Dr. Cyclops (1940)

100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
59% of users liked it
(260 ratings)

The first Technicolor horror film since Mystery of the Wax Museum, Dr. Cyclops was directed by Ernest Schoedsack, of King Kong fame. Albert Dekker chews the scenery as mad scientist Dr. Thorkel, who has developed a process that will shrink human beings to doll size. His first victims include mining… More The first Technicolor horror film since Mystery of the Wax Museum, Dr. Cyclops was directed by Ernest Schoedsack, of King Kong fame. Albert Dekker chews the scenery as mad scientist Dr. Thorkel, who has developed a process that will shrink human beings to doll size. His first victims include mining engineers Bill Stockton (Thomas Coley) and Steve Baker (Victor Kilian) and biologists Mary Mitchell (Janice Logan) and Dr. Bullfinch (Charles Halton). At first willing to play-act the role of benevolent despot with his miniaturized captives, Thorkel reveals the more sinister side of his personality by abruptly murdering Bullfinch in cold blood (easily the film's most frightening sequence). The rest of the picture details the escape efforts of the three pint-sized protagonists as they hack their way through a jungle of gigantic foliage and do battle with oversized wildlife. Though the cheery Technicolor hues tend to dilute the "scare" quotient in Dr. Cyclops, the special effects are superbly convincing throughout. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Ernest B. Schoedsack
Written By: Tom Kilpatrick
Genres: Action & Adventure, Horror, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Apr 12, 1940 Wide
On DVD: May 13, 2008
Studio: MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Albert Dekker is marvelous as the eccentric biologist.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Scary!
Gerry Shamray, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Terrific, old-fashioned thriller.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Great effects and a strong performance from Dekker, but not really compelling

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

Another film from the ultimate Sci Fi Collection. This is about a film where a Doctor is using uranium to miniaturizes things, The miniature horse is pretty cool, then 5 people will not leave him alone so he miniaturizes them. Must have been a drive in hit. 3 stars
AJ V

This movie feels like a 50s B movie, and it's pretty much the same story as the late 50s movie, Attack of the Puppet People, but Dr. Cyclops got there first. This movie has cool special effects, which reminded me of 50s movies, and I was surprised to see such effects in a movie… More
This movie feels like a 50s B movie, and it's pretty much the same story as the late 50s movie, Attack of the Puppet People, but Dr. Cyclops got there first. This movie has cool special effects, which reminded me of 50s movies, and I was surprised to see such effects in a movie from 1940. It's not a fantastic story by today's standards, but this movie is still pretty cool when you think about it.
Randy T

Dr. Alexander Thorkel has discovered a way to use radiation to shrink pigs, horses and other assorted animals to a fraction of their former size. Obsessed with this new discovery and paranoid that his colleagues will steal his invention, he decides to shrink them as well. I caught… More
Dr. Alexander Thorkel has discovered a way to use radiation to shrink pigs, horses and other assorted animals to a fraction of their former size. Obsessed with this new discovery and paranoid that his colleagues will steal his invention, he decides to shrink them as well. I caught this one on late-night television many, many years ago and absolutely loved it. Albert Dekker is the ultimate "mad scientist" in this Technicolor extravaganza of campy dialog and extraordinary special effects.
Anthony V

If you have nothing better to do, this might fill your time.