The Full Moon film that you could say started it all.
Puppet Master (1989)
Directed By: David Schmoeller
Where to get it: Full Moon Direct
Please also visit FULL MOON HORROR
The Prologue
So we have Puppet Master on blu-ray now? You have to assume this would be the first of a long line of older Full Moon movies that will be finding their way to the format. And this might be the one next to Subspecies everyone wants the most, if it isn’t THE most wanted one. When you think Puppet Master you think those creepy dolls that always seemed to have a conflict going on if they were good, evil, or somewhere in between. They have flipped flopped a time or two, ya know? But still there is just something that draws us to them and that something will also draw us to the blu-ray, even if we already have the VHS or DVD.
The Movie
Psychics investigating Andre Toulon battle his five killer puppets—each one uniquely qualified for murder and mayhem: Tunneler, who has a habit of boring holes in flesh; Ms. Leech, who sucks her victims dry by regurgitating killer leeches; Pinhead, a professional strangler; Blade, who’s armed with razor-sharp, killer hands, and Jester, the ruthless brains of the bunch. Together, they’re an army of skilled assassins, diabolically programmed to guard the deadly secrets of the Puppet Master. Enjoy this original cult classic in all its bloody glory.
One thing to keep in mind while watching the original Puppet Master, it’s a slow start. Out the gate we get the intro to the puppets and their doomed master, but after someone’s brains ends up on a wall we then hit a much slower pace that we keep for a majority of the film. That pace doesn’t get much better until we reach the ending, and it can be a major turn off to people who like things to be a tad bit faster. I myself would have enjoyed a much faster pace, but at the same time I think I was simply more drawn into this film based off the fact it was the first Puppet Master films and thus it comes with a heavy dose of nostalgia.
Now with a good chunk of this film being all about our psychics, you’ll pickup on the fact we have a major lack of the puppets. I guess a lot of stop motion was expensive in 1989. But while it does suck to not have more of them, it does work in a way that it makes you much more excited to see them when they are on the screen. There is also a lot of nude stuff going on from one of our female psychics. Nothing says cheesy 80′s horror than that. One other really good thing about all of the stuff like that is it’s fun, and if Puppet Master is nothing else, it’s still kinda fun to watch.
While the story is strange and the puppets are limited, the last part of this film is probably the best part. It ends in a much more gruesome and action packed way than it began, and if the whole film had had that kinda spark I think we’d be looking at a full on horror classic rather than just a cult classic. None the less, it was the meat and potatoes for Full Moon in the long run and the creative concept of the Puppets do justify that. And as I have already noted, the whole nostalgia factor for any Full Moon fan will be in overdrive while watching this, so even if it’s slow (and it is), you shouldn’t care TOO much.
The Conclusion
Puppet Master is here in a 1080p format. As Charles Band tells us in the intro, the film comes from the original source in the original format, but what they kinda forget to mention is that something got a little lost in the mix. The definition and detail isn’t as high as it would be on some blu-rays, but it’s still good enough to count as HD. And while it may seem like a typical and corny statement, it IS the best it has ever looked.
The Rating (6/10)
Chucks website
