Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Black Devil Doll from Hell

  • Video
  • 1984
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
3.3/10
864
YOUR RATING
Black Devil Doll from Hell (1984)
B-HorrorComedyHorror

A woman buys a doll at a magic shop. Unbeknownst to her, the doll is possessed by an evil spirit, and it proceeds to take her over.A woman buys a doll at a magic shop. Unbeknownst to her, the doll is possessed by an evil spirit, and it proceeds to take her over.A woman buys a doll at a magic shop. Unbeknownst to her, the doll is possessed by an evil spirit, and it proceeds to take her over.

  • Director
    • Chester Novell Turner
  • Writer
    • Chester Novell Turner
  • Stars
    • Shirley L. Jones
    • Ricky Roach
    • Chester Tankersley
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    3.3/10
    864
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Chester Novell Turner
    • Writer
      • Chester Novell Turner
    • Stars
      • Shirley L. Jones
      • Ricky Roach
      • Chester Tankersley
    • 40User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos10

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 5
    View Poster

    Top cast29

    Edit
    Shirley L. Jones
    • Helen Black
    Ricky Roach
    • First Lover
    Chester Tankersley
    • Second Lover
    Marie Sainvilvs
    • Saleslady
    Jeanine Johican
    • Church Friend
    Thalia Holloway
    • Second Buyer
    Obie Dunson
    • Preacher
    • (as Rev. Obie Dunson)
    Kathleen Turner
    • Barbara's Voice
    Keefe L. Turner
    • Doll
    • (voice)
    • (as Keefe Turner)
    Tommie Graham
    • Club Dancer
    Bernard Brown
    • Club Dancer
    Onita Green
    • Club Dancer
    Larry Jones
    • Club Dancer
    Jacqueline Coats
    • Church Member
    Sharada F. Coats
    • Church Member
    Toshia Coats
    • Church Member
    Donyattia Kinerman
    • Church Member
    Solomon Kinerman
    • Church Member
    • Director
      • Chester Novell Turner
    • Writer
      • Chester Novell Turner
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews40

    3.3864
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7imdb@stranko.com

    Evil Rasta Puppet tortures Nice Lady to bad music

    Brilliantly sincerely evil and naive. It could be compared to John Waters work in it's disregard for societal racial, drug and sexual taboos even tho I think they were going more for a PUPPET MASTER vibe. The plot is less convoluted than that of PUPPET MASTER (nice lady goes to open air market, buys cute rasta dummy/puppet, takes it home, puppet raises hell, smokes pot, is mean and gives her oral sex.) This movie is worth seeing - if you can find it. The soundtrack is Phillip Glass minimal and the sex scenes with the puppet are shockingly bad/funny. Beyond so bad it's good, so crinchingly terrible it's wonderful. Laugh your way through scenes never intended to be funny while you groove to the fumbled 2 finger synth sound track.
    hammerdick

    10 bucks could have made the difference.

    I have been waiting 10 years to see this movie. I first read about it in a Joe Bob Briggs article of the all-time worst B rated movies ever made. This one stuck out because of the nature of the film. The devil doll, the rape, etc. Maybe it was the 10 year wait that made this film seemingly better to me than to most.

    The other reviews are mostly correct though. The intro is terrible. The money Chester Turner invested in the opening song could have made the difference. The credits seem never ending, especially since there are only about 10 different people mentioned in a 6 minute period. Shirley Jones is not as dumpy as everyone else has said either. Average, maybe a little less, but thats all.

    The sound is really the worst thing about this movie. The Casio keyboard comments are not bullshit either, that's really what it is. Some scenes you can barely here the characters lines beneath the sound of the Casio keyboard playing 4 keys over and over again. The acting was only as good as the dialogue provided. Hard to make good out of a shitty script. The movie would have been so much better with some proper sound editing.

    The video is not too choppy for being made with a camcorder. Parts of the rape scene are hard to follow because they cut the video into still shots that slowly progress leading the viewer to believe the VCR is eating your cassette tape. Hang in there, it only last a minute or two.

    The plot was good enough though, and it had much potential. The doll, the rape, etc. The puppeteer was phenomenal, and the special effects are way ahead of their time. If this movie was available with closed captions, I would recommend this to anyone. Turn the volume off, and you can't lose.

    Unfortunately, this is one of those films that could have been huge just based on the controversy surrounding it, but alas, it is no longer made. It would be a good one for someone to purchase the rights to and re-release it after some heavy media hype.
    4mhwkjones

    One of my favorite movies

    I remember a friend of mine got a copy of this from someone when I was in about 10th grade. We must have watched this movie about 40 times, and laughed hysterically every time. Unfortunately, he somehow lost his copy of it. This is seriously one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I highly recommend it. If you're lucky enough to find a copy.
    3znowhite01

    Casio heaven

    Unbelievable obscurity from the mid-80s revels in its pornographic and horror inspirations. A church-going lady saving herself for marriage goes shopping at a thrift store and picks up a Jamaican puppet believed to have evil powers. It then proceeds to rape the living bejeezus out of her and turns her into a horn dog, only human meat cannot satiate her newfound hunger for puppet penis. Absurd on every level with pacing that can block a magnum bullet, this has garnered a cult status for all the right reasons. Only a few freeze frame montages show any creativity and deliver the biggest belly laughs, unless you count the disco scene from 1984 with numerous extras shaking their booties to Casio music. Which is the film's other main asset: score. The opening credits droll for a full 6.5 minutes with an accompanying song you'd swear was performed and vocalized by Aaron Stielstra; the rest of the songs coming from a Casio keyboard demonstration (literally) and an unbearable one-note synth drone that sounds like your tape is broken. Remarkably, the puppetry is very competent and I couldn't spot any humans manipulating the Fat Albert-voiced doll. Many, many scenes of erotica and nudity from one of the most unattractive women to grace the screen. The thrift store owner's line reading is hilarious and deserves its own drinking game.
    Poor_Logic

    A unflinching look into the struggles of single, middle class African-American woman and the conflicts that erupt between a forbidden relationship and her religion.

    Chester Novell Turner's social commentary piece about the struggles faced by a young, average-looking, African-American woman and the troubles she encounters with her religious beliefs and the puppet she loves. Turner has a magic ability for character development; we learn that the female character is religious, not only through a 10-minute phone conversation, but also a 10-minute camera pan displaying all the religious artifacts (read: Sunday bulletin) hung from her wall.

    The film sexy side places the female lead with an abusive, controlling puppet that simply does not care about the women who nurture and care for him. While some scenes may be difficult to watch, the end result clearly displays the destructive nature when a woman makes love to a puppet. Not since Jurassic Park has visual effects seemed so real - many scenes of the puppet actually look like a 6-year old kid! Truly amazing!

    I wish the Academy had opened their eyes in 1985 and taken notice to this masterpiece! A great story, jaw-dropping visual effects and to top it off - a soundtrack that hasn't been heard since I accidentally pressed the `demo' key on my Casio keyboard. Find this video, it will make you rethink your social circles dominance.

    More like this

    Black Devil Doll
    4.1
    Black Devil Doll
    Tales from the Quadead Zone
    3.6
    Tales from the Quadead Zone
    Criminally Insane 2
    2.0
    Criminally Insane 2
    Blood Cult
    3.5
    Blood Cult
    Pervert!
    4.5
    Pervert!
    Night of Horror
    1.5
    Night of Horror
    The Corpse Grinders
    4.0
    The Corpse Grinders
    The G-string Horror: Demon Cut
    5.3
    The G-string Horror: Demon Cut
    Terror on Tape
    5.5
    Terror on Tape
    Mujeres salvajes
    5.3
    Mujeres salvajes
    Boardinghouse
    3.8
    Boardinghouse
    Cathy's Curse
    4.5
    Cathy's Curse

    Related interests

    Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
    B-Horror
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The original title for this movie was "The Puppet." The title was later changed to appease a VHS distributor who agreed to release the film, but only if the original title was dropped and replaced with "Black Devil Doll from Hell." The VHS distributor also allegedly came up with the idea for the opening theme song, as a way to pad out the film's run time.
    • Goofs
      An onlooker can be seen watching the filming, as the guy is trying to sell the woman a television set out of the back of his car. Furthermore, the onlooker appears and disappears several times between shots.
    • Quotes

      The Doll: [sniffs, then shouts] Did you just fart, bitch?

    • Crazy credits
      " ? " as Black devil doll
    • Alternate versions
      There is an alternative cut of the movie that features a heavy-metal soundtrack, a different credit sequence, and a faster pace
    • Connections
      Featured in The Cinema Snob: Black Devil Doll from Hell (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Your Nightmare
      Performed by David Ichikawa

      Music and Lyrics by David Ichikawa

      Backup Vocals by Kristy, Carla Boretti, Chris Knight

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Puppet
    • Filming locations
      • Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production company
      • CNT Production Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $8,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 10m(70 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.