Puppet Master (1989 Video) User Reviews

Rather slow Cultclassic

[rickymartin0065 · 5/10 · 5 October 2004]

Being a fan of b-flicks and cultmovies, I was aware of this movie's reputation. So, why not give it a chance? Was I appointed? No, not really ... but was I excited?! Neither! This movie has an original storyline, is shot on a nice location and the special effects are OK (they look sometimes a bit silly, but in movies like this, there's one golden rule: how sillier, how much more fun!) But, in general, this is a rather slow and boring movie. It has some great (and sick) scenes ... but that doesn't cover up for the rest of the movie. This movie constantly repeats itself. I really had the feeling that the director had problems to fill his 90 minutes. So ... is it a waste of time?! No, you'll have fun with it. Just don't expect too much of this 'cultclassic'

PS: Just like Child's Play, this movie is about dolls and puppets ... but that doesn't mean it's suitable for young children. A wise advice to all you babysitters out there!

B-movie weak but great campy puppets

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 17 October 2013]

Puppetmaster Andre Toulon (William Hickey) was hunted by Nazis and shot himself at the Bodega Bay Inn 50 years ago. Present day Neil Gallagher invites his psychic friends Alex Whitaker, Dana Hadley, Frank Forrester and Carissa Stamford to the Bodega Bay Inn but they find Neil had already killed himself.

It's too bad that the great William Hickey is dead in the first 10 minutes. This movie badly needs great actors. The acting in this is stiff and uncompelling. The production value never rises above B-movie level. The best thing about the entire movie is the great campy puppets. They are amazzzing.

A reasonably fun piece of trashy cinema.

[Zombified_660 · 6/10 · 9 July 2005]

Puppet Master spawned at least 6 sequels. None of these are as good as this first outing, although part 2 deserves note for it's flamethrower toting Torch puppet. When I initially saw Puppet Master I was fairly new to the Horror genre and thought it was fantastic. Three years on and with the benefit of hindsight and perspective, Puppet Master is okay, but isn't going to set your world alight.

So long as you don't lose sight of the fact that this is Straight-To-Video trash in it's purest form, you'll never have any trouble fully enjoying what Puppet Master has to offer. The bad acting, cheesy music and noisy splatter effects are all part and parcel of what you should expect from American B-Movie horror, but there's a great charm and knowing sense of fun about the movie lacking from a lot of movies with more money thrown at them.

Most of this is the result of the painstaking work put into bringing the puppets to life. The puppets are a mix of animatronics, pure animation and some improvised techniques, and as a result have a life all of their own, making them far more watchable than the cast. Although Irene Miracle and Paul LeMat put in fairly decent turns, the rest of the cast are shocking (and not in the good way you normally associate with horror) and hopefully people you've never seen in anything else, meaning you will spend the movie rooting for the puppets.

All in all, for a movie so utterly riddled with problems, Puppet Master is still a fun ride. I certainly have no qualms recommending it for a quick rental or a rainy day, but I'll warn you one last time, it is cheesy, gory and trashy so it won't be for everyone.

Now THIS was a fabulous movie!

[Taiyo · 10 December 1998]

You'd figure the thirtieth or fortieth movie about dolls that "live" would get stale, but "Puppet Master" has yet more to show you. They're not dolls in this movie, but rather five special puppets, crafted with love to be the companions of an old, lonely man. Jester, the quiet puppet, and last to be created, who sits back and watches is by far the most interesting. It's cool to watch his head spin around (it's made up of three distinct sections) when he changes his facial expressions.

These puppets have been "lost" for nearly fifty years when the story begins, and a bunch of psychics come to investigate the hotel. The death scenes in this movie are unique -- no one can commit gruesome murder quite like tiny little people. But even though they're rampaging the hotel, these toys aren't evil. They set a standard followed in "Puppet Master II" (a movie that, while tolerable, is no where near as good as the original) in that the puppets have no choice but to follow their master, who will eventually reap what he sows.

It's a fabulous movie, from the scenery of the old bed and breakfast at the Bodega Bay house, to the almost sweet-looking puppets (who just happen to like to murder people), and all told, I think I would have to give this movie an eight out of ten. Sure, there's simulated sex, but it's not all that bad. The movie itself is pretty tame -- there's language, humor, gratuitous (and fairly strange) sex, and violence, but it's not marked by extreme gore (well, there's a questionable part right at the very end that is a little disgusting).

One of the best reasons for watching this movie is the cast, particularly Paul LeMat as Alex Whitaker. He's excellent as the peace-keeper in the movie, as well as the first of the psychics to have a really good clue what is going on in the household. Unfortunately, even he, in the end, jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Viewers who enjoy this movie will enjoy "Child's Play", "Dolls", "Demonic Toys", and "Dolly Dearest", among other horror films. Although "Puppet Master" isn't quite as demonic as the others mentioned, and has no aspects of Satan-worship, voodoo, or demonic culture, it's still another of those "inanimate objects come to life" movies. A definite hit!

How can such a weak film spawn so many sequels?

[gridoon · 4/10 · 27 January 2002]

This flick has developed quite a reputation as being a minor "cult classic", but actually it's not very good. Not very good at all. The story is shallow (I hear that it's further developed in the sequels, but that doesn't mean much for the viewers of this particular film), the characters are mostly uninteresting or unlikable, and the special effects, though cleverly conceived at times, show their age (already). There is also not much gore and not much suspense. (*1/2)

Much Better Than I Would Have Believed

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 6 July 2006]

I thought this would be very low-grade horror and dumb with poor special- effects, but I was surprised: it was good.....very entertaining. It inspired me to see the sequels, too, and they - most notably the third one - were good, too.

It's a little slow to start with, but once the puppets begin their attack story gets interesting, concluding with a gruesome ending. William Hickey gets decent billing in here but he's only in the film for a short time in the beginning. After that, it's just Paul LeMat and a bunch of unknown actors.

In all, not super but more-than-decent entertainment for an hour-and-a-half.

A poor movie

[Lars-mustaine · 1/10 · 31 January 2003]

This si a very weak horror movie and how it got 4 and a half stars on the site I'll never know. The acting isn't 'superb' as some people have said, it's poor. The effects aren't 'great', they're dated and poor. The plot isn't 'excellent', it's poor. Overall this film is poor however, it was a good laugh, so I'll give it:- 2 out of 10.

P.s What was with the ending with the stuffed dog turning into a real dog for no good reason? Strange.

Fun, cheesy movie

[ScarTrek · 7/10 · 27 March 2004]

Bad acting, awful hair, horrible plot, cheesy action, hokey characters.

Still reading? Good. My brother picked this movie up for me on DVD, because he knows of my love of horror movies. My first thoughts as I inserted the disc was that it'd be a cheesy, laughable pile of 80's horror rubbish. So I was in for a pleasant surprise. If you can get past the initial presentation of the movie (it feels every bit as low-budget as it is), you'll find it to be creepy, intriguing, and above all, great fun. The puppets themselves could have been a whole lot worse. The effects are hardly Lord Of The Rings, but through a strange combination of live-action and extremely well-animated stop-motion, the puppets don't make you cringe every time they show up on screen. They're probably better actors than some of the live actors even, it's difficult to tell who's more wooden. But it's hardly a character-driven story. It's an unusual story nontheless, and it definitely interested me enough to watch it right through - and then pick up the first sequel!

If you ever saw the movie Child's Play, with which comparisons are inevitable, you'll know already whether you can suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy a movie about killer puppets. If you can, and don't mind horrific 80's haircuts, I'd strongly suggest giving this one a rental, you could do a lot worse.

This film is one of my guilty pleasures. It is by no means an puppet masterpiece, but it entertains me for some odd reason.

[ironhorse_iv · 5/10 · 8 June 2013]

It's mindless fun written by Charles Robert Band, the Founder of Full Moon Features, an company known for its direct-to-video B-List horror & sci-fi movies. Full Moon's first franchise was Puppet Master inspired from an earlier Empire film, Dolls, and United Artists' success with Child's Play the year prior. Directed by David Schmoeller, the first movie start off in 1939 at a hotel at Bodega Bay, CA where the puppet master himself, Andre Toulon (William Hickey) who commit suicide to escape being captured by Nazi spies for his knowledge of reanimation dead people and putting their souls into his puppets. Bodega Bay will be used for the settings for a lot of the Puppet Master movies. The actor that play Andre will most likely be remember to most people as Uncle Lewis from 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Anyways cut to 1989, where a bunch of psychics are invited by a former colleague, Neil Gallagher. (Jimmie Skaggs) who they believe has been sending them visions of the future. Only to find that Neil Gallagher shot himself and they have come upon his funeral. If they were really psychics, how on earth did they not see that Neil killed himself? They must have not been the best of their trade. The first 40 minutes dragged on without any puppets on screen. Finally all of the psychics are attacked or killed by the puppets that remain at the hotel. Only two of them will find the connection between Andre Toulon's puppets and what happen to Neil Gallagher. Without giving away too much of the mess of a plot, the film is a bit confusing and made absolutely no sense. I watch it, a number of times, and it still doesn't. It didn't explain enough in the film, to the point, I have to guess just to fill in the blanks on the plot holes. Metaphysically speaking Neil killed himself. Okay that really tells us a lot about why there's puppets running around the hotel killing people. What did the new puppet master had against his own friends and quickly turn against his puppets? How was he able to bring himself back from the dead, when he was dead? Wouldn't it make sense if his wife use the formula to bring him back? What ever happen to his wife in the end of the film? Anyways it's never answer, and the whole heavy use of psychic power was never explain in the other films. The other thing, good about the plot was that they at less, gave the victim characters a little bit depth. Plus, the puppets seem to have more free will than the film lets on and can quickly turn sides unlike other movie monsters. They can play both the villains and the heroes. The movie got a cult following so the puppets were turn the good guys in most of the subsequent films, fighting various enemies including Nazis and inter-dimensional alien puppets. One of the treats of the movies is when new puppets are introduced, although it's always kind of sketchy as to how they come into existence considering Toulon is dead in most of them. The best thing about this movie are the puppets. Each of them having an interesting way of killing people. Blade looks like a small version of the Fisherman from 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer with a hook. Pinhead is a Conehead lookalike muscle man mixed with Addams Family Uncle Fester who punch and strangles people. Tunneler has a drill on his head, that drills into people. Last is Ms. Leech who is a Leech-puking doll is originally terrifying. Also there is Jester who pretty much just there to be there. He's pretty useless. Overall: Puppet Master was enjoyable, but I never bought the struggle between man and puppets. Too much rolling around. Chucky from 1988's Child's Play was certainly the superior murder toy. The puppets themselves are magnificent though, but I just wouldn't see how people in this film can't overpower them. Their stop motion movement was always fantastic and creepy. Lending the film a unique eerie presence that couldn't be accomplished with CGI and this is coming from someone who thinks people are too hard on CGI. Would've been nice to see some elaboration on the sequels considering there are so many of them, but this was nice none the less. I was left scratching my head for about 90% of the movie and the other 10% of the time, I was freaked out by the puppets I do like the music. It fits the mood indeed. The movie is full of 1980's and 1990's stupid horror clichés. Following the age-old formula of people wandering off alone and getting killed one by one, stupid scenes of nudity, and pointless scenes that make no sense. It's watchable, but give up your hopes for a serious horror movie here. It's not that. So check it out if you want to.

A fun start

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

Puppet Master may have started with one direct-to-video movie, but since then, there's been ten sequels, a crossover with Demonic Toys and a recent reboot, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich.

After Empire Pictures went out of business, Charles Band started Full Moon Productions, which would partner with Paramount Pictures and Pioneer Home Entertainment to create direct-to-video movies. Puppet Master would be first and it's very similar to another Band movie, Dolls. Yes, this was originally intended for theaters, but Band thought it would make more money as a home release.

Think Star Wars is confusing? Well, Puppet Master is really the sixth film in chronological order. It starts in Bodega Bay, California in the year 1939. A puppeteer named André Toulon (William Hickey, Uncle Lewis from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) is finishing a puppet he calls Jester when Nazi spies come for him. He places Jester and the other puppets (Blade, Shredder Khan and Gengie) into a hidden panel before killing himself.

Fifty years later, psychics Alex Whitaker, Dana Hadley, Frank Forrester and Carissa Stamford take a journey to meet their old colleague Neil Gallagher, who has found Toulon's hiding place, all thanks to a series of visions. Soon, a doll named Pinhead is taking out the psychic's one by one, finally revealing that Neil has been alive all along using Toulon's Egyptian secrets of alchemy to reanimate himself. However, he's dumb enough to cross the puppets and throw Jester at a chair. Those puppets stay together. Only Alex and Megan survive along with Dana's formerly taxidermied dog, which is now mysteriously back alive.

Such a small debut for a series that would go on to so many more installments, right? Even though they only have five minutes of screen time, people fell in love with the little guys. How can't you adore Blade, who is based on Klaus Kinski and the Leech Woman? Strangely enough, most of the music in this movie comes from a movie Band produced that's also about bringing inanimate objects to life, Tourist Trap.

Iffy

[Roly_Savage · 4/10 · 15 October 2003]

Look at this movie as just a bit of fun following a bunch of evil puppets running around massacring people and you will enjoy this film. Look at it in any other way, or compare it to the superior Child's Play and you will be disappointed.

What is strange about this film is that it doesn't explain anything about the puppets origins and why Toulon had to kill himself at the beginning. This point, however, is taken to the extreme in the six sequels that followed. This instalment is not as good as number two in the series, but it is a decent film which is funny if not that scary. I'd recommend checking out Puppet Master 2 even if you don't like this, but stay away from the other sequels.

BEST ACTOR: PAUL LeMATT is the best of a very poor bunch of actors. BEST ACTRESS: IRENE MIRACLE doesn't perform miracles but does a decent job. BEST SCENE: The ending where the puppets have their wicked way with their master. BEST QUOTE: none of note.

OVERALL: 4/10

An often overlooked 80s classic...

[jluis1984 · 8/10 · 10 July 2006]

Charles Band and his company, Full Moon Pictures, are often labeled as makers of the worst b-movies in the history of the horror genre, however, few seem to remember they kept the genre alive and kicking with their inventive and original brand of low-budget horror during the late 80s and early 90s. "Puppet Master" was the first and arguably the best example of Full Moon's 90s style, a style that included a heavy use of puppetry and stop-motion animation that showed the progression of an idea that he started in his 1987' production "Dolls" (directed by Stuart Gordon).

During World War II, a secret group of Nazis were sent to Bodega Bay, California, to capture puppet maker Andre Toulon (William Hickey), a mysterious old man who had the secret of giving life to inanimate objects. He commits suicide before being caught and so his secret goes with him to the grave. Until nearly 50 years later, a group of psychics lead by Alex Whitaker (Paul Le Mat) are contacted by Neil Gallagher (Jimmie F. Skaggs), a former colleague who apparently made a big discovery in Bodega Bay before committing suicide under mysterious circumstances.

Directed by the tragically underrated David Schmoeller, "Puppet Master" is a very different films that its sequels. Schmoeller plays with the suspense and atmosphere of classic goth films, and successfully mixes those elements with the more graphic shock and gore that was the rule for horror films of its time. With a great eye for the visuals Schmoeller makes great use of his Gothic locations and the terrific camera-work enhances the carefully crafted suspense. The special effects wizards create very good looking effects for the budget and together create what could be called a "gothic slasher".

Schmoeller gives life to Band's story and this mix of fantasy and horror ends up as one of the best screenplays developed at Full Moon. Each puppet has a personality of its own and that is what gives the movie life; the human characters are also very well-defined and for the most part well-acted. Despite the silly premise of a killer toy (already explored in "Child's Play" and "Dolls"), Scmoeller and Band make the work and craft set-pieces of haunting atmospheres. Richard Band's eerie score perfectly showcase the mix of horror and fantasy of the film and it's probably his most famous work. It quickly became the trademark of the series.

As written above, the acting is for the most part good for a movie like this, and while no one really stands out, they all make an efficient job. Paul Le Mat is quite good as the lead character, although the rest of the team soon prove to be more interesting characters. Despite his limited screen time, William Hickey makes a small but charming job as Toulon, and look out for a Barbara Crampton small cameo. As a side-note, it was refreshing to watch a movie where the main characters are middle-aged adults instead of young teenagers.

The movie's main problem (and one that marked the series since its conception) is that the puppets quickly became the focus of everything. This lessen the importance not only of the final villain, but also of the heroes of the movie. While this problem didn't affect that much this movie, it became more notorious as the series started to grow and eventually, the puppets would become the main characters of the movies.

"Puppet Master" may not be everyone's cup of tea, as its premise and the mix of fantasy with horror may turn off some movie goers. However, it is a quality film that proves the talents of both Band and Schmoeller, in a film that has become a cult-classic. 8/10

Entertaining, old fashioned piece of feel-good horror!

[DVD_Connoisseur · 7/10 · 29 December 2005]

"Puppet Master" is a wonderful, good-hearted slice of old-fashioned horror nonsense from the imagination of Charles Band. Whilst short on plot, it features a variety of pretty unusual characters, some fiendishly good stop-motion and stunt puppets and a few excellent set-pieces with just enough of the red stuff thrown in for good measure.

There are some fun performances from the cast which includes the rather sexy Irene Miracle ("Inferno") and an appearance from William Hickey ("National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", "Prizzi's Honour", etc.).

It's one of those few feel-good horror movies, ideal for Christmas viewing!

B-movie acting, lacks edge of a horror film

[lseidman · 3/10 · 16 July 2003]

Movie was kind of difficult to follow in its initial stages due to the choppiness of the storyline as it builds the plot, but the concept of inanimate objects bestowed with life is something to work with.

After seeing this film, the viewer will be intrigued to see what the sequels CURSE OF THE PUPPETMASTER and RETRO: PUPPETMASTER will do for evolution of the murderous puppets.

GREAT!!!

[bcameron1 · 18 April 2001]

This is one great horror movie. The special effects are great. The acting is good. If you have never seen this movie you should run straight to the nearest video store and pick it up. Or just go ahead and buy it!!! The dvd is great. It is about 4 psychics investigating rumors that the secret of life has been discovered by master puppeteer Andre Toulon. But the psychics quickly discover Toulons secret of death in the form of 5 killer puppets. You have to see this movie to believe it. I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 4.

Master of Mediocrity

[berts1404 · 4/10 · 15 July 2005]

Where do I start? "Puppet Master" is one of those films, that if you're a horror fan, you hear ripples about all the time. I'd read about it on the Internet and heard about it in countless other places, but had never got round to seeing it. I really wish it had stayed that way, because this is without a doubt one of the worst films I've ever seen.

Now let me first say, that I'm not a film snob, I enjoy dumb fun as much as the next horror fan. Some of my favourite films include things like "Friday the 13th" and I recently saw a film called "Monster Man", a very low budget horror-comedy which although terrible, tickled me in the right places. Carrying on from there, "Puppet Master" is still an extremely bad film, even from a trashy, gore fiend's point of view.

Now I'm not going to even bother complaining about the acting in the film, because lets be honest, no one sitting down to watch a film about a group of murdering puppets expects great acting. The acting was believable, lets leave it at that, it's the most you can hope for.

The direction however was one of the worst things about this film. There are a lot of overly long, drawn out sequences in this film and it's not until about 45 minutes in, halfway through the film, that anything happens. The worst example has to be the opening sequence where Toulin (the "Puppet Master") is collected up all his puppets and hiding them away, as someone is after him. As we see him do this, it is inter-cut with two men in black making there way to him and at the same time, one of his stray puppets trying to do the same thing. This went on for about 10-12 minutes, it was just the two guys walking and a point of view shot from the puppet running around trying to get back to his master. About 2/3 into this sequence I was shouting at the television, as I was so bored and frustrated that the film wasn't progressing. Another example is the scene at the end, where the puppets turn on their new master and attack him in an elevator. It went on forever! It was not scary or particularly violent and quite simply bored the ass off me!

There are also a lot of ideas and concepts within the film, which might have sounded good on paper, but do not work at all in the film. The first thing that springs to mind is the female puppet "Leech Woman", the whole thing of her regurgitating leeches which suck her victims dry, is both utterly unconvincing and totally retarded. For a start, the effects used for this scene are abysmal! You can clearly see that it's just either a real leech, or a fake, being forced through the back of a rubber head and out the mouth. I mean, come on, the rubber puppets head even distorts and bends as the puppeteer struggles to force the leech through the mouth. Another is "Pinhead" ("Hellraiser" already took that one morons), it is never once explained why on earth a puppet has a pair of what are clearly human hands. It looks ridiculous and the fact that we have no idea why he doesn't just have puppet hands makes it seem all the more ridiculous!

All in all, "Puppet Master" is an awful film and I cannot begin to imagine why it has such a cult following. The vastly superior "Child's Play" had already covered this ground the previous year anyway, so I guess the keyword here, is POINTLESS. It is badly directed, the acting is average and the effects show the age of the film like nothing I've ever seen before.

When I borrowed this film from a friend, I also borrowed the sequel "Puppet Master II", I somehow don't think I'll be bothering!

Watch it for the great stop motion effects

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 18 October 2016]

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.

We need the Unrated version!

[Stevieboy666 · 5/10 · 27 May 2023]

Puppet Master is an early direct to video Full Moon production and is a story about a group of psychics gathered at the impressive Bodega Bay Hotel. They are investigating rumours that the secret of life had been discovered by master puppeteer Andre Toulon. Toulon had created a bunch of killer puppets called Tunneler, Leech Woman, Pin Head, Blade and Jester, they soon start knocking off the guests in grisly fashions. I'm afraid that I found this film rather boring and overall the acting is quite wooden, we even get a "corpse" who can clearly be seen blinking! Scream Queen Barbara Crampton appears but sadly only in a cameo, thankfully Kathryn O'Reilly as sexual psychic Carissa does raise the temperature in the bedroom. I bought a German blu-ray release, sold as being "100% uncut", sadly I was conned. It uses the same heavily cut Rated print that seems to be used for virtually all releases. For completeness the UK VHS offers the best choice but come on all you distributors, we really deserve a nice Unrated release. The puppets themselves are by the best thing about this movie, the kills are gory and imaginative but sadly trimmed of their full gory glory.

Puppet Master (1989)

[robfollower · 7/10 · 20 October 2021]

16: 9 transfer !!! I can't tell you how many times I saw this VHS on the selves of Block Buster back in the day and thought to myself ? Who the h e l l rents this trash ? And why di they keep making more . I passed it up many times. It is interesting that the spectrum of my film taste has broadened over the years. The film and the entire series apparently has a large cult following of horror fans. I joined 'Full Moon Features' web site email list and discovered Charles Band. I can attribute this discovery directly to joining AVS Forum "October fun: 31 days of Horror, Blood, Guts and Gore! (and zombies, too....). Since I started participating in 2018 I found a plethora of new horror genres like schlock , torture & revenge, Italian thriller-horror genre Giallo that I never considered even watching prior. Now I like about all of it highbrow, middlebrow, lowbrow there are some great gems listed in this forum that lead to new avenues in horror cinema to explore ! Thanks for that.

Back to the film.... If one wants to find just one movie that sums up the activities of the legendary Full Moon and the equally legendary founder of the Charles Band over the years, then this should probably be the cult-classic PUPPET MASTER. I had no Idea taht this film did not have a theatrical release, just assumed I missed it . But in the intro to the film Charles Band explained how Full Moon started with PUPPET MASTER and it releasing straight to video... and it was very successful.

A group of people with occult abilities are invited to the castle of a magician puppet maker but will find themselves fighting for their lives, besieged in the castle by the satanic puppets of Toulon, who have a large repertoire of murders, as well as a great appetite for blood. This is brilliant stuff. The Stop Motion is such a treat to CGI of today . I mean sure CGI can be fabulous but the magic by the likes of the master Raymond Frederick Harryhausen who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation" his influence is obvious here and it works splendidly. The 5 satanic puppets are a devilish riot to watch as they rip, maim and maul there victims .

Director Schmoeller manages to create awesome atmosphere . The puppets are well made, inspiring and genuinely creepy, the special effects are excellent and absolutely convincing given the limited budget. Kudos to cheapo Charles Band as he does manage to hire the lovely Barbara Crampton !

I am glad to rolled the dice a picked up the pride of the Full Moon--Puppet Master, time has been quite kind to the stop-motion effects that make this classic B/C movie come alive. 7.5/10.

Master of Puppets, no more pulling the strings!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 29 December 2018]

Throughout nearly three full decades of being a horror fanatic, I always deliberately avoided the films produced by Full Moon Entertainment, but a good friend kept confirming that the "Puppet Masters" cycle is worth viewing; - or at least the first three are. Open-minded person that I am, I watched the first and certainly didn't regret it! David Schmoeller's "Puppet Master" is an unpretentious yet unhinged B-video gem! It doesn't have much of a plot, but who cares when there are splendidly designed and imaginative killer puppets, an awesome creepy old hotel setting and a decent amount of tension & atmosphere. William Hickey's role as Andre Toulon, the doll-maker, is incredibly brief but iconic. He discovered a method to bring his wicked puppets to life, something to do with ancient Egyptians, and during the intro (in 1939) we see how he hides his five evilest creations in the walls of a hotel room and shoots himself before a couple of Nazis can apprehend him. 50 years later, a crazy bunch of paranormal investigators are vigorously attacked by nasty things with poetic names like Tunneler, Jester and Leech Woman. "Puppet Master" is very mediocre in terms of story and coherence, but the special effects are great, and the killings are delightfully gross and even somewhat horrifying (and so are the hairstyles of some of the actors)

Disappointing cult B-movie from prolific producer Charles Band.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 1 September 2008]

After one of their group commits suicide, a team of psychics gather to investigate the old hotel where he died. One by one, the visitors are killed by a collection of creepy supernatural puppets, that were created 50 years earlier by André Toulon, the puppet master, who held the power to give life to inanimate objects.

Nasty killer dolls are hardly a new idea in horror, but with the diminutive characters in Puppet Master sporting such attributes as a drill-bit head, over-sized hands, and the ability to spit leeches, this film definitely had the potential to be a little different. Unfortunately, thanks to a rather dreary slow-moving plot, some terrible acting, and minimal gore, the film doesn't realise its full potential.

Although the puppets themselves are beautifully designed, with each definitely being imbued with its own distinctive character, the manner in which they move, however, is less well executed: much of the film is seen from the dolls' point of view, with the camera swerving around furniture and between peoples legs, which is a little cheesy (and it's hard to believe that they are never spotted); some of the puppetry is rather awkward (too often, it is easy to picture a hand out of shot, manipulating the doll); and the stop motion that makes some of the more difficult moves possible is hardly brilliant.

Paul Le Mat, as the film's hero Alex, is uncharismatic (and he sports a seriously dodgy hairstyle), whilst the other psychics are pretty unlikeable, making it hard to feel sorry for them when they are bumped off by the tiny killer marionettes.

The first in a series of Puppet Master films from producer Charles Band, this film isn't really deserving of the cult status it appears to have and only leaves room for improvement.

Very good horror flick!

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 8/10 · 20 April 2006]

Long ago a puppet maker named Andre Toulin ( William Hickey) has discovered the means of bringing puppets and dolls to life thanks to ancient Egyptian techniques and a potion as it makes them alive making them into little devilish killers. Years later, a group of psychics named Alex ( Paul Le Mat), Dana ( Irene Miracle), Frank ( Matt Roe) and Megan ( Robin Frates) are call in with each other as they investigate the hotel only to discovered that Toulin's puppets are on the loose and wants to kill.

One of the most well known killer doll flicks there is out there, this started the "Full Moon" company back in 1989 after Charles Bands's company "Empire Pictures" was bankrupted and this movie was became a genuine cult hit on video since it was released. Barbara Crampton ( "Re-Animator") does a great appearance as a costumer for one of the psychics, the movie is inspired by another Charles Band horror production "Dolls". Alongside the Zuni Doll and Chucky these puppets are just vicious little creatures who gained popularity among horror fans.

Also recommended: "Child's Play Series", " Magic", " Dolls", " Trilogy of Terror", "Tales from The Hood", " Re-Animator", " Nightmare on Elm Street", " Pinocchio's Revenge", "Dolly Dearest", " Pin...", " Stephen King's IT", " Dead of Night", "Devil Doll ( 1964)", " The Shining", " Tourist Trap", "Making Contact ( a.k.a. Joey)", " Pumpkinhead", " Demonic Toys", " Poltergeist".

Slow paced, but worth it for the puppets

[bmoviep · 6/10 · 30 December 2016]

Puppet Master is a fun and entertaining film... when the puppets are actually on screen. The human characters are less than engaging and the plot is ridiculous. Still, the scenes in which the puppets interact with the human characters help to make up for the slow paced plot and uninspired story. Each puppet is unique in movement, ability and even personality. The climax of the film is just amazing and makes this extremely long hour and a half journey worth it. Charles Band is the master of writing inanimate objects, coming to life and killing people, and David Schmoeller managed to perfectly bring Band's vision to life. While not a perfect film, Puppet master definitely deserves it's cult classic status due to it's unique style and brutal death scenes.

Thought It Would Rock, But Only Rocked Me To Sleep

[gavin6942 · 4/10 · 5 August 2008]

Andre Toulon (William Hickey) was a "puppet master" in the 1930s, creating life from inanimate dolls with ancient Egyptian methods. But he hides the dolls when Nazis come looking for him. Flash forward to 1989, and a group of magicians and psychics meet in his old home where they find the dolls and find them just a wee bit violent and bloodthirsty. Also, the recently deceased homeowner might not quite be dead.

Here's another film from my childhood that comes back to haunt me as an adult. Expecting this to be one of Full Moon's better films, I watched it and found myself immensely bored, at one point almost falling asleep. Paul LeMat (Golden Globe winner) was an interesting character with interesting hair, but his acting was horrible. And Barbara Crampton shows up, but not nearly long enough (she has a cameo as a carnival attendant).

The first hour of this film drags, focusing way too much on back story and characters that are not important and are not interesting. The next fifteen minutes is a bit better. The final ten minutes is decent, but does not redeem the extreme boredom of the beginning. And to think there's like eight or nine sequels to this picture! You know, I like Charles Band (the producer) and I think Ken Hall (the writer) is a great guy, but wow... this film was not half as good as I recalled it being. The number one reason: the puppets get the least screen time. Should I blame director David Schmoeller, whose previous work, "Crawlspace", puts this film to shame?

Blade needs more screen time, and some of them -- Jester, for example -- seem to have no purpose being in the movie at all. Leech Woman was pretty good and rather disgusting, although I wonder how often her power is actually useful. Tunneler was cool, Pinhead was cool... but again... I needed a lot more of them on the screen. The humans were just not worth caring about. Sure, there's an interesting sex scene... but that isn't character development.

"No Strings Attached" featurette is seven minutes, with very brief interviews with David Schmoeller, Paul LeMat, Charles Band and puppet genius David Allen and his crew. It is not particularly revealing, though at seven minutes I guess one cannot expect much. Charlie Band's 5-minute introduction is actually more informative, and you can never get enough of him saying "dude". Also, as of 2010, the film is now available restored and remastered -- though it does nothing to make the story better.

This film might best be left unwatched for those who want to keep the mystique of "Puppet Master" alive. Not that the film is awful, but it is not the amazing legend many have made it out to be. Richard Band's cheesy score does not help. A remake would do wonders for this film, as long as they kept within the boundaries of the Full Moon feel. A bit tighter writing, but with comparable special effects, and this would have been a timeless film. Now it is just another memory of mine destroyed and spread throughout the countryside.

No Strings Attached...

[azathothpwiggins · 30 May 2022]

PUPPET MASTER 1 is one of the better FULL MOON / Charles Band productions. Its strength is in its weirdness. While the human actors, including Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, and Barbara Crampton in a fun cameo, are all solid enough, it's the vicious, oddly endearing puppets themselves that steal the show.

We get: #1- Blade with his knife / hook combo! #2- Leech Woman and her mouth full of bloodsuckers! #3- Tunneler's drill-head! #4- Pinhead with his super strength and mega-fists!

As absurd as this all sounds, it works!

Alex (Le Mat) and a group of fellow psychics have their collective hands full against these tiny terrors. Director David Schmoeller makes the best of the material. Yes, it's fairly silly, but it's also enjoyable and different...