Puppet Master (film)

''Puppet Master'' (also titled ''The Puppet Master'' and ''Puppetmaster'') is a 1989 American horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller. The film stars Paul Le Mat, Irene Miracle, Matt Roe and Kathryn O'Reilly as psychics who are plotted against by a former colleague, using puppets animated by an Egyptian spell.

Originally intended for summer 1989 theatrical release, before being released on home video the following September, ''Puppet Master'' was ultimately pushed to a direct-to-video release on October 12, 1989, as Band felt this was likely to be more financially successful than the theatrical market. It was very popular and has since developed a large cult following, and an extensive franchise.

Plot

In 1939, at the Bodega Bay Inn in California, an old puppeteer named André Toulon is putting the finishing touches on his newest puppet, Jester, before he brings it to life. Two Nazi spies approach Toulon's room while Kahn, another living puppet, warns him. Toulon calmly places all the animate puppets in a chest and hides it in a wall compartment. As the Nazis break down the door, Toulon dies by suicide.

50 years later, four psychic acquaintances are contacted telepathically by Neil Gallagher, who resides at the Bodega Bay Inn. Professor Alex Whitaker has a nightmare involving Neil and leeches, Dana Hadley has a premonition of her own death, and psychic researchers Frank Forrester and Carissa Stamford are contacted in a manner not revealed. Dana, who has located Toulon's secret compartment, arranges a meeting at the Inn. Upon arrival, they meet Neil’s wife, Megan, for the first time and learn that Neil has killed himself and left instructions for Megan. While paying last respects, Dana stabs a long pin into Neil’s corpse to verify that he is dead.

The psychics experience different confusing visions of Neil. Another animated figure, Pinhead, crawls out of Neil's casket.

At dinner, Dana irritates Megan, forcing her to leave the table. Alex follows Megan and describes their history with her husband: Carissa is a psychometrist, Dana is a clairvoyant fortune teller, and Alex experiences precognition via dreams. Neil was researching alchemy and with Frank's help discovered that the Ancient Egyptians had created a method of animating figurines, a power previously discovered by Toulon. Because Neil had not made contact in a while, the four associates thought that he had made a breakthrough and abandoned them. They now want whatever Neil discovered.

That night, Pinhead kills the Gallaghers’ housekeeper, Teresa, with a fireplace poker while she tends to the fireplace; as foreseen by Dana. Megan finds Gallagher's body upright in a chair and faints. Alex attends to her while the others return the body to the casket.

Another animated figure, Blade, is foiled by protective magic spells on Alex and Dana's rooms. It moves on to Carissa and Frank's room, where the couple is having very loud sex and disrupting Alex and Dana's sleep. Two more puppets, Tunneler and Leech Woman, enter. Tunneler kills Carissa when she investigates a noise under the bed. Frank, left bound and blindfolded by Carissa, becomes the victim of Leech Woman’s leeches.

Dana finds Gallagher's body in her room. She is attacked by Pinhead, who breaks her leg. Pinhead continues to assault her until she casts him aside and crawls to the elevator, where Blade fatally slashes her throat.

Alex suffers several nightmares. Megan wakes him and shows him Toulon's diary. She says that Neil found Toulon's secrets of animation. Alex has a vision of Neil. They rush downstairs to escape but find the bodies of Dana, Frank and Carissa in chairs around the dining table with Neil, revivified. Neil explains that his suicide was a necessary step in his plan, using Toulon's secrets to reanimate himself and become immortal. He reveals that he killed Megan's parents to gain full access to the inn. He expresses disgust for the animated puppets, and announces his intent to continue his experiments with human bodies. The puppets turn on Neil. Tunneler destroys Neil’s legs. Blade pins him down while Leech Woman regurgitates a leech into his mouth. Pinhead breaks Neil’s neck.

The next day, Megan sees Alex off. Returning home, she animates Dana's plush toy dog.

Cast

* William Hickey as André Toulon, the original puppet master.
* Paul Le Mat as Alex Whitaker, the main protagonist of the film; an anthropology professor at Yale University with the ability to dream of things yet to come
* Irene Miracle as Dana Hadley, a small-time, fairground psychic specializing in fortune telling and locating lost/missing objects
* Jimmie F. Skaggs as Neil Gallagher, the main antagonist of the film; he serves as the evil puppet master orchestrating the deaths of his former friends and colleagues at the hands of the animate puppets
* Robin Frates as Megan Gallagher, Neil's wife; her parents owned and operated the Bodega Bay, which she inherited when they died and which is also where she and Neil first met
* Matt Roe as Frank Forrester, a psychic researcher for Pensa Research Inc (PRI) & partner to Carissa; together they specialize in sexual psychic readings
* Kathryn O'Reilly as Carissa Stamford, a psychometrist for Pensa Research Inc (PRI) & partner to Frank, she often receives visions from past sexual trauma victims or couples being intimate together but can reconstruct the emotional history of any object through touch
* Mews Small as Theresa, the Gallaghers’ housekeeper
* Barbara Crampton as Woman at Carnival
* David Boyd as Buddy
* Peter Frankland as Assassin #1
* Andrew Kimbrough as Assassin #2

Featured puppets

* Blade
* Jester
* Pinhead
* Tunneler
* Leech Woman
* Shredder Khan
* Gengie

Release

''Puppet Master'' was released on VHS by Paramount Home Video on October 12, 1989. The film saw its first DVD release on June 13, 2000, through Full Moon Home Video.

Following a release by Wizard Entertainment under ''The Puppet Master'' in March 2008, Wizard later released a Blu-ray in July 2010. Full Moon Features simultaneously released a remastered DVD.

In 2014, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released the "Killjoy and Puppet Master: The Complete Collections" alongside the ''Killjoy'' series, although both series have since produced additional sequels.

On April 10, 2018, Full Moon issued both a Blu-ray and a limited-edition vintage VHS collection, with the latter having only 3,000 units produced, and the first 300 being signed and numbered by Charles Band.

In June 2025, an uncut version of the film was released for the first time on a limited edition VHS.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 43% based on seven reviews, with a weighted average rating of 4/10.

''TV Guide'' gave a negative review calling it "a pointless variation on the killer-doll genre".

''Dread Central'' awarded a score of 3/5, commending the atmosphere, soundtrack and set designs, but criticized the acting, weak script and first act. The review concluded their review by writing, "''Puppet Master'' isn't what I would call a great film, but its heart is in the right place, and I've always been a huge fan of the evil doll subgenre of horror, making the film's shortcomings easily forgivable." Wes R. from ''Oh the Horror.com'' gave a positive review stating, "Despite its flaws, ''Puppet Master'' emerges as one of the more enjoyable of the 'killer toy' type horror films".

Legacy

The success as a cult film inspired a franchise that would span decades to come. Five sequels followed: '' Puppet Master II'' (1990), ''Puppet Master 4'' (1993), '' Puppet Master 5'' (1994), ''Curse of the Puppet Master'' (1998) and '' Puppet Master: The Legacy'' (2003).

The third film, entitled '' Toulon's Revenge'' (1991), serves as a prequel, as would '' Retro Puppet Master'' (1999). '' Puppet Master: Axis of Evil'' (2010) began a loose prequel trilogy, followed by '' Axis Rising'' (2012) and '' Axis Termination'' (2017).

In 2020, a spin-off focusing on the puppet Blade was released, '' Blade: The Iron Cross''. Another, '' Puppet Master: Doktor Death'', was released in 2022, based on a character from ''Retro''.

'' Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys'', a crossover with fellow Full Moon franchise '' Demonic Toys'', premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2004.

'' Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich'', a reboot produced by ''Fangoria'', was released in 2018.

Video game

In September 2021, Full Moon announced a partnership with independent game studio 'October Games' to release an official Puppet Master game, which was released to Steam on March 1, 2023.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Puppet Master (Film)
1989 films
1989 horror films
1980s supernatural horror films
American supernatural horror films
Full Moon Features films
Puppet films
Films set in hotels
Films set in 1939
Films directed by David Schmoeller
Puppet Master (film series)
Films with screenplays by David Schmoeller
Films scored by Richard Band
American exploitation films
1980s English-language films
1980s American films
American monster movies
Films about sentient toys
Films about psychic powers
Films about undead
English-language horror films