Devil Times Five / People Toys (1974)

 

After five mentally defective children survive a van accident in the snow, they make their way to a lodge where they start killing adults who offend them or are rude to them.

People Toys is a 1974 American slasher film directed by Sean MacGregor and an uncredited David Sheldon and starring Sorrell Booke, Gene Evans, Shelley Morrison, and Leif Garrett, along with Garrett's real-life sister, Dawn Lyn and their mother, Carolyn Stellar. The film follows a group of four sociopathic, homicidal children who, accompanied by a mysterious nun, seek refuge with a number of snobbish vacationers at a lakeside chalet, only to systematically murder them one by one.

This film should have been called Awful Times Five. A lot of people like this movie. A lot of people need their fucking head examined. If you looked at the cast you'll notice the name Sorrell Booke. That's Boss Hogg mother fucker. I'm not sure why he signed on to appear in this film. He must have really needed the cash. 

You, too, could become a peopletoy... children can do strange things.

It starts off with these little annoying kids who climb out of a bus that crashed apparently unharmed. It seems that they just escaped from a crazy house and they are just.... it isn't really clear what their motive it, they're just doing stuff. These kids show up and start killing off people one by one. And everyone thinks it's suicides. Because they're idiots. And then they lose their guns. because they're idiots. Then they start getting killed off one by one... because they're idiots.

The kids are fucking weird. One of them is convinced she is a nun,  The leader appears to be the little African American kid who dresses, acts and talks in military lingo, just like a soldier -- He even has a little plastic M-16. I forgot to mention that Leif Garrett was in the film. He thinks he is a big time child movie star.  Leif Garrett eventually went on to release albums of garbage that sold millions of units to 12 - 16 year old girls the world over, which is indeed more horrifying than anything depicted on screen.

I'll whip these kids asses every day of the week.....twice on Sunday.

The movie was filmed in Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake, California between February and April 1973. The production was notably tense between director Sean McGregor and producer Michael Blowitz, with Blowitz recalling that at one point, McGregor punched Blowitz in the face, to which Blowitz responded by throwing McGregor through a plate glass window.

Original director Sean MacGregor was fired from the production after a few weeks of difficult filming and most of the footage he had directed was deemed unusable. Much of the final version of the film had to be re-shot under the direction of David Sheldon several weeks later. According to legend, director Sean MacGregor spent some time as a patient in a psychiatric ward following his departure from the project. MacGregor must have just viewed the film before being committed to the psych ward, 

Who survives? Who would want to survive?

I don't recommend this movie to anyone. The so called five devils actually seemed like they should be in an adventure with the little rascals. They had better be glad I wasn't at the house. I'd beat those kids asses with a switch.  Just a reminder, Lief Garrett is in this flick! No wonder he turned into an addict! Starts with a car crash and keeps on crashing.

I'm Boss Hogg mother fucker. Go get them Duke boys. 

Trivia:

The film's original director, Sean MacGregor, was fired after a few weeks of difficult filming, and most of the footage was considered unusable. Much of the final version had to be redone under the direction of David Sheldon several weeks later.

Carolyn Stellar was the real-life mother of Leif Garrett and Dawn Lyn.

Unknown actress Gail Smale was alleged to be the original director Sean MacGregor's under-aged girlfriend. Her character's nun's habit with rose-colored glasses was partially an attempt to conceal her natural albinism. This film remains her only known credit.

According to legend, the film's original director, Sean MacGregor, spent some time as a patient in a psychiatric ward following his firing from it.

No wonder Leif Garrett turned to drugs.  

Director Quentin Tarantino named this film as one of his favorites in October of 2020. He said, "Leif Garrett is the leader of these killer kids. And Leif Garrett gives an amazing performance in this film. It's terrific and it's really 'f'-ed up in a big way but that's what makes it great. It blew me away. I was like, wow, this is amazing! I've heard about it forever, because it played the drive-in circuit on the lower half of double features for years. Finally, I watched it, and I was like, wow, this is terrific!".

The film was originally released in the U.S. by Cinemation Industries in 1974, then on VHS by Media Home Entertainment in 1982. Code Red released it on DVD in 2006 and on Blu-ray in 2016. Kino Lorber and Code Red together re-released the Blu-ray version in 2021.

Gene Evans later said that he only did this film for the money.

After initial filming ended, Leif Garrett had his hair cut short for his next film, Macon County Line (1974). After Sean MacGregor was fired, most scenes were re-shot. The wig Garrett wore for re-shoots was noticeably darker than his hair.

You little bastards do your chores.

Gene Evans, Leif Garrett, and Dawn Lyn all starred in Walking Tall (1973). Garrett also starred in the two sequels, Part 2: Walking Tall (1975) and Final Chapter: Walking Tall (1977).

11-year-old Leif Garrett is shown wearing women's clothes and make-up in several scenes of this film.

Tierre Turner recalled that the only disturbing aspect of making the film was dragging Leif Garrett's naked mother through the snow.

The character in the film played by Sorrell Booke is named Dr. Henry Beckman. Veteran Canadian character actor Henry Beckman played Dr. Brown in it.