Do you remember the 1989' horror flick 'Puppet Master'? Well, just forget all about it, because Dustin Mills and his crew took the puppet-horror to another level. It's the same old cheese wrapped in some new and funny looking fabric. Does this take on the traditional genre deliver what you'd expect?
What would an 80's horror movie be without a group of teenagers? Exactly, there would be no movie at all. In this case a handful of youngsters receive a letter inviting them to spend a night in the Wagner mansion. They will have a chance to win a million dollars but little do they know what kind of evil is lurking in this Nazi-freak- mansion to stop them from getting anywhere near the money...let alone the exit door.
It's the minor setup for a slasher we've all come to love during the seventies and eighties. Still, up to this day it's used... either in a serious matter or flat out frivolous. The Puppet Monster Massacre is definitely a parody on the genre. The typecasting plays a big part. The mad scientist and the wide variety in personalities amongst the teens, ranging from goth to nerd, are enlarged and made sure to be frowned upon.
The only major problem to all of the possible fun is the lack of convincing voice acting. The delivery of jokes can sometimes feel a bit flawed. Even though the writing is spot on it simply misses the necessary 'punch' to make it work, and it happens more than once. Although, the ones with a heavy accent were certainly a bit better. It's a shame, because I would be the first to say that this is a brilliant piece of work. Now it's just an awesome and original flick...blegh!! Right?
I kid. It's just a bit of a dirty stain on a more than exciting debut with plenty of good old school fun and recognizable cheesiness. It's a wild and entertaining ride that lasts for approximately 70 minutes which is just about right for a film of this sort. This way it remains fresh, surprising and the quality remains at a really decent level.
They used a combination of practical effects for the dolls and CGI for the backgrounds. It would've been amazing to see the entire film without any CGI whatsoever, but with such a small budget it probably wouldn't have turned out this good. Now they were enable to pull of some creative and fun visual tricks, allowing themselves to go completely over the top. Take a quick look at the ending and you'll know what I mean.
I'm glad I came across the DVD in one of the few Dutch stores that actually imports unknown films such as these. The expectations were high for these puppets and the expectations definitely still remain sky high for Dustin Mills' next project. All I can say at this point is that this guy, and of course the rest of his crew, have proved to be a valuable addition to the genre. Praise the puppets!
