Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

soulexpress Rick Turner is an ordinary man who starts to have recurring dreams about a mysterious blonde. He finds himself drawn to a doll shop, where Rick sees one that looks just like the woman in his dreams. When he walks in, the proprietor calls him by name and insists that Turner had ordered the doll custom-made. He then produces the blonde woman's photograph, which Rick supposedly dropped off when he placed the order. Turner insists that he has never been in that shop before.The blonde, Bianca, not only is real, she is the high priestess of a voodoo-styled religious cult that worships Gamba, "the Great Devil God." (The doll-shop owner is the cult's leader.) Bianca seduces Rick into taking an oath to Gamba. He is happy for a time, but then the cult decides to offer his ex-girlfriend, Donna (Ariadna Welter), as a sacrifice. That's when it occurs to Rick that this whole cult thing ain't what it's cracked up to be.I had a feeling I was in for something different as an instrumental surf rock song played over the opening credits. And I was right. This ended up being a lot better than a cheaply-made early '60s chiller deserved to be. The competent cast includes Roberta Alda in a low- key portrayal of Turner, the drop-dead gorgeous Linda Christian as the heinously seductive Bianca, and Neil Hamilton's highbrow take on the business-suit-wearing cult leader. Other highlights include the racially diverse cultists (who dress like they're going to the opera), the bongo-fueled dance routine that accompanies the ritual, the knife-adorned "wheel of death" that serves as a loyalty test, and the dream sequence in which Bianca first appears to Rick.The entire thing has a low-budget look to it, including what obviously is a toy car during a scene in which a traitorous cult member dies in a voodoo-induced wreck. Also, the building on fire at the end is clearly not the doll shop.Two more things: Donna's reaction to Rick's dream-and-doll story is oddly matter-of-fact, even when she finds out that there really is a Bianca. Also, in a scene set at a hospital (which the viewer can tell is not one), an E/R doctor wears a suit and tie. I've never seen a doctor report for hospital duty dressed that way! And the wall clock visibly sports the Bulova logo.OK, so "The Devil's Hand" is imperfect, but who cares? At a mere 71 minutes, it went by quickly and painlessly.

bensonmum2 Rick Turner (Robert Alda) is an engaged man who begins having dreams about a very seductive blonde woman. He is mysteriously drawn to a doll shop where he finds not only a doll that looks like his fiancé, but another that is the spitting image of the woman in his dreams. He finds the woman, Bianca Milan (Linda Christian), and immediately falls under her spell. In no time at all, Rick has all but forgotten his fiancé, professed his undying love for Bianca, and joined a cult that worships Gamba, the Devil God of Evil. Wow, that was quick!I readily admit - I enjoy this movie way more than I should. The Devil's Hand isn't particularly good, but it is a blast. Why? The main reason is Neil Hamilton as the doll shop owner / cult leader Francis Lamont. Most people my age will immediately recognize Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon form the 1960s Batman TV program. He plays Lamont just like he did Commissioner Gordon - perfectly straight. And it's a blast to watch! He delivers some of the most ridiculous lines with an absolute straight face. I loved it. The rest of the movie is entertaining enough with a reasonably good plot, the stunning Linda Christian, and the wheel of death being highlights. If I have one complaint, it would be Robert Alda. Bland doesn't begin to describe him in The Devil's Hand. But I suppose that's the type of character who could so easily be seduced into joining a the cult of Gamba, the Devil God of Evil. (Is it necessary to add the "Evil" part at the end? He is a Devil God after all. "Evil" would seems a bit redundant.)

Wizard-8 This Crown-International movie is a really tough slog to go through, even though the running time is only seventy-one minutes long. Before I get to why the movie simply does not work, I will admit that the movie has a little merit here and there. While the budget was obviously rock bottom, the filmmakers managed to squeeze every last penny out of the limited funds. The movie is well lit, well photographed, and with acceptable set dressing.Unfortunately, the filmmakers simply didn't have a good script to work with. The movie is filled with endless scenes of characters talking. This results in the movie sorely lacking in horror sequences. And the few horror sequences that do happen are extremely tame. I think that even audiences back in 1961 would have thought that this movie was soft stuff, so I can only imagine what modern day horror fans would think of this toothless movie.

trashgang Followers of my reviews do know that I have problems with science-fiction and horror made in the fifties and sixties. Mostly there's nothing going on, I admit, there are a few exceptions but still, most of them use cheap effects and are really outdated. A thing we can't say from for example the Universal Horrors. But sometimes I do come across horrors made in that era. The reason is simple, I collect also grindhouse and drive-in flicks and let this one be available in a grindhouse box. Although it doesn't contain any nudity and not a blink of blood I still enjoyed it. It's about a man Rick Turner (Robert Alda) who's engaged to Donna Trent(Ariadna Welter) but is seeing a beautiful woman Bianca Milan (Linda Christian) in his dreams. By mysterious encounters he's visiting a doll shop. A few strange things happen and without knowing he sees the doll that looks like his woman in his dream. He goes searching for her in real life finds her and is introduced to a cult.From there on you can easily know what will happen towards the end but by clocking in at 71 minutes it's over before you know it. The acting is sometimes a bit exaggerated, a thing so typical for films from that era. Linda Christian really looks gorgeous in her nightgown and they tried to add a bit of romantic pieces. It's also funny to see that smoking was a hot thing in bed and in fact everywhere. For such an old flick the sound was rather okay as did the editing and the way it was filmed. But it shows because the director William J. Hole Jr. did move on to Peyton Place (1968-1969)and The Bionic Women (1976) as director.Above average for a flick from that time and even as it isn't that wellknown it's worth picking up. And the last 10 seconds I had a big laugh, just see it...Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 0,5/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5