.
Helen then goes to a local store. She sees a lot of interesting items, but she is drawn to a black puppet. She decides to buy it and the salesperson (Maris Sainvilvs) gives her the backstory. It is supposed to have magical powers. She claims to have sold is four different times, it has granted that person's deepest wish, before returning to the store. Upon writing this, it makes me question how she knows it granted their wish, but I'll digress.
When she gets home, she takes the doll out of the box and puts it in the bathroom. She gets in the shower and the curtain is pulled back. Helen is usually modest, but we see her as she pleasures herself. She is fantasizing about the doll doing different things to her. She also has a dream about it. This dream becomes a nightmare as the doll attacks. She wakes up with the doll in her room and she isn't sure how it got there. She puts it back in the bathroom and again, it ends up in her room. Helen then tries to put it in the closet, where it seems to stay.
Helen's nightmare comes true when the doll attacks her when she returns home. This nightmare might be a fever dream as it opens Helen's repressed sexual desires. She can't find the doll though. It makes you question if the doll attacks her or is this all in her head?
That is where I'm going to leave my recap for the movie as there isn't a lot to the story. They're working with a small budget here, so that is part of it. Where I'll start with my breakdown is that I like the premise here. I'm questioning how the saleslady knew some of what she did. I could piece together stories here that her deepest wish was to make money off it. This isn't necessarily a plot hole, but it is something that isn't fleshed out. I want you to know, this doesn't ruin the movie.
Where I want to delve into is with the character of Helen. The movie does well in setting up that she is religious. We see that through her interaction with guy who stole things and trying to sell it to her. We also get that from her conversation with Barbara. I like that this doll is unlocking her deepest desires. I can pull commentary here about repression. That is what religion is known for. The commentary here is that religion has repressed this desire. This doll is going the complete opposite and making her almost a nymphomaniac. There is a happy medium here of moderation. That is what I take from this.
Shifting over to the doll disappearing. Helen having tasted the forbidden fruit calls off from work. She tries to take her mind off the ecstasy she felt by cleaning. When that doesn't work, she seeks out a couple of lovers. Neither can fulfill this feeling that she got from being with the doll. This might be me reaching, but this almost seems like she lost her virginity to a man who wasn't good for her and left her. She is chasing that high of how he made her feel. The problem is that nothing compares. It then becomes sticking with a bad person, just for that.
Since there isn't much more to the story, I'll go over to the acting. I'm not going to be too harsh here as this is amateur. I think that Jones is fine as Helen. Everyone's acting is wooden. I will give credit to her for being nude in this movie as much as she is. She has a good body. The rest of the cast is subpar if I'm honest. I did find the voice of the doll funny. It is done by Keefe L. Turner and it is quite deep. It did make me laugh.
Moving from that, I'll finish out with the effects, cinematography and the soundtrack. For the former, what they do with making this doll come to life was solid. Having a puppet is strategic. They're able to position it in ways where someone could control it without being seen and that worked. They also had a child made up to look like it from behind, which also worked. The doll is quite creepy if I'm honest. The little bit of blood we get and how it ends was fine. The cinematography is hard to judge with the copy I watched. They don't do a lot with the camera and part of that could be it being shot on video. The sound quality wasn't great either. The music they used, I liked. The problem is that it is too repetitive. It feels like they used the sound from the camera so it is as blown out as the images on the screen. That makes it difficult to judge for me as well.
So then in conclusion here, this isn't great, but I also can't judge it too harshly due to the budget. I will give credit here that they made a movie. The concept we are getting here isn't the most complex, but it does work for me. There are some interesting ideas being explored. It doesn't go as far as I would have liked though. The acting is amateur. We get limited effects, but there are good aspects there. I like what they do with some of the soundtrack, but it is a bit too blown out with the room noise. The images are similar with how it was shot. It makes it difficult to see and hear at times. Keeping it in perspective, I find this below average. There are good things here, but too many issues for me to go higher than that. We are getting some promising things here. I do want to make that known. It just falls short.
My Rating: 4 out of 10.
For this movie, we start in a church. Reverend Obie Dunson (portrayed as himself) is giving a sermon. We then see Helen Black (Shirley L. Jones) in attendance and she walks home. As she does, she is accosted by Ricky Roach, who is trying to sell her stolen items. She tries to ignore him and she scolds him as a sinner. Helen is deeply religious. Her house as a lot of icons and we hear her scold her friend Barbara (Kathleen Turner) over the phone. She is trying to hook up Helen with a friend, but she thinks all he wants is to sleep with her.
Helen then goes to a local store. She sees a lot of interesting items, but she is drawn to a black puppet. She decides to buy it and the salesperson (Maris Sainvilvs) gives her the backstory. It is supposed to have magical powers. She claims to have sold is four different times, it has granted that person's deepest wish, before returning to the store. Upon writing this, it makes me question how she knows it granted their wish, but I'll digress.
When she gets home, she takes the doll out of the box and puts it in the bathroom. She gets in the shower and the curtain is pulled back. Helen is usually modest, but we see her as she pleasures herself. She is fantasizing about the doll doing different things to her. She also has a dream about it. This dream becomes a nightmare as the doll attacks. She wakes up with the doll in her room and she isn't sure how it got there. She puts it back in the bathroom and again, it ends up in her room. Helen then tries to put it in the closet, where it seems to stay.
Helen's nightmare comes true when the doll attacks her when she returns home. This nightmare might be a fever dream as it opens Helen's repressed sexual desires. She can't find the doll though. It makes you question if the doll attacks her or is this all in her head?
That is where I'm going to leave my recap for the movie as there isn't a lot to the story. They're working with a small budget here, so that is part of it. Where I'll start with my breakdown is that I like the premise here. I'm questioning how the saleslady knew some of what she did. I could piece together stories here that her deepest wish was to make money off it. This isn't necessarily a plot hole, but it is something that isn't fleshed out. I want you to know, this doesn't ruin the movie.
Where I want to delve into is with the character of Helen. The movie does well in setting up that she is religious. We see that through her interaction with guy who stole things and trying to sell it to her. We also get that from her conversation with Barbara. I like that this doll is unlocking her deepest desires. I can pull commentary here about repression. That is what religion is known for. The commentary here is that religion has repressed this desire. This doll is going the complete opposite and making her almost a nymphomaniac. There is a happy medium here of moderation. That is what I take from this.
Shifting over to the doll disappearing. Helen having tasted the forbidden fruit calls off from work. She tries to take her mind off the ecstasy she felt by cleaning. When that doesn't work, she seeks out a couple of lovers. Neither can fulfill this feeling that she got from being with the doll. This might be me reaching, but this almost seems like she lost her virginity to a man who wasn't good for her and left her. She is chasing that high of how he made her feel. The problem is that nothing compares. It then becomes sticking with a bad person, just for that.
Since there isn't much more to the story, I'll go over to the acting. I'm not going to be too harsh here as this is amateur. I think that Jones is fine as Helen. Everyone's acting is wooden. I will give credit to her for being nude in this movie as much as she is. She has a good body. The rest of the cast is subpar if I'm honest. I did find the voice of the doll funny. It is done by Keefe L. Turner and it is quite deep. It did make me laugh.
Moving from that, I'll finish out with the effects, cinematography and the soundtrack. For the former, what they do with making this doll come to life was solid. Having a puppet is strategic. They're able to position it in ways where someone could control it without being seen and that worked. They also had a child made up to look like it from behind, which also worked. The doll is quite creepy if I'm honest. The little bit of blood we get and how it ends was fine. The cinematography is hard to judge with the copy I watched. They don't do a lot with the camera and part of that could be it being shot on video. The sound quality wasn't great either. The music they used, I liked. The problem is that it is too repetitive. It feels like they used the sound from the camera so it is as blown out as the images on the screen. That makes it difficult to judge for me as well.
So then in conclusion here, this isn't great, but I also can't judge it too harshly due to the budget. I will give credit here that they made a movie. The concept we are getting here isn't the most complex, but it does work for me. There are some interesting ideas being explored. It doesn't go as far as I would have liked though. The acting is amateur. We get limited effects, but there are good aspects there. I like what they do with some of the soundtrack, but it is a bit too blown out with the room noise. The images are similar with how it was shot. It makes it difficult to see and hear at times. Keeping it in perspective, I find this below average. There are good things here, but too many issues for me to go higher than that. We are getting some promising things here. I do want to make that known. It just falls short.
My Rating: 4 out of 10.
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