Puppet Master [Puppetmaster] *** (1989, Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, Irene Miracle, Jimmie F Skaggs) – Classic Movie Review 8378
Director David Schmoeller’s 1989 Puppet Master is a bright little Eighties horror flick with a loony plot, based on a story by Charles Band and Kenneth J Hall, with a screenplay by David Schmoeller (billed as Joseph G Collodi).
Alex Whitaker (Paul Le Mat) and his group of psychic friends descend on a hotel where one of their number has been murdered to investigate, only to find themselves being picked off by a variety of murderous living puppets.
It stars Paul Le Mat, Jimmie F Skaggs, Irene Miracle and William Hickey, but, unsurprisingly, the real stars are the puppets, which are delightfully individualistic and cleverly brought to life by special effects man David Allen. Even more surprisingly for a horror film, the human characters are clearly defined and developed. The major fault is the predictability of the ending. The venerable old William Hickey enjoys himself as the evil Puppet Master, André Toulon.
Also in the cast are Robin Frates, Matt Roe, Kathryn O’Reilly, Barbara Crampton, Mews Small and David Boyd.
It is an unpleasant little horror movie, with a lot of strong stuff. It is rated R for strong graphic horror/fantasy violence, a strong sex scene with nudity and strong language.
only cut version. An extended edition is available from Google Video and on DVD.
Puppet Master is produced by Full Moon Entertainment and Empire Pictures, and released by Paramount Pictures (1989) (US) (VHS) and Entertainment (UK) (VHS).
The Blade puppet was operated by five puppeteers.
The ad line references the notorious 1988 rival evil doll movie Child’s Play: ‘A box of little toys has just become a gang of little terrors. This is not child’s play.’
There are six sequels so far, starting with Puppet Master 2 in 1990, and it was rebooted in 2018 as Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich.
© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8378
Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com
Recent articles
- Walk on Water **** (2004, Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger, Caroline Peters) – Classic Movie Review 13,25421 Nov 2024
- The Secret of the Whistler *** (1946, Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane, Mary Currier, Mona Barrie, Claire Du Brey) – Classic Movie Review 13,25320 Nov 2024
- Kiss the Boys Goodbye **½ (1941, Don Ameche, Mary Martin, Oscar Levant) – Classic Movie Review 13,25219 Nov 2024
- Forbidden Cargo ** (1954, Nigel Patrick, Elizabeth Sellars, Terence Morgan, Jack Warner, Greta Gynt, Joyce Grenfell, Theodore Bikel) – Classic Movie Review 13,25118 Nov 2024
- Voice of the Whistler **½ (1945, Richard Dix, Lynn Merrick, Rhys Williams, James Cardwell) – Classic Movie Review 13,25017 Nov 2024
Recent comments
- Cupcakes **** (2013, Anat Waxman, Ofer Shechter) – Movie Review | Derek Winnert on Walk on Water **** (2004, Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger, Caroline Peters) – Classic Movie Review 13,254
- The Secret of the Whistler *** (1946, Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane, Mary Currier) | Derek Winnert on Mysterious Intruder ***½ (1946, Richard Dix, Barton MacLane, Nina Vale) – Classic Movie Review 13,233
- The Secret of the Whistler *** (1946, Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane, Mary Currier) | Derek Winnert on Voice of the Whistler **½ (1945, Richard Dix, Lynn Merrick, Rhys Williams, James Cardwell) – Classic Movie Review 13,250
- The Secret of the Whistler *** (1946, Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane, Mary Currier) | Derek Winnert on The Power of the Whistler *** (1945, Richard Dix, Janis Carter, Jeff Donnell) – Classic Movie Review 13,248
- The Secret of the Whistler *** (1946, Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane, Mary Currier) | Derek Winnert on The Mark of the Whistler **½ (1944, Richard Dix, Janis Carter, Porter Hall) – Classic Movie Review 13,242