review for The Black Doll on AllMovie

Enjoyment of The Black Doll -- which is less a voodoo thriller than it is a comedic whodunit -- depends largely on the viewer's tolerance of veteran second banana Edgar Kennedy. More verbal this time than usual, Kennedy plays one of those dumb Irish cops that no low-budget thriller apparently couldn't be without but who usually comes across as a dated oaf. To his credit, Kennedy nevertheless manage to squeeze a chuckle or two from material that quite frankly is older than the ubiquitous hills. Cinematographer Stanley Cortez, meanwhile, adds at least a modicum of atmosphere to the otherwise humdrum goings-on, but The Black Doll, which was produced for Universal by Gower Gulch entrepreneur Walter Futter, still doesn't have the polish of most routine studio efforts.