I love this movie so much

Truly Dreadful Film

Fresh and Exciting

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Bert I. Gordon (BIG) stands out as one of the more successful grade-Z auteurs of 1950's films, having made within a few short years a slew of monster/scifi ultra low budget films, all of which involve fantastical changes in the size of people or animals. BIG never made films as good or subversive as Roger Corman, but BIG made a lot of super-cheap films in a short time that made money, provided employment for actors, and provided material for drive-in theaters.Most of the BIG films involve people or animals that become giants, but this one involves a mad toy-maker who shrinks people so as to fulfill some kind of weird personal fetish. There is a crisis point about 2/3 way through this film where Mad Scientist Hoyt decides he must kill his shrunken pets...there is a hint of genuine horror at this point, and I was reminded of the real-life horror the Andrea Yates case, herself guilty of infanticide and simulatanously a victim of both poor mental health and fundamentalist religion. BIG borrows heavily here, from sources as wide-ranging as the Bride of Frankenstein to The Incredible Shrinking Man, as his visuals go. As far as BIG's patented FX techniques go, this is one of his more refined pieces, along with War of the Collosil Beast.Eternally geriatric John Hoyt, who was good in 'When Worlds Collide' and as Gene Roddenberry's original choice for the doctor of the starship Enterprise, plays the mad villain, and does a fine job of it. Hoyt's performance holds the film together, and despite the mad scientist schtick, he is ultimately more engaging than John Agar, to whom I have assigned the title World's Most Unlikable Actor.This is standard, mid-grade BIG fare, which is to say, an enjoyable waste of time for those who enjoy Drive-In era films. The story is not terribly complicated, and I think BIG padded things out so that this film would have sufficient running time for theatrical release, otherwise it could have been done as an episode of the Twilight Zone.BIG made this film for peanuts. Ten years after its release, TV schlockmeister Irwin Allen tweaked the concept slightly, and made the series 'Land of the Giants,' which at the time was the most expensive TV show ever produced, and ultimately much more tiresome than this quaint artifact.

*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.

As many times as i watch attack of the puppet people,i enjoy it every time.its one of those fun American international pictures from the fabulous fifties.although not as good or as expensive as incredible shrinking man its brilliance on a shoestring budget,great b-movie actors;John Agar(tarantula,revenge of the creature)John Hoyt(x the man with x-ray eyes)June Kenney(earth vs the spider)and yes Hank Patterson(Zeb on green acres)i enjoyed the 50's music and soundtrack from the late great;Albert Glasser.who scored many great 50's movies. OK the plot really simple a meek mad doll maker(Hoyt)hires secretaries and shrinks them to doll size,not to mention others like a teen queen,a marine,and even a cat.he shrinks the mailman but you never see him after he is shrunk.the mad doll maker keeps him in his jar i guess. well there are some good props and good special effects from b-movie maker;Bert I Gordon like a giant rat,cat and dog.this movie was originally shown on a double bill with the amazing colossal man. from the b-movie kings at A.I.P.(James H Nicholson and Samuel Z Arkoff) too bad its a short movie.Micheal Mark is also in this movie as the mad doll makers friend from Germany,a puppeteer.Micheal Mark was in the original Frankenstein,and later in the wasp woman.a great character actor.i know most critics would think I'm crazy for giving this 8 out of 10,but ill say this,to each his(or her)own.puppet people is a fun movie.

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.