When I was a kid, probably 7 or 8 years old, I recall seeing the poster for this movie at a theater I was at while watching another movie. Every now and again the memory of that poster would pop into my mind, though I had never seen this flick. So today, I queued it up on Amazon prime, finally, after nearly 40 years. It's bad. Rotten. Really awful. Maybe this was a decent horror flick back in 1974 when it was made, but by modern standards, it's pitiful. It looks like it was filmed with a home video recorder. The dialogue is humdrum. They couldn't decide if they were filming a port or a "children of the corn" type horror flick. And the music is just comical; it's like quirky military movie music. Although, I did get to learn who Leif Garrett was. Man, that guy has had a rough life. Drug additions are a beast. But yeah, don't waste your time with this one.

I hate to say this, but I believe this movie has been widely over rated. The original idea, is something out of the twilight zone or Children of the Corn. There is a decent gathering of talent, but the story is a mess. it is difficult to follow, and just when you think the film is going to grip you with chills of horror, the kids are playing chess, using their creativity to build traps; and other curious endeavors. There is no immediate understanding of what is going on in the film at the beginning. I actually had to read the description to figure out the story.One thing, that is interesting about the film; is that when the five devil's commit their wicked deeds, you hear music from old- time children's songs.I really would not recommend this movie to anyone. I could not even watch the film to the end. When I think of psycho slash killers in fiction; I think of Michael Myers, or Norman Bates. The so- called five devils, actually seemed like they should be in an adventure with the little rascals, and even though some scenes may have suggested of atrocities; I found not one piece of the film scary in any way.

This is one of them seventies horror films your grandfather would tell you about while settling you down to sleep when you were a toddler. Five crazy kids escape from a mental institution and play the scared kid card at the house of Papa Doc, who is currently playing host to all sorts of unlikeable adults, so, basically, you can tell where this is heading. What got me about the Devil Times Five is the way that the first hour passes almost lightheartedly, before heading for Grimsville. When the kids start wasting the cast, a kind of darkness settles on the film and never let's up. I don't know if it's just the playful way the kids massacre people (hence the title: Peopletoys), but I was left with a bizarre bad taste in my mouth after watching this. I guess that's the whole point though. You don't really get that from watching modern splatterfests. This is seventies horror in a nutshell, this film.Plus, for UK viewers, check the name of one of the producers of this film (the IMDb won't let me use his second name here). I bet he's glad he didn't go to school in Glasgow!

Five little evil bastards escape a van crash that most assuredly would have killed them had they been normal children. After a little wandering the five find themselves at a remote chalet where three couples and a mentally challenged handyman (try figuring that one out) are spending time in yelling at each other and getting drunk. Sounds like most of my Christmas'. Soon the incompetent adults are dispatched by the little tykes deathtraps that never seem to fail followed by an annoying Pop Goes the Weasel score. Aren't you scared yet? Watch for the catfight when at the end Lovely's robe is only partially open then the next glimpse it is wide open exposing the only things worthy of notice in this film.What a disaster of a movie! It's not without promise but this could have been done so much better. The editing is so poorly done that it is hard to know who certain people are in the film such as the mystery man that emerges from the van wreck. Was it a clown car for chrissakes? This is rated R and yet the death scenes make me wonder if the director decided to pull back on the gore. The five plus minute slo-mo black and white death scene is so painful to watch it defies belief that the director would stoop to this to extend the runtime. Leif Garrett's hairstyle changes inexplicably from a goofy wig to shoulder length from one scene to another. The children refer to a character twice that is no where to be found such as when David kills Harvey and blames it on this mystery "Greg". How can you be so lax? On top of that the murders are so lame that only an idiot would fall for them and yet this chalet is packed with idiots. One scene in particular has two of the kids drown Lovely in the tub while dropping Piranna fish in. The fact that these kids are exposed to the large breasted Carolyn Stellar to begin with is a little disturbing but the scene is followed with all the "devils" dragging her naked body through the snow. One more juicy tidbit is Carolyn Stellar is the real life mother of Leif Garrett and Dawn Lyn who plays Moe. One of the writers is John Durren who plays Ralph the retarded handyman (I wonder if he wrote this channeling his character?) who in a very cringe inducing scene is sexually harassed by Lovely. I would recommend seeing this once with a bunch of friends and adult libations just to laugh at the sheer silliness of this movie. Aren't "peopletoys" marital aide products?