The Devil Doll (1936)

An innocent man (Lionel Barrymore) convicted of a murder he did not commit escapes from Devil's Island with another inmate (Henry B. Walthall). His plan to exact revenge on the men who were responsible for his incarceration takes a twist when he discovers that his fellow escapee is a scientist with the knowledge to shrink humans to miniature size and control their actions. Based on the novel BURN WITCH BURN (not to be confused with the 1962 film) by Abraham Merritt and directed by Tod Browning, who co-wrote the script with three others including Erich von Stroheim. While perhaps the horror elements are not as strong here as they were in Browning's DRACULA (1931) and FREAKS (1932), nevertheless for most of its running time it's a fascinating piece of macabre cinema. Barrymore spends most of the movie in drag as he disguises himself as an old lady and the movie doesn't pass moral judgment on him as he pursues his dark path to vengeance nor is he punished. The special effects aren't cutting edge (for its day) but they're good. With Maureen O'Sullivan, Frank Lawton (who seems to be channeling Ronald Colman), Rafaela Ottiano and Lucy Beaumont.