Puppet Master
October. 12,1989 RAlex Whitaker and three other gifted psychics investigate rumors that the secret of life has been discovered by master puppeteer, Andre Toulon, in the form of five killer puppets uniquely qualified for murder and mayhem.
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Reviews
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
RELEASED TO VIDEO IN 1989 and directed by David Schmoeller, "Puppet Master" (or "Puppetmaster") takes place at a striking old hotel on the California coast where four psychics gather to meet a former colleague and his wife, the heir of the grand inn. However, their colleague has committed suicide and puppets animated by Egyptian sorcery are intent on killing them off one-by-one.This was the first of a franchise that includes a dozen sequels (as of this writing), which is one more than the Friday the 13th franchise. While decidedly Grade B in quality, I liked the grand ol' hotel setting, the cast, and the Ten Little Indians-like plot. Unfortunately, the first half hour feels lethargic and dull. From there, the film's decent enough with quality puppet effects. Irene Miracle is stunning as a psychic biyatch and Kathryn O'Reilly & Robin Frates ain't no slouches on the feminine front, but the filmmakers fumble the ball as far as taking advantage of these resources. Paul Le Mat is genial as the main male protagonist with frightful hair while Jimmie F. Skaggs is formidable as the colleague gone mad. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 30 minutes and was shot in California (Riverside, Pasadena, etc.). WRITERS: Charles Band, Kenneth J. Hall, Schmoeller and J.S. Cardone. GRADE: C+
The first in an interminable series of low-budget comic shockers from Full Moon Entertainment, PUPPET MASTER is exactly the sort of horror film that you'd expect the late 1980s to produce. It's often cheesy, with an extraordinarily slim plot that consists of characters wandering around a haunted hotel and getting offed in various grisly ways, and the only thing that matches the fashions and haircuts for awfulness is the quality of the acting. Yet this film has something about it to distinguish it from more general run-of-the-mill fare, and that's the puppets. For those who don't know, there are five different killer puppets, all with their own special methods for killing. The little dolls are equipped with knives, huge hands, leeches, and drills, while the ringleader has a cool rotating head effect which is often put to good use.As mentioned, the plot is little more than the 'old dark house' style of horror that was clichéd back in the 1930s! Characters have boring flashbacks, engaging in unnecessarily gratuitous sex sessions (anything to keep the viewer's attention) and generally act in less than impressive ways. With a bunch of B-movie stars and TV actors, the only one who really stands out is MIDNIGHT EXPRESS's Irene Miracle, but her screen time is limited. Perpetual old-timer William Hickey is the titular puppet master, but his screen time is limited to a few minutes at the beginning of the flick.So what of the puppets? The most interesting thing is the quality of the special effects – they're fantastic. Forget all the other 'killer doll' movies, PUPPET MASTER is tops when it comes to creepy animated creations, and that's primarily because they're animated through stop motion, with lots of all little cool tricks thrown in to keep the viewer guessing as to how they did it. Dave Allen is the guy behind the animation, and he does a brilliant job as always. For a guy who began his career on a prehistoric Hammer flick and ended it on straight-to-video horror cheese, he doesn't disappoint. There's a pretty outrageous level of gruesomeness on display, with the sickest moment being the death-by-leeches scene which manages to out-gross SLUGS. Most of the disgust is saved up for the final scene, in which the puppets take their revenge on a living zombie filled with embalming fluid. The result is a viscous, vicious moment. Surprisingly, some of the scare scenes – like Miracle being stalked through corridors and lifts by the puppets – are effective and the film as a whole is easy to watch and pretty entertaining whenever the puppets are on screen, and that's a lot.
PUPPETMASTER🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 4.2This is a great B-movie. Great FX (and puppetry), great characters, great atmosphere. I'm always hearing people say PM2 or PM3 is the best in the series, but I'm leaning more to this one. It's very compelling, entertaining and has decent pacing for a B-horror film. My main complaint is a few really dumb horror movie decisions. That's really the biggest problem. Also, William hickey is good as puppeteer Andre Toulon. In all, the best puppet master film, and much better than some of the other full moon stuff back then (see Ghoulies 1&2). Recommended to any B-movie or fan. A very fun film.
i love this movie! puppet master has great stop motion effects and a sense of fun. this is one of the best entries in the puppet master series. it start out with a man named Andre Toulon putting the finishing touches on a puppet named Jester(One of my favorites)a puppet who spins his head a lot to decide which expression he wants. then Blade(the most popular puppet)tries to escape two Nazi men and heads to Toulon's door. Toulon picks him up in time to commit suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a gun.a group of scientists goes to the hotel where Toulon killed himself. they meet a woman named Megan Gallagher who's husband shoot himself as well.then havoc starts to unwind when the puppets come to the hotel. the scientist are kill off one by one, leaving only Megan Gallagher and Alex Whitaker(one of the scientists)then they meet Mr.s Gallagher's husband who killed himself to learn about Toulon's secret for making life after death. then he abuses one of the puppets (Jester) this angers them and they start to betray him with Tunneler drilling a hole in his jaw, Pinhead holding his head for Leech woman to vomit a leech in his mouth, and blade cutting his fingers off with green blood coming out. one part that really make me wonder is how that dog came alive. all and all it's a good movie of the 80's. and a fun movie to watch. 8/10