Obviously thinking (correctly) that the Silent Night, Deadly Night tag wouldn't mean much to British audiences, this fourth sequel was released simply as THE TOY MAKER. And it's a good job really, as it has no connection with the previous films (other than some returning actors) apart from the fact that there is a Christmas theme.
For much of this film, it's just another boring sequel. It's neither gory, nor funny enough to remain anything memorable and I'm sure that in a week's time I'll have completely forgotten what happened in it. Unfortunately for us, the main 'star' of the film is a little boy who seems to think that all that is required of an actor is for him to stand around with his mouth open. No expression, hardly any dialogue, this little kid is atrociously bad and doesn't even deserve to get any screen time whatsoever. I usually hate kid actors and this boy is one of the worst.
And, sadly enough, the adult actors and actresses aren't much better either, with one youngster supposed to be the hero of the film, he doesn't look like he could hurt a fly. The actress playing the mother is bland and shouts over the top a lot, and Mickey Rooney looks very old and upset about appearing in a film like this. And with Brian Yuzna co-writing, I thought it might have been at least partly good. I was wrong.
The concept of killer toys is nothing new (just watch any of Full Moon Entertainment's output) but there are a couple of laughs to be had along the way, the best death being the bit where a loving couple are shot, stabbed, and gunned by a squad of little army toys, leaving one girl literally covered in blood. There's a lot of the old claret on flow in this scene, but when a man is killed by a ball wrapped around his face like some imitation face hugger, then you can't help but sigh and look somewhere else. Screaming Mad George provided the special effects, but they're mostly not very special, apart from one standout scene where a black guy has a clockwork snake go inside his mouth and pull out his eyes from the inside, then emerge from one of the sockets. That's pretty good.
There is one good thing about this film, which startled me and made me sit up in my seat a little. It's the ending, which comes out of nowhere, when one character turns out to be a plastic android. The special effects are done very well here and I'm not sure how they got his head to look so plastic. When he gets cut in half and has his head smashed in, it's pretty funny too. It's like some full-grown, evil Pinocchio on the rampage. However for this one genuinely good moment there are a dozen lame scenes, including a boy on possessed roller-skates. Don't bother putting yourself through this unless you have a high tolerance level.
For much of this film, it's just another boring sequel. It's neither gory, nor funny enough to remain anything memorable and I'm sure that in a week's time I'll have completely forgotten what happened in it. Unfortunately for us, the main 'star' of the film is a little boy who seems to think that all that is required of an actor is for him to stand around with his mouth open. No expression, hardly any dialogue, this little kid is atrociously bad and doesn't even deserve to get any screen time whatsoever. I usually hate kid actors and this boy is one of the worst.
And, sadly enough, the adult actors and actresses aren't much better either, with one youngster supposed to be the hero of the film, he doesn't look like he could hurt a fly. The actress playing the mother is bland and shouts over the top a lot, and Mickey Rooney looks very old and upset about appearing in a film like this. And with Brian Yuzna co-writing, I thought it might have been at least partly good. I was wrong.
The concept of killer toys is nothing new (just watch any of Full Moon Entertainment's output) but there are a couple of laughs to be had along the way, the best death being the bit where a loving couple are shot, stabbed, and gunned by a squad of little army toys, leaving one girl literally covered in blood. There's a lot of the old claret on flow in this scene, but when a man is killed by a ball wrapped around his face like some imitation face hugger, then you can't help but sigh and look somewhere else. Screaming Mad George provided the special effects, but they're mostly not very special, apart from one standout scene where a black guy has a clockwork snake go inside his mouth and pull out his eyes from the inside, then emerge from one of the sockets. That's pretty good.
There is one good thing about this film, which startled me and made me sit up in my seat a little. It's the ending, which comes out of nowhere, when one character turns out to be a plastic android. The special effects are done very well here and I'm not sure how they got his head to look so plastic. When he gets cut in half and has his head smashed in, it's pretty funny too. It's like some full-grown, evil Pinocchio on the rampage. However for this one genuinely good moment there are a dozen lame scenes, including a boy on possessed roller-skates. Don't bother putting yourself through this unless you have a high tolerance level.