''The Curse of the Doll People'' ( es, Muñecos infernales "Infernal Dolls"), or ''The Devil Doll Men'', is a 1961 Mexican

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by

Benito Alazraki Benito Alazraki (27 October 1921 – 6 June 2007) was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed 40 films between 1955 and 1995. He was the father of advertising executive Carlos Alazraki and grandfather of director Gary Alazraki ...

. It was produced by Cinematográfica Calderón S.A. The screenplay by Alfredo Salazar is an uncredited adaptation of the novel Burn Witch Burn! by

A. Merritt Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884 – August 21, 1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was an American Sunday magazine editor and a writer of fantastic fiction. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999, ...

Plot

The story surrounds four men who are cursed by a

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

priest for stealing a sacred idol from his temple. Soon after being surrounded, evil 'doll' people begin to kill their family members.

Cast

Elvira Quintana Elvira Catalina Quintana Molina (7 November 1935 – 8 August 1968) was a Spanish-Mexican actress and singer. Early life and career Born in Montijo, Spain, Quintana and her family migrated to Mexico when she was 5 years old. She began her car ...

as Karina *

Ramón Gay Ramón Gay (born Ramón García Gay; November 28, 1917 – May 28, 1960) was a Mexican film actor. He was one of the stars of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, known to horror film fans for his role in '' The Aztec Mummy'' trilogy of films in the ...

as Dr. Armando Valdés *

Roberto G. Rivera The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

as Molinar * Quintin Bulnes as Zandor * Alfonso Arnold

Release

K. Gordon Murray K. Gordon Murray (1922–1979) was an American producer, most notable for his redubbing and re-releasing of foreign fairy tale films for U.S. audiences. He is often cited as the "King of the Kiddie Matinee." Murray also marketed many of the Mexpl ...

imported the film to the US and added several English-language scenes.

Reception

Writing in ''The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia'', academic

Peter Dendle Peter Dendle is a professor of English at Penn State Mont Alto, teaching classes on folklore, 20th and 21st century representations of the Middle Ages, Old and Middle English (language and literature), and the monstrous (in film, folklore, and s ...

criticized the American import as incoherent. Glenn Kay, who wrote ''Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide'', called the film "a strictly by-the-numbers exercise that must have elicited more giggles than gasps on its release".

References

External links

* 1961 films 1961 horror films Films based on American horror novels Mexican zombie films 1960s Spanish-language films Films about curses Films about Voodoo 1960s Mexican films {{1960s-horror-film-stub