Attack of the Puppet People (1958)

Nice effects though.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This movie contains no puppets, puppet people or attacks but why should a movie title make sense? The story isn't great but the special effects are good for the 50s.

Mr. Franz is a deranged doll maker & "mad scientist" who's biggest fear is being alone. He creates a machine and shrinks a group of people to keep for himself. In a roundabout way, Mr. Franz reminds me of Dr. Pretorius (Bride of Frankenstein) with his tiny people and mannerism and I liked that a lot with this film.Do not expect a physical attack from the tiny people that is not their form of attack, it's another form of attacking by trying to find away to grow large again and report what has happened to the police.Talk about some great filming and special effects... it really looks as if they have been shrunk down into doll sized people. The story is good but tragic in a way - Mr. Franz severe fear of being alone.Overall, this is a very fun 1950s sci-fi horror. I recommend it to fans of the classic sci-fi horror shows.8/10

*Spoiler/plot- Attack of the Puppet People, 1958. A mysterious old man who produces dolls has several people connected to him disappear. The police investigate on several leads and a drama starts.*Special Stars- John Agar, John Hoyt *Theme- Loneliness can cause people to do strange things to eliminate loneliness.*Trivia/location/goofs- B & W, In a drive-in scene, lead actors are watching the B-Movie classic "The Amazing Colossal Man. This film was rushed into release to compete with Universal's "The Incredible Shrinking Man". Listen for the rock & roll song, "You're My Living Doll". The saucer of milk laid out on the window sill to attract the cat, moves it's position between scenes after the cat arrives. Similar plot to an earlier Universal horror film called 'Dr. Cyclops'.*Emotion- A somewhat unsatisfying film full of flat characters and one dimensional acting by some very experienced actors in the cast. The film theme or moral became too heavy handed towards the end of the film as to leave the viewer feeling like you have seen other better films with similar plots or themes. That's a real killer to a film's reason to be exhibited or produced.

Kindly, but sad and lonely doll maker Mr. Franz (an excellent performance by John Hoyt) shrinks some folks to miniature size so he cam have some company. His latest victims are affable salesman Bob Westley (50's science fiction film regular John Agar in fine form) and sweet secretary Sally Reynolds (a charming turn by lovely blonde June Kenney). Bob, Sally and four other diminutive people try to find a way to get out of the clutches of the benign, yet deranged Franz. Director Bert I. Gordon relates the engrossing premise at a steady pace and maintains a generally serious tone throughout. George Worthington Yates' surprisingly thoughtful script offers a poignant portrait of how loneliness can drive someone crazy. This film further benefits from solid acting by a sturdy cast: Hoyt brings a moving blend of pathos and sympathy to his credible portrayal of Franz, Agar and Kenney make for highly engaging leads, plus there's bang-up support from Jack Kosslyn as the hard-nosed Sergeant Paterson, Michael Mark as friendly puppeteer Emil, Marlene Willis as spunky, adorable teenager Laurie, Ken Miller as the laid-back Stan, Laurie Mitchell as the sassy Georgia Lane, Scott Peters as the easygoing Mac, and Gordon's adorable daughter Susan as a cute girl scout with a broken doll. Ernest Laszlo's crisp black and white cinematography does the trick. The roaring dramatic score is likewise up to par. The huge props and sets are quite good. The special effects are pretty decent, if a tad on the chintzy side. Moreover, this movies delivers a few amusingly campy moments: Laurie serenades Franz with the catchy song "You're My Living Doll" and Georgia takes a bath in a big coffee can. An enjoyable picture.