Throughout nearly three full decades of being a horror fanatic, I always deliberately avoided the films produced by Full Moon Entertainment, but a good friend kept confirming that the "Puppet Masters" cycle is worth viewing; - or at least the first three are. Open-minded person that I am, I watched the first and certainly didn't regret it! David Schmoeller's "Puppet Master" is an unpretentious yet unhinged B-video gem! It doesn't have much of a plot, but who cares when there are splendidly designed and imaginative killer puppets, an awesome creepy old hotel setting and a decent amount of tension & atmosphere. William Hickey's role as Andre Toulon, the doll-maker, is incredibly brief but iconic. He discovered a method to bring his wicked puppets to life, something to do with ancient Egyptians, and during the intro (in 1939) we see how he hides his five evilest creations in the walls of a hotel room and shoots himself before a couple of Nazis can apprehend him. 50 years later, a crazy bunch of paranormal investigators are vigorously attacked by nasty things with poetic names like Tunneler, Jester and Leech Woman. "Puppet Master" is very mediocre in terms of story and coherence, but the special effects are great, and the killings are delightfully gross and even somewhat horrifying (and so are the hairstyles of some of the actors)
Review of Puppet Master
