Puppet Master (franchise)
Encyclopedia
Puppet Master is a horror film
franchise
which focuses on a group of puppet
s animated by an Egypt
ian spell, each equipped with their own unique and dangerous device (although not in all installments of the series are the puppets portrayed as threatening) and are represented as heroes, anti-heroes, and antagonists. Produced by Full Moon Features
, the series was established in 1989
with the eponymous first installment
, which has since been followed by seven sequel
s (in addition to a crossover
with the characters of Demonic Toys
), a comic book
spin-off and numerous other collector's items. In 2010, its latest sequel, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
and opened Full Moon Productions. Band's goal with Full Moon was to create low budget horror, science fiction
and fantasy
films which mirrored the quality of films with more generous budgets. After partnering with Paramount Pictures
and Pioneer Home Entertainment
, Full Moon began production on its first feature film, Puppet Master, which had a premise similar to an earlier Empire film produced by Band, Dolls
. Originally intended for theatrical
release in summer 1989, 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 he was likely to make more money this way than he would in the theatrical market.
Puppet Master proved to be a success, and the film's cult
status has led to the production of nine sequels (of these nine films, one is a crossover with another Full Moon franchise, Demonic Toys). A documentary containing interviews with cast and crew members was also shot and included on VHS
and Laserdisc
pressings of Puppet Master, as a featurette titled No Strings Attached.
Loving all the matters would see the release of two sequels, Puppet Master II
and Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge; the latter which served as a series prequel
. Toulon's Revenge was the first installment to feature Guy Rolfe
in the role of puppeteer
Andre Toulon (in the films prior, Toulon was portrayed by renowned actor William Hickey
and Steve Welles, respectively). Rolfe reprised the role of Toulon for three additional films before his death in 2003, after which he posthumously appeared in Puppet Master: The Legacy
through extensive use of archival footage. In 1993 Full Moon began shooting another two sequels simultaneously, Puppet Master 4
and Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, the latter which, as the title indicates, was intended to be the final installment of the series.
After the release of The Final Chapter in September 1994, Full Moon opted to retire Puppet Master and announced that a spin-off trilogy entitled "Puppet Wars" was to be started in 1995 (see promotional arwork on left). The spin-off trilogy was cancelled leaving the series to continue its legacy through merchandising and a growing cult following.
Due to demand from video retailers for a new installment of the series, four years after its retirement the Puppet Master franchise was promptly revived by the production of a sixth entry, Curse of the Puppet Master
, in 1998. This was the first installment not to have David W. Allen
involved with special effect
s. As by this time Paramount had ended its deal with Full Moon, to conserve costs the film was put together using using a combination of rod and string puppets, as well as archival footage. In September of the following year, a Puppet Master spin-off
featuring the Totems of the fourth installment was released, titled Totem
, and that October, a second prequel (taking place at an even earlier time than Toulon's Revenge) was released, titled Retro Puppet Master
. This entry was an anomaly to the series, in that the main theme composed by Richard Band
, brother of Full Moon's Charles Band, was completely absent, and it with its PG-13 rating, Retro Puppet Master was the first film in the series not to be rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America
. The original idea for the seventh installment of the series was to take place following Toulon's Revenge, with Toulon and his puppets escaping Germany
by train, after which they are confronted by Nazis and demon
s. This idea was abandoned because the Kushner Locke Company thought it would offend the German audience, but it will form the basis for the ninth installment of the series, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
. On June 12, 2009, Band announced that he would post video updates of Axis of Evil on Full Moon's website. Four days later on June 16, the first update was made available, verifying the film's roster of puppets to be included, as well as the principal cast members, Levi Fiehler and Jerry Hoffman. In 2010, Axis Of Evil was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
As of 1999, Retro Puppet Master is the latest original, feature-length Puppet Master film produced by Full Moon. An eighth entry, Puppet Master: The Legacy, was released in 2004, however only a fraction of the film contains original footage; the remainder is archival footage used to summarize the series thus far. The same year, a crossover film featuring the animated playthings of Full Moon's Puppet Master and Demonic Toys series aired on Sci Fi Channel
, however neither Full Moon nor Charles Band had any involvement in its production (although the usual Puppet Master screenwriter
s are credited with penning its script). As such, the puppets used in Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys are all noticeably replicas produced for the film.
In 2005, Charles Band alluded to a possible Puppet Master television series, called Puppet Wars (see left for promotional artwork), and expressed interest in seeing a video game adaptation of the franchise developed. In June 2008, Band announced that a tenth installment of the series is planned, tentatively subtitled Axis of Evil. In March 2009, it was reported that Band is also interested in remaking
1989's Puppet Master in 3-D
. Similarly, the original film was reissued by Razor Digital in 2007 in DualDisc
format, featuring both standard and stereoscopic
versions.
, first motion picture of the franchise states that Toulon committed suicide in 1939 at the Bodega Bay Inn in Bodega Bay, California
, while Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge takes place in 1941, and he is still very much alive.
In an attempt to resolve the confusion, the installments are listed below in chronological order based on the plot summaries of each film.
, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 1999.
The prologue of this film shows Toulon (Rolfe) hiding out from the Nazis, probably during the events in Puppet Master III. He finds a cracked head of a Cyclops puppet, and decides to tell the current puppets the story of how he came to possess the puppet life power to begin with. Flashback to 1892, an unconventionally immortal Egypt
ian named Afzel steals a spell for animating lifeless objects from the god Sutekh. Sutekh sends several followers after Afzel, but none are successful in killing him and returning the spell, although in Paris, Afzel is severely wounded and is sheltered by Andre Toulon. Afzel teaches Toulon Sutekh's spell, which he uses to animate one of his puppets, Pinhead. Comfortable that the spell has been passed on, Afzel commits suicide
in front of Sutekh's henchmen, making them believe Afzel has taken the magic to his grave. However, when Toulon uses the spell to animate a handful of other puppets, Cyclops, Drill Sergeant, Six Shooter, Blade and Doctor Death, Sutekh's henchmen return to Paris to slay the Puppet Master. While the puppets are successful in besting Sutekh's forces, two of them are resurrected to pursue Toulon. Toulon confronts the demons on a train to Kara, where they have kidnapped and are keeping his love interest, Elsa, and a battle ensues, with Toulon and his puppets successful in defeating their pursuers and rescuing Elsa.
Eventually, Toulon takes his puppetry to Cairo
with his new puppet, named "Mephisto", where, during a 1912 expedition one of his performances, is attended by a magician who, unbeknownst to Toulon, sets his theater ablaze. There to rebound Toulon's loss, the magician invites the puppeteer and his wife to his quarters, where he shows them an animated puppet of his own, a chained Egyptian goblin puppet, named "Djinn" that was animated by an elixir formula. (This is first revealed in a flashback of Puppet Master 2 and later reinstated with archived footage in Puppet Master: The Legacy
)
Years later, in Berlin, where Andre and Elsa Toulon have now taken residence, a Wehrmacht
lieutenant learns that Toulon's puppets are sentient. Toulon is arrested by the Gestapo
, two of his puppets are confiscated and Elsa is murdered. Toulon escapes and uses his puppets to avenge his wife. While in hiding, a fellow refugee reveals Toulon's location to the Gestapo, who infiltrate his hideout and force him to flee. Assisted by his puppets, Toulon tortures Major Kraus, the man who killed Elsa and organized the several attempts to arrest Toulon. Afterwards, he and a child refugee, Peter Hertz, flee to Geneva, Switzerland by train. After reuniting Hertz with relatives, Toulon continues his travels to the Swiss border, taking shelter from rainfall at an unattended inn, where he tells his puppets the story of Afzel and of his original puppets.
, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 2010.
In 1939, continuing his journey to the United States
, Toulon takes shelter at the Bodega Bay Inn in Bodega Bay, California
. The Gestapo, however, have traced his location and two soldiers are sent to the hotel to assassinate him. With the chest containing his puppets and secrets hidden inside a wall panel, Toulon commits suicide before the assassins can infiltrate his room. Bodega Bay employee Danny Coogan discovers Toulon's body, along with his trunk of puppets, and begins taking care of them, eventually their secret. Coogan becomes jealous when his girlfriend, who also knows the puppets are alive, flirts
with a man Coogan recognizes as one of the Gestapo who had come hunting for Toulon. Coogan discovers the Gestapo are involved in a plan to bomb the United States, and with the puppets' help, Coogan resolves to stop them.
(first motion picture of the franchise), directed by David Schmoeller
, was released on video in 1989.
In 1989, four psychic
s each receive unsettling visions, which they assess have been sent by a former colleague, Neil Gallagher. The group meets at the Bodega Bay Inn where Gallagher has been staying, where before long they are introduced to Gallagher's wife, Megan. The psychics are skeptical that Gallagher had ever been wed, but this is forgotten when Megan reveals that he has recently commit suicide. Toulon's puppets, now out and about, proceed to murder everyone in the hotel before only the psychic Alex Whitaker, and Megan remain. It is here that Gallagher, alive, confronts the two survivors. Gallagher explains that while he did die, Toulon's formula was used to give himself eternal life. However, when Gallagher mistreats the puppet Jester, the others revolt against him, locking him in an elevator and mercilessly killing him. Whitaker returns home. Megan, now alone, is shown picking up Dana's taxidermic
dog, and by the following scene, the dog becomes completely animate, indicating that she too has learned Toulon's method.
After the incident, the puppets visit the Shady Oaks cemetery where they recover Toulon's corpse and reanimate it using the last of the Egyptian's elixir. With Toulon alive, the puppets hope that he can brew a new elixir to continue keeping them sustained. Toulon humbly pursues the formula, but to do so, his puppets are required to continue killing, as blood tissue is a key ingredient in the concoction. After slaying the Bodega Bay Inn's owner, Megan Gallagher, Toulon unofficially takes ownership of the hotel, to the confusion of a group of parapsychologists who come to investigate the rantings of Alex Whitaker, who has gone insane since his visit to the place. It is during this time that Toulon designs his last puppet, Torch. After seeing one of the investigators, Carolyn Bramwell, Toulon is reminded of his wife Elsa, who bears a striking resemblance to Bramwell, and uncharacteristically he abandons the plan to help his puppets in order to find a way of being united with who he believes is his reincarnated wife. Toulon, who has had two life-sized mannequins created to house the souls of both he and Bramwell, uses a combination of the elixir and a magic spell to place his soul into one mannequin. However before Bramwell's soul can be transferred into the other mannequin, her love interest, Michael Kenney, rescues her. The puppets, both angry and ashamed that their long loving master has abandoned them due to his mind being corrupted by formula he taken that made him nothing more but a shadow of his former self, opt to have him killed once again. They use the remaining elixir and mannequin to resurrect one of their victims, Michael's mother, Camille. However Camille takes on a sadistic personality and has the puppets locked away, with the exception of Torch, who shares her disgust for children. This is key in that Camille uses the puppets to terrorize institutionalized children.
, directed by Jeff Burr, was released on video in 1993.
Some time after Camille takes Toulon's puppets on the road, they are returned to the Bodega Bay Inn, where they are not discovered until one summer while a youth scientist named Rick Myers serves as caretaker for the hotel. It is at this time that the god Sutekh makes a second attempt to suppress the secret of animation. Sutekh has three tribal puppets, spiritually linked to demonic minions of his own, called Totems sent to Earth
to hunt down key personnel in the Omega Project, an organization also attempting to create life in inanimate objects. Myers' girlfriend, Susie, pays a visit to the Bodega Bay Inn, along with her friends Cameron and Lauren. Unknown to Susie, both Myers and Cameron have been previously acquainted, and they are both members of the Omega Project. Lauren, a clairvoyant
, leads the group to the chest containing Toulon's puppets, and from the puppeteer's notes, Myers learns to inject the puppets with elixir to reanimate them. The puppets befriend the group, and protect them when the Totems arrive to kill Myers and his friends. Toulon's spirit, at ease since his puppets slew him over his treachery, returns to guide the puppets, advising them to activate his unfinished figure, Decapitron. The puppets set up an electric current which is used to animate Decapitron, who uses its interchangeable heads to communicate with the group and attack Totems.
, directed by Jeff Burr, was released on video in 1994.
Following the events of Puppet Master 4, shortly after the attack, Myers is arrested under suspicion for having caused the murders committed by the Totems. His boss, Jennings, has Myers bail
ed because he believes he is innocent, and Myers tells Jennings about his experience with Toulon's puppets, all-the-while expecting Jennings not to believe him. However Jennings is interested in Myers' story, and he organizes a group of thugs to break into the Bodega Bay Inn and steal the puppets. Myers has a disturbing premonition and decides to return to the hotel with Blade to check on the puppets which were left behind when he was taken into custody. Meanwhile, Sutekh activates another Totem, which he proceeds to transfer his soul into. In the midst of their search for the puppets, Sutekh ambushes Jennings' thugs at the Bodega Bay Inn, before confronting Myers, who has recently arrived at the hotel, and Toulon's puppets. A battle between Sutekh and the puppets ensues, resulting in Sutekh attempting to retreat. However the spirit of Andre Toulon, piloting Decapitron, is able to destroy him, inadvertently damaging all of the puppets in the process.
, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 1998.
The puppets are soon placed into an auction
, where they are obtained by Magrew, an honorary
doctor who manages a sideshow
in a small American community. Here, Magrew conducts experiments on transforming humans into puppets, in an attempt to primitively duplicate Andre Toulon's method of animation. When Magrew's daughter, Jane, returns from college, the two meet a gas station attendant named Robert "Tank" Winsley. Winsley's skill at carving wood is noticed by Magrew, and the boy is invited to stay with he and Jane if he agrees to carve a puppet for Magrew's experiment. As Winsley and Jane grow closer, Magrew tries to discourage Jane from seeing Winsley, so that in the event where the boy leaves, Jane will not be hurt. However, Jane assures her father that Winsley would not leave her. After carving the pieces for Magrew's puppet, Winsley becomes ill. Magrew calls for a doctor, and Jane is ordered to leave town to pick up a package for his sideshow. After learning that no package was sent, Jane races home, but makes a stop to inspect debris she had found burnt in a ditch shortly before. In it, she finds a grotesque fleshy puppet who knows her name, which she identifies as her father's former assistant; the role which Winsley has replaced. Winsley wakes restrained to a laboratory table, with Magrew nearby, brandishing a mechanical puppet of his own. Magrew transfers Winsley's soul into the machine, but before he can enjoy his success, Toulon's puppets become enraged by his disgusting experiments, and they attack him. When Jane returns home, she finds her bloodied father and the mechanical puppet, recognizing it as Winsley because his face appears on a visual display unit on the figure's head. Winsley then proceeds to electrocute Magrew to death.
, directed by Charles Band, was released on video in 2003.
The puppets are returned to the Bodega Bay Inn, which is now the residence of Peter Hertz, the boy Toulon escaped Germany during the war (Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge). Meanwhile, a mercenary named Maclain, who has been hired by Toulon's original puppets to learn what reverses the spell of animation, is immersing herself in the puppeteer's history. In her investigation, she meets Rick Myers (Puppet Master 4
and Puppet Master 5
), who she murders for a book previously owned by Toulon, which details the animation process. The text fails to mention deanimation, so Maclain infiltrates the Bodega Bay Inn, where she meets Hertz. Hertz is not aware of how to reverse animation himself, so he plays several taped recordings of Andre Toulon, which chronicle his life, but the secret is absent from these recordings as well. Hertz and Blade then attack Maclain, before they are ambushed by an unseen character
.
In 2004, the puppets along with the formula are now in the ownership of Andre Toulon's great-grandnephew Robert Toulon and his daughter Alexandra. One Christmas Eve Alex and Robert finally figure out how to make the potion and bring the puppets to life. Toulon explains to the awakened puppets who he is and they are quick to accept their new master. Meanwhile an evil toy manufacturer Erica Sharpe seeks to use Andre Toulon's formula to give life to a line of killer toys that she plans to unleash on Christmas Eve. Subsequent to spying on Robert through a spy camera, Erika orders a team of thieves to break into the Toulon residence and retrieve the puppets. Nevertheless, Toulon’s creatures fight back and as a result, they are badly burnt from a fire accidentally started by Six Shooter in the workshop. Robert fixes up the puppets with new cyborg parts and powerful new weapons, which will come in handy. After her failed attempt, Erika comes up with another evil plan, using the help of a Bael (the demon of wealth and profits) she mass-markets demonic toys. Robert Toulon discovers the spy camera and has the idea that the thieves who broke into his workshop are connected with Sharpe toys, he goes over to the factory to see what is going on, and there he is ambushed by an evil living Baby doll (Baby Oopsie-Daisy). On Toulon's return, he discovers his daughter has been kidnapped. Robert assist the help of a friendly police officer Sargent Jessica Russell who on Christmas Day with the puppets break into Sharpe toys and have a final fight with Erica Sharpe and her demonic minions and Toulon and his loyal puppets. The demonic toys are no match for the puppets and quickly dispatched. Robert frees his daughter from the hands of her evil kidnappers and at sunrise Erica fails to live up to her deal to bring Alex Toulon to Bael. Thus, instead of bringing the toys to life he takes Erica back to his kingdom in hell where she will become his loyal slave for all eternity, after that, Pinhead was wounded and soon dies after a moment. Saving the day and perhaps the world the Toulons, their puppets and Jessica head off into the sunrise singing and going out for a Christmas dinner. At the end Baby Oopsy Daisy somehow survived in the well and says "Merry Christmas my ass, and a crappy New Year!"
, the only three installments which have been rated by critics are Puppet Master, which has a 17% rating after 6 reviews; Puppet Master II, which has a 20% rating after 5 reviews; and Puppet Master 4, which has a 0% rating after 5 reviews. The films have evidently scored much better with users, currently rating 51%, 47% and 66%, respectively.
in very small quantities. A box set containing the first seven installments of the series was released by Full Moon, but was recalled
shortly after. However, in 2007, Full Moon Features reacquired the rights to the first five films, and the box set has since been reissued and is available directly from Full Moon, as well as through several online retailers. The first three films were included as part of an 18-disc Full Moon Features collection, and have since been individually released as a Spanish
-subtitled import collection. In 2007, Razor Digital released an uncut DualDisc version of the first film, featuring both the standard and stereoscopic versions of the film, but with very poor picture quality. In December 2008, Charles Band authorized the first Puppet Master film for digital download
through the iTunes Store
; his first foray into the digital market.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
which focuses on a group of puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s animated by an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian spell, each equipped with their own unique and dangerous device (although not in all installments of the series are the puppets portrayed as threatening) and are represented as heroes, anti-heroes, and antagonists. Produced by Full Moon Features
Full Moon Features
Full Moon Features is a motion picture production and distribution company headed by B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series Puppet Master and Subspecies, as well as the innovative VideoZone featurette at the end of films through 1989 to 2000.-Full Moon...
, the series was established in 1989
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
with the eponymous first installment
Puppet Master (film)
Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller...
, which has since been followed by seven sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s (in addition to a crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
with the characters of Demonic Toys
Demonic Toys
Demonic Toys is a film produced by Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment and released in 1992. The film features small, killer toys similar to those seen in Puppet Master, a film which Band produced in 1989. Demonic Toys, like many other Full Moon releases, never had a theatrical release and went...
), a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
spin-off and numerous other collector's items. In 2010, its latest sequel, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil directed by David DeCoteau is the 10th entry into the Puppet Master series of horror films but the ninth entry that's canon to the series made by Charles Band's Full Moon Features.-Plot:...
was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Development
After the collapse of his film studio, Empire Pictures, Charles Band relocated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and opened Full Moon Productions. Band's goal with Full Moon was to create low budget horror, science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
and fantasy
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
films which mirrored the quality of films with more generous budgets. After partnering with Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Pioneer Home Entertainment
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
, Full Moon began production on its first feature film, Puppet Master, which had a premise similar to an earlier Empire film produced by Band, Dolls
Dolls (1987 film)
Dolls is a horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, shot in Italy in 1985 and released in 1987.- Plot summary :A violent thunderstorm strands six people in the gothic English countryside: Judy, who's traveling with her thuggish father and her cold, self-centered, stepmother...
. Originally intended for theatrical
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
release in summer 1989, before being released on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
the following September, Puppet Master was ultimately pushed to a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
release on October 12, 1989, as Band felt he was likely to make more money this way than he would in the theatrical market.
Puppet Master proved to be a success, and the film's cult
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
status has led to the production of nine sequels (of these nine films, one is a crossover with another Full Moon franchise, Demonic Toys). A documentary containing interviews with cast and crew members was also shot and included on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
pressings of Puppet Master, as a featurette titled No Strings Attached.
Loving all the matters would see the release of two sequels, Puppet Master II
Puppet Master II
Puppet Master II is a 1991 horror film written by David Pabian and directed by Dave Allen...
and Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge; the latter which served as a series prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
. Toulon's Revenge was the first installment to feature Guy Rolfe
Guy Rolfe
Guy Rolfe was an English actor born in London.He made his screen debut in 1937 with an uncredited appearance in Knight Without Armour. Notable roles include: Prince John in Ivanhoe , Ned Seymour in Young Bess , Caiaphas in King of Kings , and Prince Grigory in Taras Bulba...
in the role of puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
Andre Toulon (in the films prior, Toulon was portrayed by renowned actor William Hickey
William Hickey (actor)
William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr...
and Steve Welles, respectively). Rolfe reprised the role of Toulon for three additional films before his death in 2003, after which he posthumously appeared in Puppet Master: The Legacy
Puppet Master: The Legacy
Puppet Master: The Legacy is a 2003 horror film written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, and directed by Charles Band. It is the eighth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1994's Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, and stars Jacob Witkin as an elderly Peter Hertz and Kate...
through extensive use of archival footage. In 1993 Full Moon began shooting another two sequels simultaneously, Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 4 is a 1993 horror film written by Charles Band among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fourth film in the Puppet Master franchise, a sequel to 1991's Puppet Master II, and stars Gordon Currie as a youth scientist who, along with his friends, played by Chandra West, Ash...
and Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, the latter which, as the title indicates, was intended to be the final installment of the series.
After the release of The Final Chapter in September 1994, Full Moon opted to retire Puppet Master and announced that a spin-off trilogy entitled "Puppet Wars" was to be started in 1995 (see promotional arwork on left). The spin-off trilogy was cancelled leaving the series to continue its legacy through merchandising and a growing cult following.
Due to demand from video retailers for a new installment of the series, four years after its retirement the Puppet Master franchise was promptly revived by the production of a sixth entry, Curse of the Puppet Master
Curse Of The Puppet Master
Curse of the Puppet Master is a 1998 horror film written by Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau. It is the sixth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1989's original Puppet Master, and stars George Peck as a scientist experimenting with transforming...
, in 1998. This was the first installment not to have David W. Allen
David W. Allen
David W. Allen was a film and television stop-motion model animator.Considered among the finest stop-motion model animators, Dave Allen has contributed some of the best stop-motion sequences to many feature films, rivaling the work of other premier model animators Ray Harryhausen and Jim...
involved with special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s. As by this time Paramount had ended its deal with Full Moon, to conserve costs the film was put together using using a combination of rod and string puppets, as well as archival footage. In September of the following year, a Puppet Master spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
featuring the Totems of the fourth installment was released, titled Totem
Totem (film)
Totem is a 1999 direct-to-video released by Full Moon Features. The film was directed by David DeCoteau , and stars Jason Faunt, Marissa Tait, Eric W...
, and that October, a second prequel (taking place at an even earlier time than Toulon's Revenge) was released, titled Retro Puppet Master
Retro Puppet Master
Retro Puppet Master is a 1999 horror film written by Charles Band, Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau...
. This entry was an anomaly to the series, in that the main theme composed by Richard Band
Richard Band
Richard Howard Band is a composer of film music. He has scored more than 70 films, including From Beyond, which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Catalonian International Film Festival in Sitges Spain...
, brother of Full Moon's Charles Band, was completely absent, and it with its PG-13 rating, Retro Puppet Master was the first film in the series not to be rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
. The original idea for the seventh installment of the series was to take place following Toulon's Revenge, with Toulon and his puppets escaping Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by train, after which they are confronted by Nazis and demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s. This idea was abandoned because the Kushner Locke Company thought it would offend the German audience, but it will form the basis for the ninth installment of the series, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil directed by David DeCoteau is the 10th entry into the Puppet Master series of horror films but the ninth entry that's canon to the series made by Charles Band's Full Moon Features.-Plot:...
. On June 12, 2009, Band announced that he would post video updates of Axis of Evil on Full Moon's website. Four days later on June 16, the first update was made available, verifying the film's roster of puppets to be included, as well as the principal cast members, Levi Fiehler and Jerry Hoffman. In 2010, Axis Of Evil was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
As of 1999, Retro Puppet Master is the latest original, feature-length Puppet Master film produced by Full Moon. An eighth entry, Puppet Master: The Legacy, was released in 2004, however only a fraction of the film contains original footage; the remainder is archival footage used to summarize the series thus far. The same year, a crossover film featuring the animated playthings of Full Moon's Puppet Master and Demonic Toys series aired on Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, however neither Full Moon nor Charles Band had any involvement in its production (although the usual Puppet Master screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
s are credited with penning its script). As such, the puppets used in Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys are all noticeably replicas produced for the film.
In 2005, Charles Band alluded to a possible Puppet Master television series, called Puppet Wars (see left for promotional artwork), and expressed interest in seeing a video game adaptation of the franchise developed. In June 2008, Band announced that a tenth installment of the series is planned, tentatively subtitled Axis of Evil. In March 2009, it was reported that Band is also interested in remaking
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
1989's Puppet Master in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
. Similarly, the original film was reissued by Razor Digital in 2007 in DualDisc
DualDisc
DualDisc was a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group and later under the aegis of the Recording Industry Association of America...
format, featuring both standard and stereoscopic
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
versions.
Films
- Puppet MasterPuppet Master (film)Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller...
(1989) - Puppet Master IIPuppet Master IIPuppet Master II is a 1991 horror film written by David Pabian and directed by Dave Allen...
(1991) - Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991)
- Puppet Master 4Puppet Master 4Puppet Master 4 is a 1993 horror film written by Charles Band among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fourth film in the Puppet Master franchise, a sequel to 1991's Puppet Master II, and stars Gordon Currie as a youth scientist who, along with his friends, played by Chandra West, Ash...
(1993) - Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994)
- Curse of the Puppet MasterCurse Of The Puppet MasterCurse of the Puppet Master is a 1998 horror film written by Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau. It is the sixth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1989's original Puppet Master, and stars George Peck as a scientist experimenting with transforming...
(1998) - Retro Puppet MasterRetro Puppet MasterRetro Puppet Master is a 1999 horror film written by Charles Band, Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau...
(1999) - Puppet Master: The LegacyPuppet Master: The LegacyPuppet Master: The Legacy is a 2003 horror film written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, and directed by Charles Band. It is the eighth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1994's Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, and stars Jacob Witkin as an elderly Peter Hertz and Kate...
(2003) - Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys (2004)
- Puppet Master: Axis of EvilPuppet Master: Axis of EvilPuppet Master: Axis of Evil directed by David DeCoteau is the 10th entry into the Puppet Master series of horror films but the ninth entry that's canon to the series made by Charles Band's Full Moon Features.-Plot:...
(2009)
Series in Chronological Order
The Puppet Master series is a confusing one, as each installment not created in chronological order, and the events of Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge are dated inaccurately. For instance, Puppet MasterPuppet Master (film)
Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller...
, first motion picture of the franchise states that Toulon committed suicide in 1939 at the Bodega Bay Inn in Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay is a town and census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast....
, while Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge takes place in 1941, and he is still very much alive.
In an attempt to resolve the confusion, the installments are listed below in chronological order based on the plot summaries of each film.
Retro Puppet Master
Retro Puppet MasterRetro Puppet Master
Retro Puppet Master is a 1999 horror film written by Charles Band, Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau...
, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 1999.
The prologue of this film shows Toulon (Rolfe) hiding out from the Nazis, probably during the events in Puppet Master III. He finds a cracked head of a Cyclops puppet, and decides to tell the current puppets the story of how he came to possess the puppet life power to begin with. Flashback to 1892, an unconventionally immortal Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian named Afzel steals a spell for animating lifeless objects from the god Sutekh. Sutekh sends several followers after Afzel, but none are successful in killing him and returning the spell, although in Paris, Afzel is severely wounded and is sheltered by Andre Toulon. Afzel teaches Toulon Sutekh's spell, which he uses to animate one of his puppets, Pinhead. Comfortable that the spell has been passed on, Afzel commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in front of Sutekh's henchmen, making them believe Afzel has taken the magic to his grave. However, when Toulon uses the spell to animate a handful of other puppets, Cyclops, Drill Sergeant, Six Shooter, Blade and Doctor Death, Sutekh's henchmen return to Paris to slay the Puppet Master. While the puppets are successful in besting Sutekh's forces, two of them are resurrected to pursue Toulon. Toulon confronts the demons on a train to Kara, where they have kidnapped and are keeping his love interest, Elsa, and a battle ensues, with Toulon and his puppets successful in defeating their pursuers and rescuing Elsa.
Eventually, Toulon takes his puppetry to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
with his new puppet, named "Mephisto", where, during a 1912 expedition one of his performances, is attended by a magician who, unbeknownst to Toulon, sets his theater ablaze. There to rebound Toulon's loss, the magician invites the puppeteer and his wife to his quarters, where he shows them an animated puppet of his own, a chained Egyptian goblin puppet, named "Djinn" that was animated by an elixir formula. (This is first revealed in a flashback of Puppet Master 2 and later reinstated with archived footage in Puppet Master: The Legacy
Puppet Master: The Legacy
Puppet Master: The Legacy is a 2003 horror film written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, and directed by Charles Band. It is the eighth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1994's Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, and stars Jacob Witkin as an elderly Peter Hertz and Kate...
)
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 1991.Years later, in Berlin, where Andre and Elsa Toulon have now taken residence, a Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
lieutenant learns that Toulon's puppets are sentient. Toulon is arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, two of his puppets are confiscated and Elsa is murdered. Toulon escapes and uses his puppets to avenge his wife. While in hiding, a fellow refugee reveals Toulon's location to the Gestapo, who infiltrate his hideout and force him to flee. Assisted by his puppets, Toulon tortures Major Kraus, the man who killed Elsa and organized the several attempts to arrest Toulon. Afterwards, he and a child refugee, Peter Hertz, flee to Geneva, Switzerland by train. After reuniting Hertz with relatives, Toulon continues his travels to the Swiss border, taking shelter from rainfall at an unattended inn, where he tells his puppets the story of Afzel and of his original puppets.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
Puppet Master: Axis of EvilPuppet Master: Axis of Evil
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil directed by David DeCoteau is the 10th entry into the Puppet Master series of horror films but the ninth entry that's canon to the series made by Charles Band's Full Moon Features.-Plot:...
, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 2010.
In 1939, continuing his journey to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Toulon takes shelter at the Bodega Bay Inn in Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay is a town and census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast....
. The Gestapo, however, have traced his location and two soldiers are sent to the hotel to assassinate him. With the chest containing his puppets and secrets hidden inside a wall panel, Toulon commits suicide before the assassins can infiltrate his room. Bodega Bay employee Danny Coogan discovers Toulon's body, along with his trunk of puppets, and begins taking care of them, eventually their secret. Coogan becomes jealous when his girlfriend, who also knows the puppets are alive, flirts
Flirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
with a man Coogan recognizes as one of the Gestapo who had come hunting for Toulon. Coogan discovers the Gestapo are involved in a plan to bomb the United States, and with the puppets' help, Coogan resolves to stop them.
Puppet Master
Puppet MasterPuppet Master (film)
Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller...
(first motion picture of the franchise), directed by David Schmoeller
David Schmoeller
David Schmoeller is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is notable for directing several full-length theatrical horror movies including Tourist Trap , The Seduction , Puppet Master , Catacombs , and Crawlspace starring Klaus Kinski.-Biography:Schmoeller was born in...
, was released on video in 1989.
In 1989, four psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
s each receive unsettling visions, which they assess have been sent by a former colleague, Neil Gallagher. The group meets at the Bodega Bay Inn where Gallagher has been staying, where before long they are introduced to Gallagher's wife, Megan. The psychics are skeptical that Gallagher had ever been wed, but this is forgotten when Megan reveals that he has recently commit suicide. Toulon's puppets, now out and about, proceed to murder everyone in the hotel before only the psychic Alex Whitaker, and Megan remain. It is here that Gallagher, alive, confronts the two survivors. Gallagher explains that while he did die, Toulon's formula was used to give himself eternal life. However, when Gallagher mistreats the puppet Jester, the others revolt against him, locking him in an elevator and mercilessly killing him. Whitaker returns home. Megan, now alone, is shown picking up Dana's taxidermic
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
dog, and by the following scene, the dog becomes completely animate, indicating that she too has learned Toulon's method.
Puppet Master 2
Puppet Master 2, directed by Dave Allen, was released on video in 1991.After the incident, the puppets visit the Shady Oaks cemetery where they recover Toulon's corpse and reanimate it using the last of the Egyptian's elixir. With Toulon alive, the puppets hope that he can brew a new elixir to continue keeping them sustained. Toulon humbly pursues the formula, but to do so, his puppets are required to continue killing, as blood tissue is a key ingredient in the concoction. After slaying the Bodega Bay Inn's owner, Megan Gallagher, Toulon unofficially takes ownership of the hotel, to the confusion of a group of parapsychologists who come to investigate the rantings of Alex Whitaker, who has gone insane since his visit to the place. It is during this time that Toulon designs his last puppet, Torch. After seeing one of the investigators, Carolyn Bramwell, Toulon is reminded of his wife Elsa, who bears a striking resemblance to Bramwell, and uncharacteristically he abandons the plan to help his puppets in order to find a way of being united with who he believes is his reincarnated wife. Toulon, who has had two life-sized mannequins created to house the souls of both he and Bramwell, uses a combination of the elixir and a magic spell to place his soul into one mannequin. However before Bramwell's soul can be transferred into the other mannequin, her love interest, Michael Kenney, rescues her. The puppets, both angry and ashamed that their long loving master has abandoned them due to his mind being corrupted by formula he taken that made him nothing more but a shadow of his former self, opt to have him killed once again. They use the remaining elixir and mannequin to resurrect one of their victims, Michael's mother, Camille. However Camille takes on a sadistic personality and has the puppets locked away, with the exception of Torch, who shares her disgust for children. This is key in that Camille uses the puppets to terrorize institutionalized children.
Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 4Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 4 is a 1993 horror film written by Charles Band among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fourth film in the Puppet Master franchise, a sequel to 1991's Puppet Master II, and stars Gordon Currie as a youth scientist who, along with his friends, played by Chandra West, Ash...
, directed by Jeff Burr, was released on video in 1993.
Some time after Camille takes Toulon's puppets on the road, they are returned to the Bodega Bay Inn, where they are not discovered until one summer while a youth scientist named Rick Myers serves as caretaker for the hotel. It is at this time that the god Sutekh makes a second attempt to suppress the secret of animation. Sutekh has three tribal puppets, spiritually linked to demonic minions of his own, called Totems sent to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to hunt down key personnel in the Omega Project, an organization also attempting to create life in inanimate objects. Myers' girlfriend, Susie, pays a visit to the Bodega Bay Inn, along with her friends Cameron and Lauren. Unknown to Susie, both Myers and Cameron have been previously acquainted, and they are both members of the Omega Project. Lauren, a clairvoyant
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, leads the group to the chest containing Toulon's puppets, and from the puppeteer's notes, Myers learns to inject the puppets with elixir to reanimate them. The puppets befriend the group, and protect them when the Totems arrive to kill Myers and his friends. Toulon's spirit, at ease since his puppets slew him over his treachery, returns to guide the puppets, advising them to activate his unfinished figure, Decapitron. The puppets set up an electric current which is used to animate Decapitron, who uses its interchangeable heads to communicate with the group and attack Totems.
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter
Puppet Master 5Puppet Master 5
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter is a 1994 horror film written by Douglas Aarniokoski among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fifth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1993's Puppet Master 4, and stars Gordon Currie as the series' third Puppet Master, and Ian Ogilvy, his...
, directed by Jeff Burr, was released on video in 1994.
Following the events of Puppet Master 4, shortly after the attack, Myers is arrested under suspicion for having caused the murders committed by the Totems. His boss, Jennings, has Myers bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
ed because he believes he is innocent, and Myers tells Jennings about his experience with Toulon's puppets, all-the-while expecting Jennings not to believe him. However Jennings is interested in Myers' story, and he organizes a group of thugs to break into the Bodega Bay Inn and steal the puppets. Myers has a disturbing premonition and decides to return to the hotel with Blade to check on the puppets which were left behind when he was taken into custody. Meanwhile, Sutekh activates another Totem, which he proceeds to transfer his soul into. In the midst of their search for the puppets, Sutekh ambushes Jennings' thugs at the Bodega Bay Inn, before confronting Myers, who has recently arrived at the hotel, and Toulon's puppets. A battle between Sutekh and the puppets ensues, resulting in Sutekh attempting to retreat. However the spirit of Andre Toulon, piloting Decapitron, is able to destroy him, inadvertently damaging all of the puppets in the process.
Curse of the Puppet Master
Curse of the Puppet MasterCurse Of The Puppet Master
Curse of the Puppet Master is a 1998 horror film written by Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau. It is the sixth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1989's original Puppet Master, and stars George Peck as a scientist experimenting with transforming...
, directed by David DeCoteau, was released on video in 1998.
The puppets are soon placed into an auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
, where they are obtained by Magrew, an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
doctor who manages a sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
in a small American community. Here, Magrew conducts experiments on transforming humans into puppets, in an attempt to primitively duplicate Andre Toulon's method of animation. When Magrew's daughter, Jane, returns from college, the two meet a gas station attendant named Robert "Tank" Winsley. Winsley's skill at carving wood is noticed by Magrew, and the boy is invited to stay with he and Jane if he agrees to carve a puppet for Magrew's experiment. As Winsley and Jane grow closer, Magrew tries to discourage Jane from seeing Winsley, so that in the event where the boy leaves, Jane will not be hurt. However, Jane assures her father that Winsley would not leave her. After carving the pieces for Magrew's puppet, Winsley becomes ill. Magrew calls for a doctor, and Jane is ordered to leave town to pick up a package for his sideshow. After learning that no package was sent, Jane races home, but makes a stop to inspect debris she had found burnt in a ditch shortly before. In it, she finds a grotesque fleshy puppet who knows her name, which she identifies as her father's former assistant; the role which Winsley has replaced. Winsley wakes restrained to a laboratory table, with Magrew nearby, brandishing a mechanical puppet of his own. Magrew transfers Winsley's soul into the machine, but before he can enjoy his success, Toulon's puppets become enraged by his disgusting experiments, and they attack him. When Jane returns home, she finds her bloodied father and the mechanical puppet, recognizing it as Winsley because his face appears on a visual display unit on the figure's head. Winsley then proceeds to electrocute Magrew to death.
Puppet Master: Legacy
Puppet Master: The LegacyPuppet Master: The Legacy
Puppet Master: The Legacy is a 2003 horror film written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, and directed by Charles Band. It is the eighth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1994's Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, and stars Jacob Witkin as an elderly Peter Hertz and Kate...
, directed by Charles Band, was released on video in 2003.
The puppets are returned to the Bodega Bay Inn, which is now the residence of Peter Hertz, the boy Toulon escaped Germany during the war (Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge). Meanwhile, a mercenary named Maclain, who has been hired by Toulon's original puppets to learn what reverses the spell of animation, is immersing herself in the puppeteer's history. In her investigation, she meets Rick Myers (Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 4 is a 1993 horror film written by Charles Band among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fourth film in the Puppet Master franchise, a sequel to 1991's Puppet Master II, and stars Gordon Currie as a youth scientist who, along with his friends, played by Chandra West, Ash...
and Puppet Master 5
Puppet Master 5
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter is a 1994 horror film written by Douglas Aarniokoski among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fifth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1993's Puppet Master 4, and stars Gordon Currie as the series' third Puppet Master, and Ian Ogilvy, his...
), who she murders for a book previously owned by Toulon, which details the animation process. The text fails to mention deanimation, so Maclain infiltrates the Bodega Bay Inn, where she meets Hertz. Hertz is not aware of how to reverse animation himself, so he plays several taped recordings of Andre Toulon, which chronicle his life, but the secret is absent from these recordings as well. Hertz and Blade then attack Maclain, before they are ambushed by an unseen character
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
.
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (unofficial installment), directed by Ted Nicolaou, was aired on TV in 2004.In 2004, the puppets along with the formula are now in the ownership of Andre Toulon's great-grandnephew Robert Toulon and his daughter Alexandra. One Christmas Eve Alex and Robert finally figure out how to make the potion and bring the puppets to life. Toulon explains to the awakened puppets who he is and they are quick to accept their new master. Meanwhile an evil toy manufacturer Erica Sharpe seeks to use Andre Toulon's formula to give life to a line of killer toys that she plans to unleash on Christmas Eve. Subsequent to spying on Robert through a spy camera, Erika orders a team of thieves to break into the Toulon residence and retrieve the puppets. Nevertheless, Toulon’s creatures fight back and as a result, they are badly burnt from a fire accidentally started by Six Shooter in the workshop. Robert fixes up the puppets with new cyborg parts and powerful new weapons, which will come in handy. After her failed attempt, Erika comes up with another evil plan, using the help of a Bael (the demon of wealth and profits) she mass-markets demonic toys. Robert Toulon discovers the spy camera and has the idea that the thieves who broke into his workshop are connected with Sharpe toys, he goes over to the factory to see what is going on, and there he is ambushed by an evil living Baby doll (Baby Oopsie-Daisy). On Toulon's return, he discovers his daughter has been kidnapped. Robert assist the help of a friendly police officer Sargent Jessica Russell who on Christmas Day with the puppets break into Sharpe toys and have a final fight with Erica Sharpe and her demonic minions and Toulon and his loyal puppets. The demonic toys are no match for the puppets and quickly dispatched. Robert frees his daughter from the hands of her evil kidnappers and at sunrise Erica fails to live up to her deal to bring Alex Toulon to Bael. Thus, instead of bringing the toys to life he takes Erica back to his kingdom in hell where she will become his loyal slave for all eternity, after that, Pinhead was wounded and soon dies after a moment. Saving the day and perhaps the world the Toulons, their puppets and Jessica head off into the sunrise singing and going out for a Christmas dinner. At the end Baby Oopsy Daisy somehow survived in the well and says "Merry Christmas my ass, and a crappy New Year!"
Reception
The most well-received Puppet Master installments are generally those released before the series' four-year hiatus. As the series was revived at a time when Full Moon Features was no longer partnered with Paramount Pictures, the studio's finances grew increasingly tight, and as a result the quality of each subsequent Puppet Master title (as well as numerous other Full Moon productions) waned. On Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the only three installments which have been rated by critics are Puppet Master, which has a 17% rating after 6 reviews; Puppet Master II, which has a 20% rating after 5 reviews; and Puppet Master 4, which has a 0% rating after 5 reviews. The films have evidently scored much better with users, currently rating 51%, 47% and 66%, respectively.
Home video
Several of the Puppet Master films have been released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in very small quantities. A box set containing the first seven installments of the series was released by Full Moon, but was recalled
Product recall
A product recall is a request to return to the maker a batch or an entire production run of a product, usually due to the discovery of safety issues. The recall is an effort to limit liability for corporate negligence and to improve or avoid damage to publicity...
shortly after. However, in 2007, Full Moon Features reacquired the rights to the first five films, and the box set has since been reissued and is available directly from Full Moon, as well as through several online retailers. The first three films were included as part of an 18-disc Full Moon Features collection, and have since been individually released as a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-subtitled import collection. In 2007, Razor Digital released an uncut DualDisc version of the first film, featuring both the standard and stereoscopic versions of the film, but with very poor picture quality. In December 2008, Charles Band authorized the first Puppet Master film for digital download
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
through the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
; his first foray into the digital market.
Characters
| Character | Film | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puppet Master Puppet Master (film) Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller... |
II Puppet Master II Puppet Master II is a 1991 horror film written by David Pabian and directed by Dave Allen... |
Toulon's Revenge | 4 Puppet Master 4 Puppet Master 4 is a 1993 horror film written by Charles Band among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fourth film in the Puppet Master franchise, a sequel to 1991's Puppet Master II, and stars Gordon Currie as a youth scientist who, along with his friends, played by Chandra West, Ash... |
The Final Chapter | Curse of the Curse Of The Puppet Master Curse of the Puppet Master is a 1998 horror film written by Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau. It is the sixth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1989's original Puppet Master, and stars George Peck as a scientist experimenting with transforming... |
Retro Retro Puppet Master Retro Puppet Master is a 1999 horror film written by Charles Band, Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau... |
The Legacy Puppet Master: The Legacy Puppet Master: The Legacy is a 2003 horror film written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, and directed by Charles Band. It is the eighth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1994's Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, and stars Jacob Witkin as an elderly Peter Hertz and Kate... |
vs. Demonic Toys | Axis of Evil Puppet Master: Axis of Evil Puppet Master: Axis of Evil directed by David DeCoteau is the 10th entry into the Puppet Master series of horror films but the ninth entry that's canon to the series made by Charles Band's Full Moon Features.-Plot:... |
|
| Andre Toulon | William Hickey William Hickey (actor) William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr... |
Steve Welles | Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe was an English actor born in London.He made his screen debut in 1937 with an uncredited appearance in Knight Without Armour. Notable roles include: Prince John in Ivanhoe , Ned Seymour in Young Bess , Caiaphas in King of Kings , and Prince Grigory in Taras Bulba... |
Greg Sestero (younger Toulon) and Guy Rolfe | Archival footage | Mentioned only | Archival footage | |||
| Elsa Toulon | Elizabeth Maclellan | Sarah Douglas Sarah Douglas Sarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the... |
Brigitta Dau | Archival footage | ||||||
| Peter Hertz | Aron Eisenberg Aron Eisenberg Aron Eisenberg is an American actor best known for his role as "Nog" on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Personal life:... |
Jacob Witkin | ||||||||
| Rick Meyers | Gordon Currie Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is a Canadian and American actor. He has also directed, written and produced several films. He works in both the U.S. and Canada in television and film roles. He is probably best known for his role as Nicolae Carpathia in Left Behind-Early life:Currie was born in Vancouver, British... |
Archival footage | ||||||||
| Susie | Chandra West Chandra West -1990s:West's career began in 1991 when she played a small part in the television series True Confections, a 1950s conservative drama about a woman with an ahead-of-her-time awareness... |
Archival footage | ||||||||
| Lauren | Teresa Hill | Archival footage | ||||||||
| Dr. Magrew | George Peck | Archival footage | ||||||||
| Robert Winsley | Josh Green | Archival footage | ||||||||
| Robert Toulon | Corey Feldman Corey Feldman Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... |
|||||||||
| Danny Coogan | Levi Fiehler | |||||||||
Puppets
| Puppet | Puppet Master Puppet Master (film) Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller... |
Puppet Master II Puppet Master II Puppet Master II is a 1991 horror film written by David Pabian and directed by Dave Allen... |
Puppet Master III | Puppet Master 4 Puppet Master 4 Puppet Master 4 is a 1993 horror film written by Charles Band among others, and directed by Jeff Burr. It is the fourth film in the Puppet Master franchise, a sequel to 1991's Puppet Master II, and stars Gordon Currie as a youth scientist who, along with his friends, played by Chandra West, Ash... |
Puppet Master 5 | Curse of the Curse Of The Puppet Master Curse of the Puppet Master is a 1998 horror film written by Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau. It is the sixth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1989's original Puppet Master, and stars George Peck as a scientist experimenting with transforming... |
Retro Retro Puppet Master Retro Puppet Master is a 1999 horror film written by Charles Band, Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau... |
The Legacy Puppet Master: The Legacy Puppet Master: The Legacy is a 2003 horror film written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, and directed by Charles Band. It is the eighth film in the Puppet Master franchise, the sequel to 1994's Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, and stars Jacob Witkin as an elderly Peter Hertz and Kate... |
vs. Demonic Toys | Axis of Evil Puppet Master: Axis of Evil Puppet Master: Axis of Evil directed by David DeCoteau is the 10th entry into the Puppet Master series of horror films but the ninth entry that's canon to the series made by Charles Band's Full Moon Features.-Plot:... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blade | ||||||||||
| Pinhead | ||||||||||
| Jester | ||||||||||
| Tunneler | ||||||||||
| Six Shooter | ||||||||||
| Leech Woman | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Torch | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Egyptian goblin puppet | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Decapitron | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Indian puppet | ||||||||||
| Oriental puppet | ||||||||||
| Mephisto | ||||||||||
| Doctor Death | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Drill Sergeant | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Cyclops | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Retro Blade | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Retro Pinhead | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Retro Six Shooter | Archival footage | |||||||||
| Robert "Tank" Winsley | Arichival footage | |||||||||
| Matt | ||||||||||
| Ninja |
Merchandising
- A four-issue comic book limited seriesLimited seriesA limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
printed by Eternity Comics. It was followed by a two-issue sequel titled Children of the Puppet Master. - A series of action figureAction figureAn action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s produced by Full Moon Toys, and scale replicaReplicaA replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...
s of the series' puppets, produced by Full Moon Playthings. - A set of collectible cardsTrading cardA trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...
. - Clothing and HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
costumes of the series' puppets.