Puppet Master

R

1989

1h 30m

Horror

List

43%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Assailed by nightmarish visions, Alex Whitaker (Paul Le Mat) and his fellow psychics descend on the Bodega Bay Inn. There, they discover that their compatriot Neil (Jimmie F. Scaggs) has apparently committed suicide. But, as the gruesome visions continue, they sense that there's still something sinister afoot. When they find themselves hunted by a band of homicidal marionettes created by twisted puppeteer Andre Toulon (William Hickey), they discover they're right.

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SuperSmashBros U

Watched because of Dead Meat, do not regret it. CULT. CLASSIC.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Dev F

I only watched it because Dead Meat James is covering it on the Kill Count tomorrow. It is suitable for passing the time--and I enjoy cheesy 80s slashers--but this stale film is slow with characters whose names I cannot remember besides the French dollmaker at the beginning. The following five films are streaming on Peacock, and I heard the fifth installment is good.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/24

Full Review

Darth G

Cheap boring film that should be avoided at all costs.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

Blue

Pretty boring movie, not as good as I expected. However the thing that kills this movie the most is the unnecessary amount of nudity in the movie such as the scene in the elevator and the scene between Forrester and Stamford. Literally no reason to add that scene.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/22/23

Full Review

Monsol E

Right off the bat, this has a cool power system, or rather two!...Psychics exists, and it's possible to create lifeforces, and put them into inanimate objects....neat! Always nice when a horror movie has actual rules. I liked the puppets a lot! Especially the cool little knife guy...and the effects were good. However, the movie itself is kind of bland, and doesn't do enough with either of its systems...the cast was unremarkable, the villain and his plan were dumb...[and rather easily dealt with, despite the boasting...] ...I don't understand what happened at the very end tho... The biggest thing working against this, is how draaaagged oooout all the scenes are. stuff takes WAY too long to get to it's obvious ends. Still , despite my gripes, it was an ok watch...and maybe the sequels get better...but SHEESH are there a ton of em! That's a hole I'm not ready to jump in at this time. If you wanna see some wacky little guys chop up some jerks, and can turn your brain off, you'll probably have fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

Kyle J

A movie whose premise far exceeds it's execution. An absolute slog through poor performances from human and puppet alike with little to no payoff for the viewers patience. By far the most impressive special effect was making a movie with less than a 90 minute runtime feel like an eternity.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/30/23

Full Review

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David Schmoeller

Director

Paul Le Mat

Alex Whitaker

Irene Miracle

Dana Hadley

Matt Roe

Frank Forrester

Kathryn O'Reilly

Carlissa Stamford

Robin Frates

Megan Gallagher

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C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

With some weird, awesome puppets, a nice finale, and an interesting theme hovering over it all, Puppetmaster's a unique piece of the late '80s.

Rated: 3/5

May 1, 2019

Full Review

Heather Wixson

Dread Central

While the movie has terrific atmosphere and set designs, it's the iconic posse of killer puppets that have cemented Puppet Master in horror history as a campy cult classic.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 4, 2012

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

The performances are strong and visuals quite eloquent...

Jul 15, 2011

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Sep 25, 2005

Full Review

Jules Brenner

Cinema Signals

Rated: 1/5

Feb 25, 2005

Full Review

Michael Szymanski

Zap2it.com

Rated: 1/5

Aug 15, 2003

Full Review

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Synopsis

Assailed by nightmarish visions, Alex Whitaker (Paul Le Mat) and his fellow psychics descend on the Bodega Bay Inn. There, they discover that their compatriot Neil (Jimmie F. Scaggs) has apparently committed suicide. But, as the gruesome visions continue, they sense that there's still something sinister afoot. When they find themselves hunted by a band of homicidal marionettes created by twisted puppeteer Andre Toulon (William Hickey), they discover they're right.

Director: David Schmoeller
Producer: Charles Band
Screenwriter: David Schmoeller
Production Co: Empire Pictures, Full Moon Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Ultra-Stereo, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Academy (1.33:1)

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