Pinocchio's Revenge (1996) User Reviews

I'm optimistic.

[bobby-daubert · 3/10 · 1 June 2020]

As far as I'm concerned the only bad movies are boring movies. This was hella boring.

A great shower scene buried in this silly story.

[stormruston · 4/10 · 12 March 2005]

Pinocchio's revenge is not a good movie. Nor is it terrible.

The acting was wooden at least on Pinocchio's part.The puppet had all of 2 expressions.As did most of the actors,except strangely enough...the secondary characters...most of them were enjoyable over the top.

The special effects in this are pretty "B" and as I said earlier the puppet really blew.

The 2 best scenes in the movie are the knife through the hand...looked pretty good,i think they spent about a 1/3 of the budget on that...and the shower scene...WOW...I think they must have spent the other 2/3rds of the budget on talking the actress who did that scene to do it.Outstanding.

Seriously this is a slightly below average "b" horror puppet movie...rent Chucky if you have a urge to see puppets kill.

The story had a few interesting idea's, enough to keep me watching it to the end.

Surprisingly OK

[preppy-3 · 5/10 · 22 July 2002]

The plot basically has a large wooden puppet coming to life and killing people...or is he? The title is stupid and this was made on no budget, but it was quite interesting.

All the acting is good, the story moves quickly and you're kept guessing until the very end about what's going on. The only bad part--there was a totally unnecessary shower scene just put in to show off female nudity. And there are some BAD special effects. Still, worth catching.

Average at best

[smatysia · 5/10 · 9 January 2020]

A run-of-the-mill cable TV-level horror film. It had a few interesting features. It also had gigantic plot holes, and some really bad acting from the child actors. Yes, I know, it's hard to find children who can act, but this film really needed some. The main redeeming feature was a semi-gratuitous nude scene from Candace McKenzie, who was total eye candy.

Carl the Critic: Pinocchio's Revenge

[gustafsoncarl · 5/10 · 10 November 2010]

This is a film is an example of a story with all the elements of a good horror film, but because of the subject matter cannot be taken seriously. Pinocchio is a character that is tossed around from decade to decade as a cute and lovable character that he is truly not. Since the film has the true Pinocchio character, it is hard to imagine that the Disney character from the 40's is the same thing. There's that and the fact that the film tries to hard to be a psychological thriller using every cliché camera technique, motif, and story that's been around since the dawn of the psychological thriller.

I would honestly only recommend this movie if you are an aspiring horror film maker who wants to know the elements of a great horror story, but the film's presentation (by it's direction, editing, and acting)kill the potential of being an okay horror film. If you are such a person, you just buy/rent/wait for it to appear on T.V., and get a pen and a piece a paper, a friend who is also an aspiring film maker, and the two of you watch and discuss the film together (and save about $40,000 a year going to a film school.)

But honestly you can be saving even more money/ and time by just skipping this film all together and just going to Hollywood and pray to God you get in.

Lame attempt at horror

[Johnurry64 · 2/10 · 26 July 2009]

I bought this movie hoping that it would be another great killer toy movie. I am a big fan of the Child's Play series and was hoping to see the same here. Boy, was I wrong. Most of the movie was not the least bit scary, plus the only time we really see Pinocchio "alive" is the final few scenes of the film. The little girl in the film, her acting is so bad it's almost laughable. Plus, the ending never showed what happened to the puppet or what made them put the little girl in a asylum or wherever she was at the end of the film. So, in my opinion this movie is the worst of the "killer toy" genre. If you want a good killer toy series, stick with the Child's Play franchise. Pinocchio's Revenge is a waste of money and time.

Oh-My-God!!!!!

[uk20de · 1/10 · 1 March 2005]

I have never seen a B movie like this one... on the part that the nanny Sofia is being killed... a hand of a woman appears on the tape handling the stick... how bad is that??? LOL, I seriously laughed and wanted to stop seeing the movie, but I kept watching it to see if this movie could get worse...LOL...it is bad for itself... poor Pinocchio.. the only nice bit is the first time you see some special effects of Pinocchio's face moving... apart from that the whole movie is awful... it's not really worth your time if you don't really have much to spare! But if you have nothing to do... go on... treat yourself with some "Z" movie cos B-movie is still too good for this one...LOL

What do you expect?

[ohmygod22 · 4/10 · 22 November 2014]

So i had the "Honor" of seeing this movie yesterday. And I'm so glad that i didn't waste my hard earned money on it, and saw it on Netflix.

Plot and Writing: The plot is horrible, there is no originality to it. The writing is the worst part of it. All the characters makes bad decisions. The girl we are supposed to care about, is an idiot and i hated her every time she was on screen. They don't ask any questions, they just lives with it. The characters can teleport when they are needed in a scene. There is fake scares all over this movie. There is no character development, we don't learn anything about anyone. And i saw the ending coming after 30 minutes, of seeing this movie. The dialog was decent but it couldn't save the rest of the movie. All in all 4/10 stars.

Direction and Editing: The movie is directed decent. You can see what is going on, it cuts when it needs to. It runs really smooth in that regards. All in all 6/10 stars.

Acting: None of them is good. The girl is the worst part of it. Her acting is bad. The mother was decent. She showed some emotion, in some scenes. And i could see that she tried. But all the others were just bad, it didn't look like they tried. All in all 6/10 stars.

Music: The music was by far the best part of the movie, but they played the same soundtrack over and over again, and it just got annoying after a while. All in all 6/10 stars.

The overall score of the movie is 5/10 stars. Not a good movie. Its called Pinocchios Revenge, what and why is he avenging?

Not nearly as wooden as the title suggests

[Tito-8 · 7/10 · 4 December 1998]

Okay, so this is yet another horror film that isn't the least bit scary. But who says that they have to be scary in order to be good? This movie is cleverly written and well acted, and is a whole lot better than I ever thought it would be when I first sat down to watch it. Forget all those well-known recent horror flicks that claim to be clever and funny and are far too often neither. Give Pinocchio a chance and you'll be pleasantly surprised!

GOOD FILM

[SUPERNOVA HEIGHTS · 4/10 · 24 August 2001]

Child´s Play made a new genre of horror,THE KILLER DOLLS,Some of this films has not got too much money for make it but I think that the only film that make shadow to Chucky is this.Ok it´s a tipical product direct to video or direct to tv but Pinocchio is not real and the killer is the little girl.The imagination of children are too big and this film play with it.The roles are good and Candance Mckenzie is great.

This was scary! (psychologically speaking)

[nu-arc · 8/10 · 4 April 2010]

Pinnochio's revenge came across to me as a competent movie when I saw it's theatrical trailer. And when I saw parts of it, it looked like a revival of Child's Play with a Pinnochio puppet. And when I saw the end, I couldn't believe what I just saw; it was so psychologically disturbing! I must say that every movie which has a doll in it has it's own twist which makes it interesting, suspenseful and entertaining.There were many unexpected parts in the movie which made this flick very impressive with some impressive shots which keep us in suspense and entertained. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes Child's Play and Dolly Dearest! =-)

Good b-movie.

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 6/10 · 5 May 2006]

An accused child murderer has been arrested five years ago, his lawyer ( Rosalind Allen) believes he's innocence as he may think that the Pinocchio puppet he made for his son told him to kill other children. She couldn't stop his execution in time, however she accidentally brings home with her the Pinocchio doll from the office, her daughter Zoe ( Brittany Alyse Smith) is having a birthday party as she mistakes it as a gift. The new few days she seems to act strange as she begins to develop a relationship with the puppet as bizarre accidents occur, her mother begins to become concerned about her including to find out what is behind these accidents.

Entertaining low budget psychological horror thriller that is a puzzle movie on who is the killer! is Pinocchio really alive and doing all the killing or was it the daughter who has became a schizophrenic? the acting is good and the puppet is quite a creepy one.

Also recommended: "Magic" ( 1978), "Trilogy of Terror", " Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", "Halloween", "Dolls", " Child's Play series", " Se7en", "Devil Doll ( 1964)", "Dead of Night", " Pin", " Great Gabbo", " Puppet Master", " Tourist Trap", "Scream", " Terror Train", " Psycho ( 1960)", " American Psycho", "Dolly Dearest", "Poltergeist", "Evil Dead II", "Perfect Blue", "Silence of the Lambs", and "The Shining".

Watch the nose grow.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 17 May 2008]

Innocent childhood stories always have a creepy underbelly to them and the iconic figure of Pinocchio gets the treatment in 'Pinocchio's Revenge'… don't ask want revenge has to do with anything. Hell, I went in expecting far worse from this b-grade cheapo, but strangely came away thinking it was mildly okay. Due mainly to director Kevin S. Tenney's sharp, polished and controlled handling with such typically simple material. You can call it a 'Child's Play (1988)' rip-off, but I thought it was a bit better than that. Sure there's some influences there (… who am I kidding there's plenty), but what sets it apart is the whole ambiguous nature of just who is doing the killings. Maybe this factor is to cover up the stringy plot-holes, but this psychological tease was moderately effective. It's not really played for fun thrills, because it's quite light on them despite some mean-spirited acts (and these come terribly late). When it did come to those moments they were telegraphed jolts and jump scares. Minor suspense with the build-up taking ages to get going and cementing itself. Cliché after cliché is used to maximum effect and everything is played with a straight face. Therefore the daftness of it sticks out even more and leaves the film feeling plain. The atmospherically theatrical music score likes to inform you how evil a scene is going to get with its cues. The puppet just didn't create the chills, because of its bulky and awkward appearance. Although did it make a lot of noise when it moved about and of course doesn't like other dolls… you know competition. The special effects is you standard display. Leading the way in the performances are welcomely earnest turns by Roslaind Allen and child actress Brittany Smith. They both pull there roles off very well. Popping out of nowhere is a leering shower scene with Candance McKenzie. A slightly amusing throwaway.

It's not a horror movie!

[maher0007 · 18 July 2003]

I've seen this movie two days ago. I was very surprised. As I was looking for horror movie I decided to rent it but then I realized that it is not a kind of horror movie, it can't be compared to Dracula or vampires movies or even Lighthouse. The scenes of the courthouse take you to another kind of movies, those movies that you can't decide their kind. After all the movie isn't that bad, I liked it for the performance of the characters especially for Rosalind Allen and Candace McKenzie who was amazing but there was no need for the shower scene and that nudity, the little girl was a real brat and she played the role very well. The main problem with that movie or you can't call it problem, it's the plot, until the last minute of the film you can't decide who is the killer, the puppet or the little girl? This question keeps on spinning in your mind, some times you find the little girl is the killer especially after her doctor shows her mother the video footage where she was talking to the puppet that seemed entirely lifeless, then you start believing that Pinocchio is the killer after the priest tells the mother that evil can take many shapes and it may take the shape of a puppet. Well, if you were a little bored and looking for some entertainment then rent this movie and don't try to think of it too much because you will get nothing, just watch I gave it 4 out of 10.

Well, he certainly got his revenge on us

[thesar-2 · 1/10 · 1 May 2010]

This movie, Pinocchio's Revenge, is so blah, I purposely failed to do any research on it prior to reviewing it. I even questioned if it's a sequel, though I can't imagine that being any better. I'm still not sure, and I still don't care. No one should see this waste of time.

Apparently some parent buried a doll (look out Chucky fans – there is no comparison, even to weakest Child's Play entry) with their son, and once resurrected after a Shocker knock off scene, the doll now rests with a new child. Mischief ensues. Obviously.

Well, I don't know what's worse: the acting, the dialogue, the hilariously bad special effects, or the fact that I, so ill with the flu, couldn't get up to put a real movie into my DVD player and had to settle for the Freezone on my OnDemand cable network. Before I knew it, I was at the point of no return; I might as well have finished this dull, pointless and extremely slow paced movie. Quite frankly, I didn't think it would get any better (it didn't) but then again, I was sick, so I just let it run.

And that's what you should do: run. Don't even bother. And if there is a part one, skip that one, too. Watch the original Child's Play and then jump to Bride of Chucky. At least you won't make yourself sicker, like I did with this crud.

a real nightmare

[didier_per · 1/10 · 24 September 2013]

not as bad as it seems ???? NO ! really bad. AS BAD as it is ! one of the worst movie I've seen in 37 years. dull (10/10) - the story is laughable (of course it's possible to bring home a piece of evidence in a murder case especially a puppet :-) ahahahah what a good idea for a script !) so lame script (15/10) impossible to number story-holes, so bad or non-existent puppet animation, not one second believable or scary, poor directing (20/10!) and so inappropriate shots along the movie. nothing works and eventually a so poor and so stupid "twist". as bad as it takes itself seriously. a must-see for an enemy ! or better wish to be blind.

When you wish upon a pentagram....

[au_law2001 · 1/10 · 28 December 2004]

....You get this stupid excuse of a Child's Play rip-off! Man, what were they thinking? First they mess with a Rumpelstiltskin horror movie then they make crap like this. Fariy Tale haters! Well to be honest, I've seen this as a kid, and it scared me a bit a lot, simply because I was under aged with the assumption that Pinocchio wouldn't do that, wah wah wah. But I've grown and come to think of this as Child's Play rip, a fairy tale bashing nonsense, and a lame Tales From The Crypt episode, or trying to be one at least, with a lame ending that was stupid, and it had many plot holes, and I still can't understand how it came to life. Was it the work of an evil Geppetto? Then what, after a few evil deeds, he becomes a real boy who becomes America's Most Wanted? Personally, I think the concept of an evil Geppetto sounds better, he builds an army of wooden killers, and starts a crime wave, funny. But this is awful, awful, awful, awful, AWFUL! AWFUL! Stinky like a shoe, and awful! IT SUCKED IT SUCKED! If you want killer puppets, settle for the killer doll, specifically Child's Play, instead, no strings attached. Or if you want a fairy tale figure turned upside down, watch Leprechaun, or if you want Pinocchio, watch the animated Disnet version or live version with Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Martin Landau instead. >>>>> -10/10(negative 10)

Could Be Worse

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 22 October 2013]

A mother (Rosalind Allen) brings home an evil Pinocchio wooden puppet that supposedly caused a man to kill his son. Her little girl (Brittany Alyse Smith) finds the doll and takes it as her own.

This film was written and directed by Kevin Tenney, the creator of "Witchboard" and "Night of the Demons". That should have you thinking, "Wow! This will be great!" And maybe for some people it is. For me, it lacked a certain something... not sure what, but something...

The Pinocchio doll is creepy enough (almost too much) and the mental illness angle was a great touch. Heck, I even liked that the neighbor pointed out that the original Italian story had the doll be a bigger jerk than the Disney version, so Tenney clearly knows his stuff... but this just never hits the high marks...

A disappointment from such a talented director

[ryannemetz · 2/10 · 27 September 2005]

I was really disappointed after viewing Pinocchio's Revenge the other night. I had a good inclination that it was going to be a bad one, but I didn't think that it'd be as bad as it turned out. A wooden puppet of a murdered boy falls into the hands of an attorney's eight-year-old daughter. From there, it is a murderous path for anyone who gets in the way between the puppet and the little girl. We've seen movies like this before, i.e. the Child's Play series, which is by the way, far better. However, it was good to see actors like James W. Quinn and Todd Allen. Both of which have worked under Kevin Tenney before. In any event, I encourage viewers to check out "Night Of The Demons" and the original "Witchboard." These are titles that tend to bring out the best in Kevin S. Tenney.

Too many holes, but still a fair film.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 22 March 2003]

Okay, the premise and story ARE cliched. But the film is executed with a far greater degree of skill than you'd expect from the director of such undistinguished (if not downright bad) films as "Night of the Demons". His direction here is more mature and measured (though not without its effective "Boo!" moments). However, the film suffers from one of those annoyingly ambiguous endings, where the filmmakers can't think of a way to cover up their plot holes, so they "leave you to decide". (**1/2)

Pinocchio's Revenge

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 26 December 2008]

A recently divorced district attorney and her troubled daughter(..she has "repressed hostility" towards her father who left them)move to a new place to start over. Jennifer Garrick(..the lovely veteran of television and B-movie horror, Rosalind Allen)is worried about her daughter, Zoe(Brittany Alyse Smith), who has a hard time adjusting to any school she's been in which only adds weight to the heavy anvil of stress in a job often representing the lowest of criminals. Jennifer feels she has found a new love in landscaper David(Todd Allen)but their lives get a little complicated when she inherits the case of a convicted child murderer, Vincent Gotto(Lewis Van Bergen)who is on trial for the killing of his son. Unable to to rescue him from the electric chair, and truly believing he was innocent, Jennifer reluctantly "inherits" a Pinocchio doll, wood carved by Gotto's own hands. It's really supposed to be evidence filed away, but manages accidentally to make it into the arms of Zoe setting off a chain of dangerous events that will put many lives in jeopardy.

The film seems like another in a long foray of killer doll movies where a puppet can move amongst the adults freely committing cruel and violent deeds because no one in their right mind would suspect an inanimate object of such things. But, instead, the films opens the possibility that Zoe herself could be harvesting a dark side urging her to commit foul play out of some sort of mixed up agenda to keep her mother from "leaving her like daddy did." The film even opens a possibility that Pinocchio is possessing Zoe, and perhaps did the same to Gotto's son. At any rate we actually "hear" the puppet's voice and director Kevin Tenney(Witchboard;Night of the Demons)has us seeing his "lips move", although Zoe's therapist records a session where she appears to be talking to herself after we had just witnessed a conversation between child and puppet(..the pivotal scene has Zoe confronting Pinocchio about his actions in a key character's death with the puppet questioning her on perhaps actually being the perpetrator behind the crime). The climax has Pinocchio killing another key character with a fireplace poker before chasing after Jennifer which might remind many of the Zuni doll attack in Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror. Candace McKenzie is Jennifer's hired help, Sophia, an Italian beauty who sees herself certain odd happenings around the house such as Zoe's dolls either damaged or thrown in the trash. I think many might find the puppet chasing after Jennifer with a butcher knife too wacky to be disturbing or scary, while, for some reason, the Chucky doll was able to escape such a pratfall. Many might be reminded of Child's Play while watching this. Perhaps a critical mistake by the filmmakers was featuring so little action at the start, only kicking in the "thrills" after about 45 minutes in(..the first real stunning attack has Pinocchio using the handle of a rake to trip a girl(..a bully to Zoe)from her bike and into the path of a moving school bus). And, David(..seen as a threat at "seperating mom from daughter")is not only attacked once, but twice. I think a major plus is that the characters are likable and the girl's position within the plot raising a question on who is behind the deeds that occur to innocents, is actually a fascinating psychological arc. I felt Tenney does what he can through technical means to enhance the thrills when victims are in danger, but while his 80's films had a degree of spunk and enthusiasm, Pinocchio's Revenge lacks those traits which often make his work such fun to sit through. In this film, Tenney's direction plays completely straight, without even a scent of the tongue-in-cheek attitude one recalls from time's past. Dick Beals provides the voice of Pinocchio, and none other than Verne Mini-Me Troyer portrays the puppet walking around in darkness after Zoe clips his strings enabling him to move around with freedom(..it seems the puppet strings limited his abilities to do whatever he so wished).

Not as bad as you think...

[TerminalMadness · 8/10 · 22 March 2002]

I know what you're saying, "Oh man, Pinochio is not scary!" but this movie goes beyond alot more than a maniacal pinochio. Behind it tells the story of a mother and her daughter who is oddly attached to her doll Pinnochio who seems to talk to her. The only weird thing is that noone else can hear the doll except her. In the end is shocking revelation that, as did I, will shock you. Watch it. Give it a try.

Better than average

[Charlotte_Kaye · 6/10 · 8 July 2006]

This isn't exactly a Child's Play rip-off (though it does borrow some ideas from those movie) but is just interesting enough to keep your attention throughout. The story revolves around divorced district attorney Jennifer Garrick (Rosalind Allen) and her troubled young daughter Zoe (Brittany Alyse Smith). During a birthday party Zoe mistakenly believes a wooden Pinocchio doll is one of her presents and instantly becomes attached to it. The doll is actually a piece of evidence in a criminal investigation and was buried alongside a body but Jennifer doesn't see any harm in letting her daughter keep the doll. However, strange and horrific things soon begin to happen. Zoe claims that the doll is responsible. The film never really reveals whether it is Zoe or the possessed doll responsible until the very end but the film manages to keep you entertained until you find out.

The writing is decent, as is Tenney's direction. The special effects are average, but the acting is good enough to convince you. Allen is excellent in the lead, and Smith does a great job for a child actress. For the life of me I can't figure out why Candace McKenzie (who plays the live-in nanny to the family) didn't have much of a career after this film. Not only is she very attractive, but she also delivers a wonderfully appealing performance. Fans of Kevin Tenney's Witchboard will no doubt recognize Todd Allen in a supporting role. The current rating of 3.7 on here is far lower than this film deserves.

Cheap and lousy plot

[SusieSalmonLikeTheFish · 5/10 · 1 September 2014]

This horror film plays at many of the cliché horror themes; evil puppets and the stigma of the mentally ill. Here we have a child killer who builds puppets as a hobby. He is not a murderer and is covering for his son, but won't admit that and goes on death row, being killed in an electric chair (outdated). His lawyer has a daughter, Zoe, who is bullied by the snobby girls in her school and attacks them, and she always gets in trouble for it. When she accidentally gets hold of the puppet the killer made before he died, she begins to act psychotic... but is it her, or the puppet? There are several flaws in the film, much of it being the unrealistic dialogue. The child psychiatrist Zoe is forced to visit tells the mother flat-out that Zoe is a, and I quote, "a very disturbed little girl". Doctors are not allowed to say that, it is discouraging to both the parent and child. They jump directly to the conclusion that Zoe is insane just because she's a little girl having a pretend fight with her puppet. Children do this sort of thing all the time! The execution of the supposed child killer would not have happened so quickly, nor would they have used an electric chair, not in this day and age. Maybe I'm taking the film to seriously but if they want a film to be scary they should make it realistic.

Aside from that, the acting is bad, as was the soundtrack. The scenery is largely forgettable. It had a few good moments throughout the film like the cool scene where Zoe avoids the motorcycles in the streets, but not many. The ending is awful, Zoe gets locked up in an asylum and the mom is told by the doctor to forget her daughter and move on. This wasn't a very good film, and I don't recommend viewing it at all.