Puppet Master 4 (1993 Video) User Reviews

Scrappy plot, but decent

[Mileskolehmainen · 6/10 · 19 June 2014]

PUPPET MASTER IV

🌕🌕🌕🌘🌑 3.2

I thought this was entertaining enough. Not as good as the third, but fun. And the puppet FX were good once again. Th whole puppet vs. Puppet concept works great on providing action and effects, and the demon-puppets are a good villain. I found there is plenty of clever stop motion here, all done very well. The acting ain't to bad either, but the psychic girl is a tad annoying. There are three issues I had with the film. The first, a small bug, is the buildup, which like in 1 or 2 takes a bit. The second, a much larger issue, is that the plot seems to feel very scrapped together, like a bunch of little pieces of a script. So when it's all patched together it feels a little disjointed. The third, another problem, is the lack of blood. I don't mean gore I mean blood. Other than a severed finger the action is never violent or bloody enough to be horror-y. Even so this film is entertaining and I recommend it to fans of the series ('sept for gore hounds) and the younger horror audience too.

Puppet Strings...

[barnthebarn · 4/10 · 13 November 2008]

A severe backwards step for the puppets in this mainly dull and tedious outing. Guy Rolfe, so fantastic as Andre Toulon in part three barely features this time and Richard Band's fantastical them tune appears with the puppets a fair few minutes in to the film. For the start of the movie we are introduced to the caretaker of Bodega Bay Inn (Gordon Currie) and some youth friends of his (many of the cast are Canadian and are all very good in unfortunately rather undemanding roles - Teresa Hill is quite yummy). Totems, minions of the Egyptian God Sutek want the secret of animation life back and the puppets (when they surface) act with a previously unseen cleverness to attempt to destroy the ugly and very computer game looking Totems. The Totems merely complicate the series and distract from the things that previously made the series so unique - they don't share the weird beauty of the puppets and thus don't really fit in. Top scene is Pinhead using a rag to clean blood from Tunnelers drill bit, classic and about the goriest this film goes. The fifth film was filmed concurrently with this one so expect similar sections of mediocre and a Toulon performance that seems to have been filmed in a different era (or even galaxy). Guy Rolfe deserved better and series fans certainly do. Grrrrrrr.

The beginning of the decline of the PM series

[udar55 · 5/10 · 26 December 2011]

The ancient demon God Sutek is finally angry enough that Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe) stole his life-giving formula that it sends some demons (tiny, of course) to the "upperworld" to get those responsible. Somehow that means scientists from a Government company, despite them having nothing to do with it. Who is involved is kid genius Rick Myers (Gordon Currie), who has discovered the puppets while doing his experiments at the Bodega Bay Inn while acting as a caretaker. Running only 75 minutes, this mess of a film actually has 5 screenwriters credited with the nonsense plot. The main point seems to be about resurrecting new puppet Decapitron (a hold over idea from Band's Empire days) and Toulon telling Rick he is the new puppet master. About the only good thing in the film is the stop motion work by Dave Allen and his crew, but it seems to be less and less with each entry. This marks a turning point with the tiny terrors being full blown good guys now. This was also the first in the PM series to feature no nudity. PUPPET MASTER 4 came out in November 1993 and the fifth entry, despite being filmed back-to-back, came out almost a year later in September 1994. Felton Perry has two scenes as a murdered scientist.

Now the puppets are good guys!

[stu-67 · 3 June 1999]

This is strange and unlike the other puppet master movies in the series. But it is funny in many ways, for instance take Cameron's high pitched shrieking of obcenities, and the Head monster at the Beginning is Hilarious looking HA HA HA. I was very pleased the girl who plays Lauren, man is she attractive or WHAT? The puppets are good guys who have to fight off Evil? What happend to the Evil gene and the lust to get brain chunks HUH? Well it's pretty cool that they are good though. The soundtrack by Quiet Riot and Joker is the icing on the cake for me. Watch this movie it's not that long. and its pretty GOOD.

HIGH HOPES fall short

[bigdaddycool · 3/10 · 18 June 2000]

I'm a big fan of the demonic puppets. Looking at the surface of this one, it looks pretty good! You've got Decapitron, the puppets, and a new villain in THE TOTEM! Unfortunately, the little punk that's doing this project to animate, inanimate objects, can't act. He stinks! His girlfriend is worse. If they were left out, it would probably be cool, BLADE VS. THE TOTEM. I'd watch that for 2 hours. But instead, the puppets role is down played, and the whole movie suffered because of it. The mystical Skull guy who created the totem is corny at best, and Decapitrons appearance is long awaited, short, and really quite disappointing. You'd be better off watching the first one again.

Kill dolls, again

[smellthecult-com-1 · 5/10 · 18 September 2009]

Puppet Master is one of those franchises that every horror fan knows, and has a peculiar fondness for despite the fact that it isn't very good at all. Here, in the fourth instalment we see a demonic creature out to destroy anything associated with the eponymous puppet master, Anton Toulon himself. The subjects of his wrath? The lethal and animate toys Toulon created, as well as an improbably young scientist working on a project to bring life to the inanimate and a clutch of his witless friends and associates. Sound dreadful? Well, it's not. Harking back to the glory days of American horror, this is retro stuff that feels as if it was made ten years before it actually was. And that's a good thing, kids. Trust me, if the only horror you have seen is 'Shrooms, Thir13en ghosts and other such nonsense that gets the green light in modern horror cinema, you really are missing out and would do well to check out pretty much anything pre 1989 as an educational experience. Whilst the production levels and acting are bordering on the inane, this has atmosphere by the bucket load. In truth, the Puppet Master movies feel like really dark kids films, as there is next to nothing in the way of gore or violence, though this one at least has an entertaining death scene near the start which is relatively tense. Special mention must go to the metal soundtrack, which was great, as well as the device used to end the demonic menace: The Decapitron, a puppet with the power of mimicry. Entertaining enough horror yarn.

Puppet Master 4

[ryan-10075 · 5/10 · 30 August 2019]

A brilliant super-nerd Rick Myers (Gordon Currie) who likes to play laser tag while rocking out to metal is conducting some experiments and doing research in the Bodega Bay Inn while he is caretaker. He feels he works much better in this environment while no one is looking over his shoulder. THE SHINING anyone? Three friends come over including his girlfriend Susie (Chandra West) and they find puppets that have been locked away since maybe some time around 1941. So, forget about parts 1 and 2 now. The puppets are brought back to life, but a demon named Sutekh (whose appearance is like a puppet as well. The biggest problem I had with this character is he wasn't scary and you just wanted to hug him) has sent three servants to get Toulon's secret.

Now, one thing I will say is the effects are getting better by 1993 and are actually getting quite effective in my eye. There is also a new puppet called Decapitron who can have different heads placed on his body. It is also through this puppet that Toulon (Guy Rolfe makes his return) appears to Rick. Strange to say the least and while the effects are getting better, this effect well wasn't a highlight I would say. Also starring Felton Perry in an almost useless role as Dr. Carl Baker.

Anyways, if you do watch it and in fact enjoy it perhaps PUPPET MASTER 5 will be for you as well as Jeff Burr directed it and is a complete sequel to this movie.

I Found this a more fun then the last!

[atinder · 6/10 · 30 December 2012]

I thought this was best one yet, (No, I am not Drunk lol ) I really enjoyed this one the most.

I had fun of start to end of this movie, it's started of as Cheese as you can get, in the underworld of Hell (It''s kind of reminds of old Power ranger shows I used to watch when I was kid lol ) , the demon Sutekh send to of Totems which really nasty little creatures

Rick Myers who ends up coming cross the Puppets and then bring they back for his own entertainment.

Soon the puppets turn good and defend the Humans against the Totems and battle break with Blade and one of Creature.

I love Jester face kept changing in fight scenes, I found it's really funny, I think could of helped that if thee kids in this movie instead of Adults.

I can see why not many people like this movie, there was really limited on on kill scenes, there not many bloody moment.

Some of the acting in this movie, as got to be worse anything in this series so. I think lead guy the only you acting didn't not bother me.

Overall going to give this a 6 out of 10 (I was going give 7 but I was hoping of for more gore)

I wasn't even thinking of seeing 5, i might end up having fun with it

A Harsh Decline In Quality

[Grojniar · 3/10 · 27 June 2022]

This definitely had the most Sci-Fi feel out of all the movies so far and I think that's why I had a hard time enjoying it. I understand that these are considered "fantasy" but they share horror qualities, so I've been judging them on whatever element is dominant per movie. I was disappointed to find out that this movie took place decades after the third installment rather then continuing the story line of their best movie which came prior. The writing wasn't bad but it didn't really feel like it belonged compared to the first three movies. The atmosphere was fine but overall did not help with immersion; for me at least.

80's Horror meets 90's Cheese in "Puppet Master 4"- a fun but very uneven entry in the series.

[TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness · 6/10 · 12 October 2016]

If there's one thing to be said for Charles Band's long-running horror- franchise "Puppet Master", it's that it is a franchise that has proved to have a high degree of staying power, lasting near three decades thus far and with no signs of slowing down. Even now, there's talk of not only another sequel to the original franchise, but even a full- fledged theatrical reboot to the sometimes beloved series.

Of course, the series has needed to change with the times to remain culturally relevant, and in no place is that more apparent than in 1993's "Puppet Master 4." (Also known as "Puppet Master 4: The Demon.) It's an entry to symbolizes a lot of change for the overall story, both in subverting expectations and also finally taking the steps to update and modernize the overall franchise by injecting it with that grand old 90's cheese that so many now nostalgically look back on with a big grin.

It's also the first entry in the series to toy with the idea of the killer puppets being full-blown "heroes" in their own film. Whereas they typically had been previously portrayed as villainous and murderous (or at best as anti-heroes out for revenge at the call of their master as was the case in the third film), here they are finally at the hands of a decent master with no dark or selfish motivations who is merely seeking to survive and uses the puppets for good. It's a nice, refreshing change of pace... especially as it fulfills the typical audience desire to see the "villains" win (at least a little bit) without making us directly route for them to do terrible things.

We follow Rick Myers, a caretaker at the Bodega Bay Inn who also happens to be working in a research project to create artificial intelligence. (90's Alert! Techno babble and bad 90's computer programming scenes imminent!) However, as the project is getting dangerously close to discovering the secret to life that had previously been found by the Puppet Master Andre Toulon, the demon lord Sutekh sends a group of evil diminutive "totems" to kill all involved. Once Rick and his friends discover Toulon's puppets, they are forced to bring them to life to battle this new threat! And they will also finally have to animate Toulon's hidden incomplete masterpiece of a puppet "Decapitron" in order to survive...

Part of the fun of this entry is the subversion in finally making the puppets the good-guys, thus allowing a sort-of full-on "war" between two miniature factions. It supplies for a lot of fun moments and creative sequences. Our cast of human characters are also reasonably good leads for a low-budget horror feature, and you care just enough about them to keep you invested in the human drama. (Even if there are some clichés that will make you groan, like the "hot chick in glasses" scientist. Ugh.) There's also a lot of fun to be had looking back on it in that nostalgic "time capsule" way. This is very much the product of its time, with cheesy 90's style, cheesy 90's dialog and cheesy 90's effects running rampant. It's quite charming as a result, especially for those who grew up in that decade.

That being said, this is a very uneven film and it does suffer quite a bit for its faults. Many aspects of the story are dated to the point of going beyond the nostalgic charm. The pacing is all out of whack. Certain major elements seem out of left field. And it all does feel just a bit silly, even for a "Puppet Master" sequel.

Still, there's plenty of fun to be had. The series was never anything more than trashy, goofy B-movies with some blood and boobs and creepy puppets... And you certainly get that here for the most part.

So I'm giving it a middle-of-the-road 6 out of 10. If you're a series fan, a Charles Band fan, or just a B-movie fanatic like me, you'll get your money's worth.

Better than today's Full Moon films

[Cin-38 · 4/10 · 10 June 2002]

***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** This installment of the Full Moon franchise changes the storyline a bit and implements some new elements. First off a new puppet master is established. Secondly, the puppets turn good in this sequel. Finally, It introduces some scifi/fantasy elements as well.

A new tenant of the infamous hotel by the bay, his girlfriend, her psychic friend, and that psychics boyfriend, stumble upon Andre Toulon's puppet trunk. They also learn about some demon from another dimension that holds Toulon responsible for stealing the secret to animating the unliving. So Sutekh (the demon) sends the totems, a bunch of craven little creatures that look like ear-less gremlins. Then it's up to the puppet troupe to take care of the inter-dimensional threat that's trying to kill there new friends.

Like most low budget movies this film is rife with continuity problems. How did the puppets get put back in the trunk? How come nobody remembers the last rasche of killngs in the hotel? Who bought the hotel? Why would a contractor by a building with a history of mass murders? All this and many more questions, will not be answered...ever.

The real suprise of this movie is the acting. It's actually pretty good. The actors take it with a enthusiasm unusual especially for a bunch of Full Moon nonames. Teresa Hill was especially impressive as the shy, nervous, psychic Lauren. Chandra West (Susie) was also a pleasant suprise also. Gordon Hill was a tolerable protagonist. But Cameron was far too annoying to stomach. Thank the norse god he dies before halfway through.

The puppets are there usual animated selves. With some improvements as well. There emotions (especially Jester's) are much more human due to the sounds that have been given to them. Blade's hisses, Pinhead's grunts, and Six-Shooter's snicker have all been improved and sound much better. The stop-motion animation is only average at best, especially the totems. They just don't seem to move as fluidly as the previous installment in the series. Also the Sutekh costume is absolutely awefull. How are we supposed to afraid of a creature so humorous looking.

The story seems a bit juvinile for the series. I think Charlie Band was looking to focus in on a younger demographic. The violence being toned down in this movie also seems to speak the same. Gore fans will be disappointed.

I think the above is the main problem this movie can't really stick with many people. It doesn't have the violence for gorewhores. The language is a little cleaner. Yet it's too violent and harsh for the wee ones. Which is why the movie gets low ratings. I have to say that the common reviews are mostly fair.

Enjoyable installment in the series

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 28 November 2011]

Toulon's puppets battle a bunch of gremlin-like monsters who want to steal the elixir from boyish young scientist Rick Myers (a lively and engaging performance by Gordon Currie). Director Jeff Burr relates the entertaining premise at a brisk pace, maintains a generally serious tone throughout, makes neat occasional use of funky stop-motion animation, and delivers a generous sprinkling of gore. This film further benefits from solid acting from a capable cast: pretty Chandra West as Rick's sweet girlfriend Susie, Jason Adams as smug and jealous jerk Cameron, and foxy Teresa Hill as sensitive psychic Lauren. Gulf Rolfe makes a welcome return appearance as Andre Toulon while Felton Perry has a regrettably small part as amiable scientist Dr. Carl Baker. The gremlin creatures are real gnarly. Moreover, it's cool to see the puppets as the good guys for a change. The tight 80 minute running time ensures that this movie never gets dull or overstays its welcome. Adolfi Bartoli's crisp cinematography gives the picture a pleasing polished look. Richard Band's spirited score hits the nicely spooky spot. Worth a watch for fans of this franchise.

"Look for something that might be a code"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 4/10 · 5 September 2023]

A big decline from the previous Puppet Master film that doesn't make much sense and unfortunately the great Guy Rolfe hardly appears in it as Andre Toulon. The film locates itself back in the Bodega Bay hotel with the puppets, shorn of all menace, actually protecting the human protagonists who are four unlikeable and annoying people only one of whom gets killed. Shame the others weren't. The only character I liked was Felton Perry as Dr. Baker but he was offed far too soon. The puppets look fine as usual but that's about the only compensation from watching this dreary film. I suppose the cinematography wasn't too bad but after the first three films in the series this is a case of going backwards, not moving on.

Not bad !!!!!!

[nas4e68 · 2 April 2000]

In this third sequel Gordon Currie makes his first really big role of a movie . Rick (G.Currie) is the caretaker to a hotel . Him and three other friends find the puppets Pinhead, Jester , and you know all the others . In this moviee the puppets are good and are fighting evil . Tons of action pretty good . Followed by Part 5 witch is horrible . Believe me . If your a horror fan you should watch this movie . ** stars out of four . Guy Rolfe ( Toulon also makes his return . He was in the third .

Puppet Master 4

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 12 October 2022]

The puppets who were once evil have now become good where new bad puppets come on in this sequel to Puppet Master 2. The demon Sutekh has sent the Totems to kill anyone who has the power of animation, including some researchers and Rick Myers (Gordon Currie), who believes that the puppets of Toulon are early AI experiments. His friends Susie (Chandra West), Lauren and Cameron come to visit and soon, they are all being hunted by the Totems. Can Blade, Pinhead, Six Shooter, Tunneler and Jester save them?

Directed by Jeff Burr (Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) and written by Charles Band (with contributions from Steven E. Carr, Todd Henschell, Keith S. Payson, comic book writer Jo Duffy and Douglas Aarniokoski), this also introduces the robotic Decapitron, which has the video face of Toulon.

Guy Rolfe returned to play Andre Toulon but refused to leave his hotel room and act in the movie unless producer Charles Band personally slid a cash payment under his hotel room door. That's an IMDB fact and could be BS, but seeing as how this movie recycles music from the past movies and Decapitron came from another potential Full Moon film, I lean to the idea that it's true.

Too good to last?

[boy_in_red · 5/10 · 4 September 2006]

Puppet master 4 lacks many things that made the first three movies feel like something special. There is the absence of that quiet, almost fairytale, quality found in previous instalments, noticeable right from the opening score.

I tried to be patient with this film- and indeed the opening, which focuses on other worldly demons who wish to guard the secret of life as tapped into by Toulon, feels like it has the potential to be interesting, something new, a further exploration of the puppet master mythology perhaps.

But it's wasted potential- nothing is explored in any kind of depth. This is especially disappointing in contrast to the thoughtful Puppet Master III. Up until now Puppet Master's puppets have always played a relatively small part in a greater story. Yes they probably are the reason people rent these movies, but we are treated to a lot more than just puppets killing people- there's interesting character development, some great building of tension, a rich past to explore but this film focuses mainly upon the puppets themselves, and these demonic critters sent from another dimension.

The whole cat/ mouse feel of the action gets really tiresome. It's just not fun to watch the same "scream, struggle a bit then eventually kill the baddie" routine over and over again in this movie. There's a genuine lack of tension as well. For example we see the puppet master's chest being prised open for about five minutes. The audience knows what will be inside- we've seen the other films, and yet we're forced to sit through this. Why? That isn't tension- a revelation, isn't a revelation if we already know what to expect.

Everything feels overly forced too. The boy-genius in his Converses who enjoys jumping around his room firing lasers at robots because he's "crazy fun!" too. He's not especially likable, he just feels like some, I dunno, Micheal J Fox in-the-80s throwback. The techno-babble is another annoying aspect of this film- we know means nothing so why bother? Even the selling point of this chapter- "when bad puppets go good!" is redundant because we've seen these puppets as justice-givers in the previous instalment. It's just really a sad contrast to the interesting characters we've met in previous instalments and the simplistic charm of those films too.

The sad news is this was filmed back-to-back with its sequel Puppet Master 5. I have the box set, so I'm inevitably going to watch it, but I'm not excited. I don't care about this badly executed plot. The characters aren't interesting to me. A definite change in direction is what I'm looking forward to. Still here's hoping I don't find myself whistling in boredom during the next one.

What on Earth?? What were they thinking?

[JustinWarren · 3/10 · 17 January 2007]

So I decided to watch the entire Puppet Master series, and had just watched parts 1-3, which I thought were ALL excellent. They had a unique charm to them, and a certain intelligence that I really appreciated. About a year ago, I even saw Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys, which of course was bad, but still a terrific guilty pleasure and fun to watch.

From the very beginning of this film, I knew it was in trouble. The cheesy Power Rangers-style Egyptian skull villain who watches the Puppets 'Rita Repulsa-style' through his pyramid glass came straight out of left field! All of the additions to this franchise in this story were completely absurd! Suddenly we have a grand assortment of all kinds of new and random characters and plots that are a far cry from the first three films. I seriously doubt that when the first Puppet Master was being penned, the writers had visions of someday seeing an Egyptian Power Rangers villain, totem monsters, annoying twenty-somethings who seriously can't act (and are supposed to be brilliant scientists but never say anything intelligent), and a lame "Decapitron" puppet who's head can morph into the ghost of Toulon.

Another thing that greatly disappointed me in this film was that it completely ignores what happened in the last entry (Part II, since III was a prequel). Suddenly, the puppets are back at Bodega Bay Inn, back in their case (minus Blade), and Toulon for some reason is willing to help his puppets again (he betrays them in part II for his love of Elsa). This isn't explained AT ALL...and so with that, and all of this other junk thrown in, I was no longer amused.

I'm a huge fan of ridiculous B movies, a connoisseur if you will. I even collect laser discs of rare B movies you can't find on DVD, and so it takes a lot for me to say that this was one of the most absurd movies I have ever seen in my life. I still love those puppets, the original ones, Blade, Tunneler, Pinhead, Jester and the rest, and if they had only stuck with what they had rather than trying to fix something that wasn't broken, well, the series might still be alive and in good health. That being said, even though the reviews aren't so great, I'm really interested in checking out Puppet Master Retro, sounds like an interesting one that pays great tribute to the original themes.

Dumb fun

[Blazehgehg · 7/10 · 22 February 2024]

This is such a paper thin movie you can practically see through it. In short: a Power Rangers monster hassles a robotics company on the verge of a break through in sentient artificial intelligence, thanks to the work of 1993 Logan Paul.

Beyond that, there's barely any story, and despite being a horror movie, barely any blood, either. Despite somehow still getting an R rating, you can tell they were absolutely holding back in acknowledgement their target audience was probably in the range of 14-16 years old. As someone who doesn't always love tons of gore, that's not a complaint.

But you know what? Despite being an awful movie, it's got a silly, weird, campy vibe where it just kind of goes with the flow. Something you'd describe as "Stupid, but in a good way." For a movie of this type, it's very heavy on the practical effects, with fun puppet work, animatronics, and some stop motion animation.

And, as always, the puppet creatures themselves are just cool to look at. These guys were practically made for merchandising. It's just entertaining to see a little toy guy run around sometimes. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

The point the Puppet Master series started to go downhill... fast.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 26 October 2008]

Puppet Master 4 is set at the abandoned Bogeda Bay Inn where teenage boy genius Rick Meyers (Gordon Currie) is working on the Omega Project for the Biotech Institute which concerns the pursuit of artificial intelligence, Rick's girlfriend Susie (Chandra West) & a couple of her friends including psychic Lauren (Teresa Hill) & the obnoxious Cameron (Ash Adams) turn up to stay for the weekend with him. Susie notices a strange puppet & Rick say's it's been there since he moved in, then Lauren feels something evil about it & leads the friends to a large chest in a forgotten storage room & several other strange puppets inside it as well as the diary of German toymaker & puppeteer Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe) which describes a green serum which can animate the puppets & give them life which by an odd coincidence is just the thing that Rick is working on. Meanwhile Sutek the ancient Eygptian God whom Toulon stole the reanimation secret from in the first place wants it back & sends various little monsters out to get it & kill anyone who has learned about it starting with Rick, his chums & Toulon's puppets...

Originally having the working title Puppet Master 4: The Demon this was directed by sequel specialist Jeff Burr whose other credits include Stepfather II (1989), Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), Pumpinhead II: Blood Wings (1994) as well as the following Puppet Master sequel Puppet Master 5 (1994) which was actually made at the same time as Puppet Master 4 & continues the story with pretty much the same cast of actor's & character's (here in the UK ironically Puppet Master 5 was the only one never to be released on video or DVD so that means the only Puppet Master to follow on directly from the previous one storyline wise was never released!). I must admit that I am a huge fan of the first three Puppet Master flicks which I consider to be Full Moon's best films with some strong storytelling, neat special effects & gore & some memorable killer puppets each with their own distinct personality & implement's for killing but this is the point where that stops & the Puppet Master series starts to turn into a cheap horror franchise aimed at making money & selling replica dolls to the fans. Amazingly Puppet Master 4 has five credited on screen writers which I find astonishing, I mean it took five people to write this? While there are elements of the screenplay & plot that I like I have to say some of this sucks big time & some of the plot elements that are newly introduced like the Egyptian God Sutek, the laser fights & the scientific artificial intelligence angle are poor. Event at only 75 minutes long not much actually happens, out of the four main teenage cast members only one is killed & I didn't like the fact that the Toulon puppets don't get to do anything & aren't used as the main threat which ends up falling to Sutek's little monsters which are forgettable & don't have any particular stand out features.

A lot of the previous Puppet Master films continuity is forgotten about or ignored here as well, I mean where's Torch from Puppet Master II (1991) which this follows? Although having said that Torch does appear in Puppet Master 5. The character of Andre Toulon has been completely rewritten & changed which doesn't help & the puppets which were once so cool & so deadly are turned into the hero's here & actually protect Rick & his mates from Sutek. The majority of the special effects are surprisingly good with simple yet very effective stop-motion animation & animatronic puppet effects used throughout, I just wish the puppets were meaner & had been given more to do. The only really terrible effect is the awful rubber monster suit that is supposed to pass as Sutek the Demon God. The gore levels are low, someone has their finger cut off & there's some mild blood splatter but this feels like it was made for a PG rating & if there hadn't been some 'F' word swearing it would surely have gotten that PG rating.

Production wise Puppet Master 4 is pretty good, the wonderful location used for the Bodega Bay Inn scenes really help as I'm sure the production team would have struggled to build sets that were half as good & anywhere near as atmospheric. The cinematography is quite nice on occasion with some moody lighting & a power cut coupled with a good thunder storm going on outside with sporadic lightning flashes always helps the feel. The acting is alright by a fairly young & attractive cast (especially the two leading girls who are hot!) most of whom return for the next one Puppet Master 5.

Puppet Master 4 has a few good points like the return of the puppets & some nice special effects & one or two good moments but it's nowhere near as good as the first three & you can tell the producers are milking the franchise & see it as a money making exercise rather than anything else, or maybe I'm just being too cynical? Splitting what would have sat happily as one long film into two 70 odd minute ones along with turning the once killer puppets into the good guy's & reducing the gore & nudity to virtually zero probably say's it all really.

The most entertaining Puppet Master movies

[zsbiw · 7/10 · 7 October 2021]

Puppet Master 4, along with part 5, are definitely the best Puppet Master movies. The puppets are good guys in these two movies and fight demons.

These two movies are very entertaining, and are the stand-outs of the series.

Every movie series has a film that is most entertaining, like Scream 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, etc. Puppet Master 4 and 5 are like that, they are the funnest to watch and the best in the series.

Fight evil (puppets) ... with good (puppets)

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 1 August 2018]

And back again - well not in the Nazi Reich anymore that is. Which was the previous entry. Don't be dissapointed or excited yet - we'll get back there, if you hang and watch on that is. Because there are a couple of those movies still to come. It's interesting that someone wrote in one of the series reviews that most of them are not connected.

I mean you can watch them without any prior knowledge (though you do have the one that kind of has the first 10 minutes retelling the previous one, and I think it's number 5 in the series that does that).. I don't find that to be entirely true. You get kind of the same puppets (at least until number 7) with a few additions here and there. Here you also have evil puppets from beyond ... whatever that means to you. They have some sort of plan, but I couldn't spoil it to you, even if I wanted to.

This Series Just Keeps Getting Better!

[The Creeper · 10/10 · 28 December 2001]

The Puppet Master Movies are my Favorite Series of Horror Films. I've Seen All of Them Except Part 5, and Let me Tell You, I have Gotten Thrills, Chills, and Enjoyment out of Every Single One. In This One, we Have some of The Same Good Things we Find in Part One. Mainly A Psychic, A Team of Researchers, and Most Importantly, Good Scares! However, Unlike The Original, This time we Find Something New. A Few little Demons who want to Steal Back the Magic that Andre Toulon Stole from Them. Sounds Stupid? It isn't. I Even think It was Good for The Series to take a bit of a Twist. I also Thought it was Nice that the Puppets became the Good Guys. Because in The Three Previous Films, We Learn that The Puppets Will Obey any Command from "The Puppet Master". Also in The Three Previous Films, The Puppet Master has used the Puppets for Their own Evil. I Think This Film also tries to Tell you That It is not The Puppets who are the Bad Guys, It's the People that Abuse the Puppets' Power.

In Case you Already Haven't Heard, You Should Know that this is The Newest Puppet's Debut Film. His Name is Decapitron, and He is the Most "Shocking" and Powerful of Them All. It's War and Chaos as The Puppets Fight off The Pesky little Demons as They Protect Themselves, The People stuck in the Hotel, and Most Importantly, The Magic of Life. The Graphics were also Remarkable because The Actually looked like They Were Walking, as to Where in Scenes from Previous Films They looked Like they were Floating or Hovering. As Well as A New Puppet Showing Up, a Few Puppets are Absent. The Absent Puppets are Torch and Ms. Leech.

This Film was so Fun to Watch and I Would Hope that There wasn't a Person in the World who Didn't Like it. I Also Thought the Puppets were a Little More Fun to Watch, Because they are Funny and Curious. All in All, We are left with a Good Film with Plenty of Thrills and Excitement to Go Around. A Pure Joyride. 10 out of 10. Any Good Puppet Master Fan Should see The Best of The Series, Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge

The film is still fun, and entertaining, and who doesn't like watching puppets vs humans play laser tag; but as an overall movie, this is unfortunately very average.

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 20 May 2021]

Unfortunately Puppet Master 4 ($3.99 on Amazon Prime) is the beginning of the decline of the Puppet Master series. The storyline of this picture focuses on the forces of evil that helped create the puppets wanting their rightful place on the planet and the puppets thwarting their efforts. This move takes place in closer to present day than the historic pictures. The film is still fun, and entertaining, and who doesn't like watching puppets vs humans play laser tag; but as an overall movie, this is unfortunately very average. I would give it a 5.5/10 but still strongly recommend watching it.

You're starting to lose me, Charles Band.

[thepearlpoint · 3/10 · 27 June 2021]

Slipping... slipping... slowly these Puppet Master movies get worse and worse. Puppet Master IV is probably the slowest, most boring one yet. Goofy as hell and nothing to really makeup for it. Why did it have to be this way?

The Best Of The Series

[torch25 · 6 November 2005]

I though that PM4 and 5 were the best of the series. the puppets are fighting the Totems, minions of Sutek, who want the secret Toulon stole from him back. To help the Puppets, a new one, Decapitron (originally an idea for an unmade Empire Pictures filck) is made. This has always been my favorite Full Moon flick, and I love part V. Keep up the work Mr. Band. As usual, the video contains an excellent videozone, and the video itself was distributed by Paramount. A Puppet Master Box Set was released in 2000 by Full Moon, but was quickly recalled by Paramount because they still claimed the rights to these films. Paramount needs to stop being an ass and let Mr. Band release all of his great films through Full Moon, not the Paramount "Full Screen Collection". Bless Full Moon.