Attack of the Puppet People

Reasonably entertaining entry into the 50s sci fi/horror genre.

Star John Hoyt was always interesting to watch (check out his brief but commanding performance as antique shop proprietor Nils Dryer in "The Big Combo").

The basic theme of this film had, in fact, already been tried out the year before in the vastly superior "Incredible Shrinking Man". However, the 'puppet twist' (good name for a song!) was certainly an original touch.

Co-star John Agar is smoothly competent and does his best against the odds.

Strictly for those whose tastes lean towards the ultra-cheesy variety of midnight movie fare.

This was your typical low (I mean low!) budget sci-fi film and the film really doesn't build to an exciting climax. The story starts with a pretty young woman named Sally (June Kenney) who applies for an office job at a small company that makes dolls. She is hired by the kindly owner Mr. Franz (John Hoyt) who keeps losing his office workers. While working for Franz she meets a business associate named Bob Westley (John Agar) and of course he is smitten by her immediately and it doesn't take long for them to start dating and eventually he proposes and wants her to move to St. Louis with him. Franz discovers this and Bob disappears. Sally thinks he is making people into dolls and she goes to the cops and talks to Sgt. Paterson (Jack Kosslyn) who is interested because others have disappeared who been in contact with Franz. Finally Franz gets Sally alone and "Poof"! She wakes up and she's shrunken! Franz brings out Bob and a bunch of others that he has shrunk. Franz is able to shrink people with a machine that uses audio waves to break things down into energy matter. Franz is a lonely old man and he wants company! This film was directed by veteran Bert I. Gordon who would end up directing one of my favorite films of all time "Village of the Giants". Gordon usually made his films about people either growing or shrinking. Hoyt gives a convincing performance as Franz and if he's not just irritating then he's aggravating but thats what you would come to expect from an old kook. Kenney is very attractive and its easy to see why she was used in several of these types of films. Agar had already begun his slump into "Z" movie stardom and its very amusing to watch him get angry and tear apart the marionette. The film has an ending that is somewhat inconclusive but maybe Gordon wanted it that way just in case! Very silly film has lousy special effects but thats the charm to these movies. Several of the actors from "Earth vs. The Spider" appear in this film as Gordon liked using actors that he was comfortable with. Gordon's daughter Susan appears as the little blond girl. If you love these cheap sci-fi films of the 50's like I do, then you want to check this out!

This film essentially begins with a young woman by the name of "Sally Reynolds" (June Kenney) inquiring about an ad in the paper advertising a job for a receptionist at a small doll manufacturing company in Los Angeles. From what she is told by the dollmaker, "Mr. Franz" (John Hoyt) the previous secretary had left rather abruptly and even though her instincts warn her against accepting the job, she becomes convinced by his entreaties and does so anyway. Not long after that she meets a traveling salesman by the name of "Bob Westley" (John Agar) and they soon become romantically involved. However, upon accepting his proposal of marriage and agreeing to quit her job and move to St. Louis with him in a few days, they discover that Mr. Franz does not like the idea at all and things begin to happen that neither her nor Bob could ever quite imagine. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a movie which turned out to be quite different than what I was expecting. To that effect, while it might qualify as either a Sci-Fi or Horror film in the technical sense, there really wasn't much horror to be found here at all. Likewise, there wasn't very much suspense either. Even so, this was still an entertaining film in a grade-B sort of way and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

After his massive success with giant size folks in "The Cyclops" and "The Amazing Colossal Man" director Bert I. Gordon decided to go small with "Attack of the Puppet People," a nod to Universal's "The Incredible Shrinking Man" (a nice twist found it theatrically paired with his sequel "War of the Colossal Beast"), methodically building an air of mystery for the first half hour as various characters visit the office of Dolls Incorporated only to disappear without a trace. John Hoyt portrays the proprietor Mr. Franz, hiring new secretary Sally Reynolds (June Kenney) and associate Bob Westley (John Agar), who then both vanish after she fails to convince the police to check up on the missing people (in a disquieting moment, a lookalike Bob doll is lit on fire inside its plastic tube). The two newcomers are greeted by four others, all kept in suspended animation without air in their individual tubes. It's not really clear how former puppeteer Franz has developed a machine that works like a projector but in reverse, producing a ray that shrinks the subject to whatever size he desires, just a simple plot contrivance. We only see six of the dozen victims walking around, strangely complacent until the indignant Bob gets them to wake up to their predicament and attempt to escape. Once the cops get too close Mr. Franz decides that suicide is the only way out, unwilling to grant them freedom from captivity, all done just to alleviate his terrible loneliness. Bob and Sally must make it back to the shop before Franz does during a going away party at a nearby theater, encountering danger from a rat, a cat, a dog and a reckless automobile (there's also an adorable kitty seen living in a matchbox). The special effects are fairly basic and none too convincing, and little actually happens to support the lengthy exposition, a distraction since none of the characters are developed to any degree except for the villain. John Hoyt offers more substance to the role than is there in the script, a sketchy European background working with old friend Emil, another latter day performance from Michael Mark, father of Little Maria in the 1931 "Frankenstein." One can see the necessity of preventing his various young secretaries from leaving, but what could be his connection to a teenage boy and active Marine?

You know we never do learn just how the machine that shrinks folks to doll like size came to the possession of puppetmaker John Hoyt. He had no science or electronic background we're told about.

This is one weird film about a man who for fun and pleasure shrinks people to miniature size and keeps them around. Among others he shrinks are his new secretary June Kenney and her salesman boyfriend John Agar. When he proposes marriage and she wants to leave, Hoyt can't bear to part with either.

Hoyt is the whole show here in this B film quickie. It's not enough for a film that can't quite decide how seriously it wants to be taken.