Master of the macabre Tod Browning (Freaks) created this spine-tingler about madness, murder and revenge. It stars Oscar-winning screen legend Lionel Barrymore as an escaped convict who uses a mad scientist’s shrinking serum to create tiny people. He then disguises himself as a kindly old lady running a toy store, so he can secretly send his tiny assassins out to exact a terrifying revenge on the men who framed him. Special-effects genius Leonard Smith created the trick photography that Michael Weldon (The Psychotronic Encyclopedia) called “better than (that of) any other shrunken-people movie”. Maureen O’Sullivan co-stars as Barrymore’s innocent daughter and Frank Lawton as her devoted suitor. Rafaela Ottiano adds a note of horror as the maniacal widow of the twisted scientist. Full of menacing moments and hair-raising scenes “certain to return in nightmares” (Pauline Kael), this is truly an unforgettable horror movie classic, now stunningly remastered!

For thoughts on The Devil-Doll, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/DfA60BshMLU?si=hdDA1Qi0r6W2LOnX&t=2719]

Video Quality

The Devil-Doll makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master derived from a 4K restoration of the film from the best surviving preservation elements. While the Original Camera Negative may not exist any longer, the results of this transfer are nonetheless stunning for a film that is nearly 90 years old. The label consistently proves it can make the best out of any bad situation with its virtually pristine presentations. Warner Archive honors the original look of the nitrate source by not overly sharpening the soft shots or tweaking the small amount of flicker produced by the photographic process. The film is allowed to look like a feature shot on film, and it is tremendous.

The black-and-white photography shimmers in high definition with natural grain intact. Highlights hold resolute, allowing the contrast to render well with no blooming in sight. Black levels are deep with no appreciable signs of black crush or compression artifacts. This new transfer shows off a robust amount of depth and enhanced detail within the various interiors. There is a substantial amount of detail present with nice textures on the costumes and within the production design. Even the visual effects shots are not a significant step down in quality. Warner Archive has provided fans with an ideal presentation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up as well as the source will allow. While there are greater limitations when compared to the video side, this track accomplishes what is asked of it. The dialogue (including the ridiculous old lady voice from Lionel Barrymore) comes through favorably throughout the duration with only small traces of distortion accompanying choice exchanges. The environmental effects are kept to a minimum, but what is present plays well with the dialogue. The score can present as a bit weak in some of the peaks, but it is not a significant issue. There does not appear to be an overwhelming amount of damage or age-related wear and tear to the track outside of some minor sibilance and harsher inflections. This audio presentation stands as tall as it can. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Dr. Steve Haberman and Filmmaker/Film Historian Constantine Nasr provide a terrific new commentary track in which they discuss the history of this film, how this fits into the career of Tod Browning, the substantial changes from the source material, the careers of the performers involved, the recurring themes of Browning, and much more that makes for a great listen.

Milk and Money: An eight-minute early Looney Tunes animated short that shows an early iteration of Porky Pig getting a job to support his family while facing many obstacles when it comes to keeping said job. This is presented in HD with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

The Phantom Ship: A nearly eight-minute early Looney Tunes animated short that finds a family going to tour a haunted ship and finding more than they bargained for at the site. This is presented in HD with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

Original Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided.

Final Thoughts

The Devil-Doll may not be as genuinely creepy as it was once considered by audiences, but the narrative remains engaging throughout its spry runtime. Tod Browning must have wanted to bring a campy sensibility to this – how else can you explain what Lionel Barrymore is doing – which keeps the tone in line with the outlandish plot. The mixture of production design wizardry and early special effects work elevates this quite a bit. It is not a horror classic, but it is a fun viewing experience. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and a favorable selection of special features. If you are a fan, this presentation will be worth the wait. Recommended

The Devil-Doll can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.