Sometime around 1990 my darling doddily doo Cerpts and I went to the local Blockbuster (which was just across the street from where we lived of course that "street" was a four lane highway but you get the idea) and we were introduced to Full Moon Productions. Full Moon Features, as it is known today, was founded by Charles Band. Uncle Charley is responsible for bringing us the first Puppet Master film and we both loved it. Since then, there has been a total of fifteen Puppet Master films in the series. I have seen every one of them except The Littlest Reich.
Lookit that, another Nazi movie. Thank the movie gods for Mike Flanagan and all the movies I have watched that he directed this October. I say that because without him I would look like a Nazi sympathizer with all the Nazi themed films I watched so far this Halloween season. And yes, truth be told I am part German. But let’s talk about this Puppet Master film. Starring is Thomas Lennon, yes, that Thomas Lennon from TVs Reno 911 and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. Lennon portrays Edgar who owns a comic book story and is a comic book artist. Edgar has moved back in with his parents after a divorce.
In his deceased brother’s closet, he finds a puppet. Anyone who knows the Puppet Master films recognizes the puppet as Blade, the leader of the band of reanimated killers. Along with his girlfriend Ashley, Edgar decides he wants to sell the puppet because it can fetch a pretty penny at an auction. At the hotel where the auction is being held an odd force wakes up some of Andre Toulon’s puppets and we know what that means. The usual carnage that comes with the puppets is about to start. Starring as Detective Brown is Michael Pare who I just saw in 9 Windows. He’s also starred in Streets of Fire and The Virgin Suicides. Pare, who was well behaved in 9 Windows is his usual over the top self here.
Horror legend Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, Castle Freak, and From Beyond) stars as former police officer turned security guard Carol Doreski who knows more about the puppets than most people due to a run in years ago with Andre Toulon himself. Speaking of Toulon, he is played by Udo Kier (Blade and Brawl in Cell Block 99) and here he is an evil German who was working for the Third Reich unlike he is shown in the original puppet master films. And here is where they start to lose me. OK, I’ll nutshell what happened: somehow Fangoria magazine began making their own films and this is one of them This was made as a reboot for the series of films and while it was entertaining and had some very impressive kills, I still felt something was missing.
The first and most glaring thing is the inclusion of only three puppets that have appeared in previous films. Only Blade, Tunneler, and Pinhead are here. Oh, there’s other puppets, but none I have ever seen before. Where’s Leech Woman, Six Shooter, and Jester? Nowhere to be found. Some of the new puppets are weird and sort of stupid but some are OK and boarder on good. I still miss the originals though. I also dislike how they present Andre Toulon here. I liked the sympathetic Andre Toulon that we met in the very first Puppet Master film played by William Hickey (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Nightmare Before Christmas) and later in a different incarnation played by Guy Rolfe who has also appeared in Dolls and Mr. Sardonicus.
I don’t know maybe I’m just too much of a traditionalist or too old school, but it did cause me to like the movie a little less. Saving the movie was some of the effects especially when it came to the kills. One of the new puppets wears the corpse of a character and pretends to still be that person. Directing here is the duo of Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund who have also directed Wither and Mystery Box together. Another one of the kills I want to mention is when one character enters the bathroom to relieve himself and has his “frank and beans” cut off.
Even more penis chopping this month! It’s a gory and gross scene but even after the guy’s junk is removed he still is shown urinating the same way. I’m not a doctor but I don’t think that is medically correct. Ah, what does it matter it’s a damn film about a bunch of homicidal puppets. What’s not to like? Well, a lot but I’ll take out my personal feelings and only rate this on merit. I will give this a modest three Cuddly Bears out of five. I don’t know what I’m complaining about this is better than Puppet Master: Legacy which Uncle Charley Band directed so maybe I’m complaining about nothing.
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