Blu-ray Review: PUPPET MASTER III: TOULON'S REVENGE (1991)

PUPPET MASTER III: TOULON'S REVENGE (1991)

Label: Full Moon Features
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 86 Minutes
Video: 16x9 Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
Director: David DeCoteau
Cast: Guy Rolfe, Ian Abercrombie, Sarah Douglas, Walter Gotel, Kristopher Logan, Matthew Faison, Aaron Eisenberg, Richard Lynch
Tagline: When good puppets go bad.

Synopsis: After learning that Andre Toulon's puppets have no strings and seem to have a life of their own, Dr. Hess, a WWII Gestapo henchman, sends his officers to kidnap them. During the melee, Toulon's wife Elsa is killed, but the puppets fight back and escape with their leader. Toulon creates a new puppet, Six Shooter, models Blade after a pasty-faced Nazi and uses Elsa's essence to create Leech Woman. The army is ready. Body part by body part, revenge will be theirs…

Flm: The third installment of the Puppet Master franchise is a period-piece, a prequel taking place three years after the start of Puppet Master ...huh? Whatever. The year is 1941 in Berlin during WW2. Dr. Hess (Ian Abercrombie, Army of Darkness) is a Nazi scientist in the service of the Third Reich. He's been tasked to create a serum that will create an army of undead zombie soldiers. He's had a modicum of success but the serum is too unstable and in an early scene we see a corpse jump off the operating table Re-Animator style and wreak havoc. Hess is overseen my Major Kraus (Richard Lynch, Bad Dreams) from the Gestapo. Kraus's driver Lt. Stein (Kristopher Logan, The Rocketeer) is an amateur puppeteer and attends a puppet show for children presented by Andre Toulon and his wife Elsa (Sarah Douglass, Superman 2). During the puppet show a marionette of Adolf Hitler is fired upon by a new puppet called Six Shooter, modeled after the American gunslingers. He's got six arms and six guns, it's a great character design and he has a great Jack Nicholson laugh that I just love. The Lt. who sounds a lot like Marvin the Martian sneaks around after the show and witness the puppets being fed their serum by Toulon and that they seem to be alive, unassisted by strings. When he reports this to Krauss and Hess the next day Kraus immediately takes an SS squad to Toulon's residence to arrest the puppeteer for treasonous acts. Hess convinces Kraus that he must speak with Toulon to gain his secrets of reanimation. Kraus agrees but then kills Toulon's wife Elsa after she spits in his face in defiance. As Toulon is being transported away the two soldiers guarding him are killed by Tunneler and Pinhead allowing him to escape and plot his revenge. It's a great shot when Tunneler drills his way through the back of the driver's seat and through his chest, quite bloody. 

This film has a lot going for it. Setting it during WW2 in Berlin is a good choice and it's a great backdrop for the film with some excellent sets and dressings. The acting is superb from the key players. Richard Lynch (Bad Dreams, Laid to Rest) as the despicable Major Kraus is inspired, he's a wicked villain. Ian Abercrombie as the Nazi scientist Hess is also great casting. You get the feeling he's being forced into working for the Reich and he seems genuinely amazed by the work of Toulon, in fact, he redeems himself towards the end of the film. You may recall Abercrombie as Mr. Pitt, Elaine's boss from the TV 's Seinfeld. Then there is Guy Rolfe (Dolls, Mr. Sardonicus) as Andre Toulon, easily the best Toulon I've seen so far in the series, no disrespect to the venerable and beloved William Hickey from the first entry. Also noteworthy is the appearance of Walter Gotell as the Nazi General Mueller who played "General Gogol" in several 007 entries, his character loves frequenting Nazi whores and his scene in a tub being bathed by topless Nazi tramps is just wonderful. 

There's very little I did not enjoy here. The setting, the acting, the special effects - all great stuff. Highlight for me include the origins of Blade and Ms. Leech and the rest of the puppets, great stuff. Let's not forget the awesome introduction of Six Shooter and that we find out why the Nazi's are pursuing Toulon at the start of the first film. A goof of sorts would be the inclusion of Jester in the film whom we saw Toulon create in the first film which the ending of this entry more or less sets up.

Blu-ray: While previous Puppet Master III VHS and DVD editions did not suffer quite as much as earlier Puppet Master II releases they were not great either; cropped images that were dark, murky and standard-definition with artifacting. Much like the new Puppet Master II Blu-ray the film is presented in it's original anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio with an MPEG-4 encoded image transferred from the original negative and remastered in high-definition with all new color timing and color correction. The results are revealing, like seeing the film for the first time. I've seen this film several times in it's many VHS and DVD incarnations and it's always been the same fullframe standard-definition transfer, cropped, soft, murky and lacking any fine detail. What we get with this Blu-ray release is a pleasingly crisp anamorphic presentation with a pleasant amount of natural grain left intact, with that though we also get a fair amount of digital noise but overall this is quite wonderful stomps previous SD transfers with vivid saturated colors, natural skin tones, decent black an acceptable amount of fine detail.

On the audio front we get a newly created 5.1 sound surround mix but it's Dolby Digital and not lossless audio. That said while it's not overly dynamic it is not lamented by the same compression issues and the dialogue, score and effects sound quite good. Still the lack of a lossless audio option is a disappointing oversight.

Some of the bonus content is mirrored from the Puppet Master II Blu-ray beginning with the  Introduction (2:35) from creator Charles Band filmed on the set of the forthcoming Puppet Master 10 in which the  auteur discusses the difficulty getting the early Full Moon films on Blu-ray and what's coming next in 1080p. There's the same Killer Puppet Montage (1:52),  a Rare Puppet Master Toy Promo (1:30) and same eight Full Moon trailers in HD widescreen. New content(sorta) is a vintage episode of Full Moon's video magazine VideoZone.

The center-piece of the bonus features is a newly recorded audio commentary with director David Decoteau and writer C. Courtney Joyner that's informative and entertaining - these guys are movie fiends and happily recollect their time on the Universal back lot and the classic film that were also brought to life there, it makes for some good listening. A lot of the commentary is scene specific and follows what's transpiring onscreen but they also veer off with fun production anecdotes, DeCoteau talks a bit about arguing with Charlie Band over the opening scene being a bit too graphic, remembering that Band is actually a bit squeamish, at least back in the day. The two also offer fond remembrances of Lynch, Abercrombie, Rolf, and Gotel all of whom have since shuffled off this mortal coil. They also discuss Lynch not being the first choice of actor to portray Kraus, originally the part was intended for Ralph Bates (Taste the Blood of Dracula)  but he died before production. They also discuss Lynch disfigurement which occurred during a 'Nam protest in Central Park during a "controlled" burn with rubbing alcohol but it got out of control, they also dismiss that the incident had stemmed from a drug-induced state which is what I had always been told. It's a good commentary and really adds to the enjoyment of the film, good stuff. 

Special Features: 

- Brand new Introduction by Puppet Master creator Charles Band (2:35)
- Brand new 2012 Audio Commentary by writer C. Courtney Joyner director David DeCoteau
- VideoZone (25:30) 14x3 
- Killer Puppet Master Montage (1:52) 4x3
-Rare Puppet Master Toy Promo (1:30) 4x3
-HD Full Moon trailers:
Puppet Master (1:38) 16x9
Castle Freak 2:15) 16x9
Zombies vs Strippers (1:19) 16x9
Demonic Toys 2 (1:15) 16x9
Evil Bong 3 (1:00) 16x9
Gingerdead Man 3 (1:02) 16x9
Killjoy's Revenge (1:39) 16x9
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2:06) 16x9 

Verdict: Of the the first three installments of the Puppet Master series Toulon's Revenge inches out Puppet Master as my favorite. The acting is just really superb from a seasoned cast. Guy Rolf's portrayal of Toulon is the best of the bunch, I cannot imagine anyone else capturing the essence of Andre Toulon the way he did here. Despite the films modest budget the WW2 era sets are well rendered and shooting on Universal's back lot didn't hurt either, the film definitely has a sense of time and place. The stop-motion effects are really good though I think they may have been a bit better in Puppet Master II which I would attribute to special effects wizard David Allen directing that film. Full Moon's new remastered high-definition transfer is great stuff, it's amazing to see this film in widescreen for the first and I am definitely looking forward to more Puppet Master entries as well as Stuart Gordon's Castle Freak and The Pit and the Pendulum in 1080p widescreen. 
4 Outta 5

DVD Review: THE MIDNIGHT HORROR COLLECTION: PUPPET MASTER V.2

THE MIDNIGHT HORROR COLLECTION: PUPPET MASTER V.2
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

PUPPET MASTER IV (1993)

Rating: R
Duration: 79 mins
Director: Jeff Burr
Cast: Chandra West, Ash Adams, Gordon Currie, Guy Rolfe
Tagline: When Bad Puppets Turn Good


PUPPET MASTER IV is directed by director Jeff Burr whom a few years earlier directed the much maligned LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 3 (1990) which I actually quite enjoy but he also directed PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOOD WINGS (1994) which I have no love for so I wasn't sure what to expect when Burr took on the franchise, so let's see what we have here. The film opens in an other dimensional netherworld where we are introduced to a rubbery looking Egyptian demon named Sutekh and his trio of jawas looking minions adorned in robes with glowing red eyes. Sutekh declaring war on those who have stolen his secret of animation, namely Andrew Toulon who we all know died in the first film, but others are carrying on his work. Rick Meyers (Gordon Currie, THE WOODS) is a genius level researcher working for the Phoenix Division of the Omega Project which aims to develop artificial intelligence for presumably military applications. Coincidentally he just so happens to work as the off season curator of the Bodega Bay Inn, Toulon's old stomping grounds and is on the verge discovering Toulon's puppets and life giving elixir. 

Sutekh sends his forth a trio of Gremlin-like creatures called Totems to the Earthly plane which are controlled by his jawa-esque minions, each delivered in a wooden case to the three researchers involved with the project, Dr. Piper (Stacie Randall, GHOULIES IV), Dr. Baker (Felton Perry, ROBOCOP) and Rick at the Bodega Bay Inn. Dr. Piper is the first unlucky recipient of the deadly package and is terrorized by the Totem in a manner that specifically recalled the Zulu fetish doll segment of TRILOGY OF TERROR and then of CAT'S EYE when the creature sucks the life from her mouth and eyes with wispy ARMY OF DARKNESS opening credit style animations, not original but pretty entertaining at least.

Similarly Dr. Baker received a Totem and meets a grisly end meanwhile back at the Inn Rick spends his time playing laser tag with two experimental pint-sized robots in an attempt to gauge and encourage them to react autonomously, to transcend their programming an exhibit true A.I. His war-games are interrupted when his girlfriend Susan (Chandra West, THE SALTON SEA) shows up with her red-haired psychic friend Lauren (Teresa Hill, BIO-DOME) in tow alongside her moussed-up 80's asshole boyfriend Cameron (Ash Adams, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) who as it turns out is a former colleague of Rick's as well as a current member of the Phoenix Division, he's previously unaware that Rick is the lead researcher on the very project he works for.
 

After dinner that night Lauren notices the puppet Blade which Rick has previously discovered at the Inn, she stares at the puppet intensely, definitely getting a psychic vibe from the still secretly animated puppet. Later that night the group discover Toulon's trunk and open it despite Lauren's protests. Inside they find Toulon's journals, the remaining puppets Six-Shooter, Jester, Tunneler and Pinhead plus the animating serum. Reading through the journals they decide to attempt to reanimate the puppets, and do so successfully. Both researchers quickly realize that the serum could prove to be the key to A.I. and Cameron immediately begins to devise a plan steal the serum and take credit for the discover. He and Lauren use a mystical wiiji board of sorts found in Toulon's drunk to reach out to the spirit of former puppet master but instead open a gate to the netherworld summoning two Totems. Not long after the third Totem is mysteriously delivered at the Inn's doorstep and it's game on as the four battle for their lives against the creatures with the help of the puppets who in the grand Frankenstein tradition bring to life one of Toulon's unfinished creations, the new puppet Decapitator!
 

I rather enjoyed this installment of the franchise which kind of reads like a reboot of the series with the addition of the demonic Sutekh and his minions, it's all fun stuff and the more occult elements reminded me a bit of BEASTMASTER. The spirit of Toulon (Guy Rolfe, DOLLS) appears to both the Puppets and Rick throughout the film, often morphing with the head of Decapitator, that I didn't enjoy quite so much. The puppet animations this time around weren't on par with a few of the earlier films but there are some very cool action sequences involving the puppets working together to destroy the Totems including a lassoing and electrocution of a creature, the tag team of Six-Shooter and Pinhead holding down one of the creatures while Tunneler burrows into it's chest cavity, and the awakening of the Decapitator who exchanges his silver featureless head for a electron discharging sci-fi ensemble which he uses to destroy the final minion.

The fourth installment of the franchise is good cheesy fun with some decent low-budget effects work and decent acting and while it's not a great film I found it passably entertaining, fun and steeped in the now familiar Full Moon atmosphere that I seem to have an affinity for.

PUPPET MASTER V: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1994)
Rating: R
Duration: 82 mins
Director: Jeff Burr
Cast: Chandra West, Ash Adams, Ian Oglivy, Guy Rolfe
Tagline: Puppets Vs. An All New Evil!

The fifth film in the series is also directed by Jeff Burr and was filmed back-to-back with it's predecessor taking place immediately following the events of PM4 as we find Rick charged with the murders of Cameron, Dr. Piper and Dr. Baker. The cops obviously balk when he lays the blame on pint-sized killer creatures and h prospects look grim until he is bailed of jail out by the Director of the Phoenix Project, Dr. Jennings (Ian Oglivy, WITCHFINDER GENERAL). Ricks spills the beans about the events of the previous night to Jennings who is only slightly more believing of the story and much like Cameron from the previous film he hatches a scheme to acquire the puppets with the help of three hired thugs.


When Jennings and the thugs search the Inn for the puppets  they are attacked not only by the puppets but by Sutekh in the form of another more powerful Totem. The thugs falls easy prey to the demon and puppets and when Rick and Suzy make their way back to the hotel they find themselves aligned with Jennings in a battle with the Totem Sutekh who proves to be a more formidable  adversary than his minions. The humans are again aided by Blade, Six Shooter, Tunneler Pinhead, and Jester plus a surprise appearance from Torch who was conspicuously absent the last film.

Rick and the puppets toil to resurrect the Decapitator who once again is called upon to assist them against the powerful Sutekh. The film again features an appearance by the spirit of Toulon plus the psychic Lauren who lies comatose in a hospital bed after the events of PM4 but who's spirit somehow inhabits a computer this time around. Again, the Toulon elements of the film and the rather lame possessed computer bits were the film's weakest aspects. Somehow the film still manages to offer cheese-tastic entertainment to a degree but I found this entry less enjoyable than the last by some margin, and the quality of the puppeteering and animation is proportionately worse as well though the final battle is pretty cool. It was nice to see Gordon Currie back as the new puppet master and the addition of Ian Oglivy as the evil Dr. Jennings but only a recommend to Puppet Master die-hards. What was meant to be the last film in the series while offering some thrills definitely feels like a series on it's last leg.  

CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER (1998)
Rating: R
Duration: 78 mins
Director: Victoroa Sloan
Cast: George Peck Emily Harrison
Tagline: The Human Experiment


You just can't keep a good puppet down, though Charles Band retired the franchise with PM5 the series was resurrected four years later with CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER. This time out director Jeff Burr does not return to helm the film but David DeCoteau who directed my favorite entry in the series, PUPPET MASTER III: TOULON'S REVENGE (1991), does, though it should be noted he chose to use his directorial pseudonym Victoria Sloan on the film, perhaps a reflection of how he felt about the final result. Also not returning is puppet master Rick Meyers and there's no mention of what has become of him. The defacto puppet master this time out is Dr. Magrew (George Peck, DEATHTRAP) who runs a puppet sideshow of sorts called The House of Marvels. He's also experimenting with transferring the soul of a human into puppets trying to replicate the autonomy of the puppets he purchased at an auction years earlier; Six Shooter, Jester. Tunneler, Pinhead, Blade and Leech Woman who is back despite having been killed off in PM2 and Blowtorch and Decapitator are nowhere to be found.

His daughter Jane (Emily Harrison, DANGEROUS INTENTIONS) is home from college and a trip to the local gas station with her father introduces them both to the gentle giant Robert "Tank" Winsley (Josh Green, PEARL HARBOR) who has a talent for creating ornate wood carvings. Dr. Magrew enlists Robert to work for him, carving intricate pieces of wood, for what he hopes to be a living animated puppet. Upon arrival at The House of Marvel's Robert is introduced to the puppets, he's mystified by how they are "alive" and Magrew tells him that the secret to animating the the inanimate is to put a soul into it. Not so coincidentally Magrew's previous assistant Matt has mysteriously disappeared drawing the attention of the Sherriff Garvey (Robert Donovan, MURDERCYCLE) and Deputy Wayburn (Jason-Shane Scott, DEADLAND) who pay the doc a visit after Matt's worried mother files a missing person's report. Magrew attempts to replicate Toulon's creations have thus far been unsuccessful and it seems that his previous assistant Matt may have been an unwitting victim.

His first night at the house Robert has a nightmare that his legs have been replaced by carved wooden appendages, it's a very effective visual and perhaps a bit of a nod to Pinocchio as well. Jane and Robert develop a romantic relationship which upsets her father, at first it's not clear if it's because the young man is a bit dim witted or if he has ulterior motives, but it's not a mystery for too much longer when he sends Jane of a fool's errand to keep her occupied while he attempts to place Robert's soul inside a robotic puppet. Unfortunately for him the puppets, who are inherently good, turn on him when they realize he's hurt Robert whom they've bonded with.

Unfortunately the puppets take second billing to the mad scientist storyline and the puppet animation is at an all time low, probably owing to the absence of longtime PM effects man David Allen.  The film is too much a departure from the series for my tastes and is defintely the weakest of the six up to this point, not surprising given that PM5 four years previously was already running on fumes. It occurred to me that the film has a strong resemblance to SSSSSSS (1973) a film featuring a scientist who operates a snake-themed roadside attraction and is diabolically perfecting a serpent-human hybrid and whose daughter is romantically entangled with his doomed assistant, sounds familiar, no?

DVD: All three film are presented in 4x3 fullframe with Dolby Digital stereo audio with no subtitle options. It's a single flipper disc DVD with pt.4  on side one and pts. 5,6 on side two. Not a grand presentation, in fact it's perhaps only slightly better than VHS quality with rampant video artifacting and noise coupled with the fact that there are no special features to be found for any of the films, it's a bare bones disc.

Verdict: So, these are not great films, duh, but they are definitely entertaining in a b-movie schlocky sorta way so I do give this a recommend to PUPPET MASTER and Full Moon enthusiasts, for you guys this is gonna be awesomely nostalgic trip. Some of these films haven't been easy to find in recent years outside of the out-of-print Puppet Master boxset and now you can pick-up the first six films on two discs for a little over $10 at WalMart and that's just very cool plus I would imagine at some point we'll see THE MIDNIGHT COLLECTION: PUPPET MASTER V.3 from Echo Bridge Entertainment collecting PUPPET MASTER RETRO, PUPPET MASTER: THE LEGACY and PUPPETS MASTER VS. DEMONIC TOYS, another win for fans of the series.

Blu-ray Review: Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2010)

PUPPERT MASTER - AXIS OF EVIL (2010)
Full Moon Features

RATING: Unrated
RUNNING TIME: 83 Min.
DIRECTOR: David DeCoteau
CAST: Levi Fiehler (Danny Coogan), Jenna Gallaher (Beth), Taylor Graham (Don Coogan), Tom Sandoval (Max/Ben), Erica Schaffer (Elma Coogan), Jerry Hoffman (Uncle Len), Ada Chow (Ozu), Aaron Riber (Klaus)
TAGLINE: The Blade is Back.

SYNOPSIS: In a stateside hotel during the height of WW2 young Danny Coogan
(Levi Fiehler) dreams of joining the war effort. Following the murder of hotel guest Mr. Toulon by Nazi assassins, Danny finds the old man's crate of mysterious Puppets and is suddenly thrust into a battle all his own. He discovers that Nazis Max (Tom Sandoval) and Klaus (Aaron Riber), along with beautiful Japanese saboteur Ozu (Ada Chow), plan to attack a secret American manufacturing plant. After his family is attacked and his girlfriend Beth (Jenna Gallaher) is kidnapped, it is up to Danny and the living deadly Puppets to stop this Axis of Evil.... (from FullMoonDirect.Com)

FILM: I've only just seen the first three installments of the Puppet Master series within the last month and when this Blu-ray of the long-awaited 9th installment of the series floated across the McBastard's Mausoleum HQ desk this reviewer was mighty excited. I think perhaps only seeing the first three films worked in my favor as Axis of Evil takes place following the events of my personal favorite installment of the series - Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge (1991) and seemingly dismisses everything else.

A lengthy pre-credit sequence takes place (where else?) at the Bodega Bay Inn, the year is 1939. We even get that same exterior shot of the Bodega Bay Inn full of dirt and grain as seen in PM1-3, nice. We meet Danny who is a carpenter's apprentice at the Bodega Bay Inn. He's a patriotic young man eager to fight the "krauts" and "japs" in good ol' WW2 but he's stricken with polio and has been rejected. This is taking place the same day as the beginning of PM 1 and we're treated to footage from that film as series-icon Blade makes his way to Toulon's room right up to the point that Toulon's blows his brains out and the Nazi's bust-in. This is where we diverge from the 1st film and meet Klause and Max, the two Nazi's  ransack the room looking for Toulon's reanimating serum but leave empty handed. Soon after Danny arrives and discovers Toulon's corpse. Knowing of Toulon's secret panel he removes the trunk and returns to his home in Chinatown where he lives with his mother Elma (Erica Schaffer) and enlisted older brother Dan (Taylor Graham). Opening credit roll as we are treated  to a re-working of Richard Band's awesome Puppet Master theme. I won't spoil any more of the film other than to say it involves the Nazi's teaming-up with a Japanese conspirator in an effort to strike a blow against the American war effort.

Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is a good looking film - more so than any Full Moon Features I can recall though I haven't seen a lot. Having Decoteau back in the directing chair was a great decision as he creates an effective and nostalgic late-30's period look on a budget. The scenes of the Nazi's walking through the fog-laden streets of Chinatown looks great. The film was shot in a scope aspect ratio which must be a 1st for Full Moon who are not known for their extravagant budgets and presentation. The characters are well developed and the acting is pretty decent, particularly that of Danny, his girlfriend Beth and the Nazi Max, good stuff. And let me just say that Jenna Gallaher (Nightfall) who plays Beth is a gorgeous woman.

What didn't work for me was the actual iconic Puppets themselves. We get Blade, Jester, Ms. Leech, Tunneler, Pinhead, the Asian puppet from the 1st film and Six Shooter makes an underwhelming appearance, I don't recall seeing Torch. Something I've long heard about the PM films is that Six Shooter and Torch were under utilized in the latter films due to budgetary constraints which is a bummer. I think Six Shooter may be the best of the bunch  and to continue a series and omit these iconic characters is a real shame. This film introduces a new character to that cast of  stringless marionettes but it is uninspired and a letdown. The design of the character just feels lazy. Sorely missing is the stop-motion artistry of visual effects maestro Dave Allen whom did the effects for PM 1-5. I really enjoyed his work in PM 1-3 and especially Puppet Master 2 (1991) - which he directed - which while having it's fair share of flaws I cannot deny that the puppets movements were fluid and looked amazing. Here the puppets are under utilized and rather poorly articulated.  Another sore spot for me would be that the kills are lackluster and almost completely without gore. When the best kill is Toulon's death which itself was recycled from PM 1 you know there's a problem. I get the feeling that so much thought went into the production design and storytelling that the Puppets and the more visceral elements of the franchise suffered for it. The Nazi saboteur storyline is interesting and well-done but the film is not creepy or horrific in the least and for a Puppet Master film this I cannot abide.

BLU-RAY: To celebrate Puppet Master's 20th Anniversary Full Moon have given both Puppet Master (1989) and Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2010) the high definition Blu-ray treatment. Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is presented in 1080p HD 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen  with 5.1 surround. While not reference material by any means its definitely the best looking of the series, by far. It's a good looking clean print with crisp detailed picture. The 5.1 surround is not overly active but Richard Band's score sounds great, I've always been a fan of his scores and the Puppet Master series is one of his best. There are 3 bonus features included, none of which are presented in HD. Of the two featurettes the original No String Attached featurette is my favorite. The Making of Evil is non-essential but I really enjoyed the 9 Puppet Master trailers as I've not seen PM 4-8.

- The Making of Evil! 13 Vidcasts from China! (75:18)
- No String Attached - The Original Making of from the First Puppet Master (7:19)
- Trailers for all 9 Full Moon Puppet Master Film

VERDICT: Fans of the Full Moon and the Puppet Master franchise will enjoy Puppet Master: Axis of Evil to varying degrees. In terms of production quality and screen image this is heads and shoulders above the previous entries but I cannot help but lament that the Puppets themselves are not well respected or properly represented. The setting and saboteur storyline is intriguing stuff but the lack of nudity, gore effects and proper puppet articulation really dampened my viewing experience on this one. I really hope that Charles Band and Full Moon Features, if they decide to continue the series, maintain the production standards of this film but bring back the spirit of the earlier entries. Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD from FullMoonDirect.Com

*** (3 out of 5 stars)

- McBASTARD

FULLMOONDIRECT.COM

DVD Review: The Midnight Horror Collection: Puppet Master 1,2,3

THE MIDNIGHT HORROR COLLECTION: PUPPET MASTER 1-3

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

Somehow I've never seen the Puppet Master films. I'm not sure why or how this has come to be. When I recently discovered that Echo Bridge Home Entertainment was releasing the first three volumes as a triple feature DVD as part of their The Midnight Horror Collection series it seemed the time was right to finally check out this killer puppet franchise, the first three anyway.

PUPPET MASTER (1989)
"A box of little toys has just become a gang of little terrors. This is not child's play..."


RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 88 Min.
DIRECTOR: David Schmoeller
CAST: Paul Le Mat (Alex Whitaker), Jimmie F. Scaggs (Neil Gallagher), Matt Roe (Frank)Irene Miracle (Dana Hadley), Kathryn O'Reilly (Frank)Robin Frates (Megan), Barbara Crampton, William Hickey (Andre Toulon)


SUMMARY: Psychics investigating Andre Toulon battle his five killer puppets—each one uniquely qualified for murder and mayhem: Tunneler, who has a habit of boring holes in flesh; Ms. Leech, who sucks her victims dry by regurgitating killer leeches; Pinhead, a professional strangler; Blade, who's armed with razor-sharp, killer hands, and Jester, the ruthless brains of the bunch. Together, they're an army of skilled assassins, diabolically programmed to guard the deadly secrets of the Puppet Master. Enjoy this original cult classic in all its bloody glory.


FILM: Puppet Master (1989) opens at the Bodega Bay Inn, California 1939. Puppeteer Andre Toulon is putting the final touches on a puppet called Jester. Toulon is played by the great William Hickey whom you may recall as Drogan from the "Cat from Hell" segment of the Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) or as the voice of Dr. Finklestein in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). I recall him most fondly as the cantankerous Uncle Lewis from what I consider one of the top 3 Christmas films of all time - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). Toulon performs a short incantation and the puppet springs to life. At the same time there are two puppets keeping a watchful eye on the Bodega Bay Inn; an unnamed oriental puppet (that never reappears during the film) and the menacing Blade who notices two Nazi operatives arrive at the inn. Blade makes a mad dash to Toulon's room to let the puppet master know he may be in danger. We get some great point-of-view cinematography as Blade traverses the lobby and hallways of the inn climbing over baggage and furniture. It seems that the Nazi's are after Toulon's secrets which is later expanded on in the prequel/sequel Puppet Master 3. Toulon takes his puppet and places them into a chest which he then hides in a hidden wall panel. Just as Nazis break down his door Toulon blows his brains out as blood splatters the wall behind him. That's the last we see of Hickey, a far too brief appearance in my opinion but a memorable one at least. Flash forward 50 years later and four psychics are being psychically summoned to the Bodega Bay Inn by their colleague Neil (Jimmie F. Scaggs) who's been searching for Toulon's alchemy secret for years, his investigations have led him to Toulon's last known whereabouts. As the psychics converge at the inn they meet Neil's wife Megan (Robin Frates) who informs them that he has committed suicide in a manner eerily reminiscent of Toulon's own death 50 years earlier. The psychic friends are Alex (Paul Le Mat) a Yale professor, Dana (Irene Miracle) a white witch fortune teller and lovers Carissa (Kathryn O'Reilly) and Frank (Matt Roe). Also in attendance is the nosy inn keeper Theresa (Mews Small). As the group settles in for the night several among them have visions foretelling of their own or other's deaths. The dream/vision sequences are well done, particularly those of Alex. As night falls the psychics and the innkeeper are killed off one by one by Toulon's puppets. But to what end? I won't spoil the rest of the film as it's definitely worth a watch.

The puppets featured in the film are the aforementioned Jester - an emotive clown. Blade - a knife and hook wielding puppet with a face modeled after actor Klaus Kinski.  Pinhead - the muscle of the bunch with a head that's too small for his body. Tunneler - a Nazi-uniformed puppet with a drill-bit head. Ms. Leach - a lady puppet who can regurgitate deadly leeches. Oddly, he oriental puppet from the start of the film is never seen again. The marionettes do not get a lot of screen time in the film until the last 3rd but their sequences are well shot and their interactions with the actors are believable and eerily effective. I love stop-motion animation and rod puppeteering and there's some really great work here in that respect, and even more so in future installments.


Puppet Master is a bit slow in spots but is permeated by that peculiar Full Moon atmosphere that is so evident in most their films. The puppet design and articulation is very good and the psychics make for interesting characters. Alex is the most likable character of the bunch. He seems good natured while the others have selfish agendas. The films eroticism comes from the character of Carissa whose particular psychic talent is to channels past events. Throughout the film she becomes aroused while channelling trysts that have occurred at the inn. Dana as played by Irene Miracle is the bitch of the bunch. Genre fans may recognize her as the character Rose Elliot from Dario Argento's Inferno.

The gore effects of the films are handled well, nothing too bloody mind you. This film was Full Moon Entertainment's first offering and was intended for theatrical release until Charles Band realized there was more money to be made in the home video market. The rest is Full Moon history.



DVD: Puppet Master is presented in an anamorphic wide screen 1.85:1 aspect ratio, which is surprising. To my knowledge the 1st time that Puppet Master was released in it's proper wide screen aspect ratio was the 20th Anniversary Blu-ray released in June 2010, so its great to have it in a budget-minded triple feature. The print looks really good. Very clean, only minor blemishes, the image is a bit soft but otherwise very good image quality. The 2.0 stereo audio is not very exciting but adequate. 
 
VERDICT:  A very enjoyable film. I was reminded of another Charles Band production while watching it, that being Stuart Gordon's Dolls. I think the direction of that film is superior but Puppet Master is not without its charm. Great puppet design, interesting characters, creepy atmosphere and a fairly good premise and finale.  It definitely made me want to watch the other films in quick succession.
***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

PUPPET MASTER 2 (1991)
"His unholy creations hold the strings to your life"



RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 85 Min.
DIRECTOR: David Allen

CAST: Elizabeth MacLellan (Carolyn Bramwell/Elsa), Collin Bernsen (Michael Kenney), Gregory Webb (Patrick Bropmwell), Charlie Spradling (Wanda), Steve Welles (Andre Toulon/Enrique Chanee), Jeff Weston, Nita Talbot (Camille)




SUMMARY: The nasty little puppets are back to take care of unfinished business. Joined by Torch, the newest member of the sinister troupe, they exhume their beloved creator Toulon to gather the brain matter that keeps them alive. But the Puppet Master has a deadly plan of his own…





FILM: Puppet Master 2 open up as Pinhead is unearthing  Toulon's grave at the Shady Oak's cemetery which is conveniently located just a stones throw away from the Bodega Bay Inn. Pinhead pries open the casket and pours a potion of some kind onto his skeleton as the other puppets look on. The skeleton is the reanimated. Some time later we see a group of paranormal researchers led by Carolyn (Elizabth Maclellan). They are at the Bodega Bay Inn to investigate the murder of the hotel's previous owner as well as the psychotic ramblings of the lone psychic-survivor from the previous film who is suspected as the murderer. Apparently the victim had their brain extracted through the nose - Egyptian mummification style. Carolyn is joined in her quest for paranormal activity by Kenney (Nita Talbot), Wanda (Charlie Spradling), Patrick (Gregory Webb) and Lance (Jeff Watson).

That night Camille sees the puppets and plans to leave the Inn in fear of her safety but is taken by Pinhead and Jester before she can do so. The next to go is Patrick who gets his head bloodily excavated by the Tunneler, it's a great gory scene. Lance runs into the room after hearing Patrick scream, it's too late to save Patrick but he is able knock-out Tunneler. While looking at Tunneler's body under x-ray the team deduce that the puppets are being sustained by a chemical in their bodies. Soon after a man named Enrique Channe (Steve Welles) appears and announces that he has inherited the inn. Mr. Chanee is really Toulon's reanimated corpse decked out in a Darkman style costume of gauze, goggles and cape. Chanee/Toulon retires to his room were he creates a new puppet, Torch - a  flame-throwing assassin. There is a flashback to Cairo Egypt where we see the origins of the reanimating formula and how it came into Toulon's possession. We also find out that the formula involves human brains, and this is why the puppets are murdering people. In fact, the puppets are not content to murder guest at the inn. They travel to a nearby farmhouse where they attack a farmer played by George "Buck" Flowers (They Live, The Fog) and his wife in an effort to get more brain tissue to complete the formula.  Torch also takes out a small child using his flame-thrower, dark stuff. Toulon's is portrayed as an obsessed madman in this film, not very likable, it seems that rotting in a casket for 50+ years has had a poor effect on his mental health . He also comes to believes that Carolyn is the reincarnation of his long dead wife Elsa and has devised a plan by which the two can be reunited forever.


So, this time around the puppets are more fully realized and articulated than the first film, great stop-motion effects works. We get to see them on screen more which is a treat and their movements are more fluid. I enjoyed the flashback to Cairo and the origins of the formula. Toulon's disguise is creepy and effective. For 90% of the film he remains bandaged and his face is not visible. Welles performance and vocal characterization recalled the great Christopher Lloyd, and the final unmasking of his rotting face is well done.


Something I did not care for was the need for brain-tissue to create the life-giving formula Toulon uses to reanimate himself and the puppets as I feel it it vilifies both Toulon and the puppets. In the first film you liked Toulon. He sacrificed himself so that the Nazi's could not use his formula for evil and without giving too much away about either film the puppets obey their master until they realize they are being used or mistreated for evil purposes. Here they are more villainous and it degrades the film in my opinion. Other shortcomings of the films would be that is lacks the style and atmosphere of the previous installment. The ending of the film is also a bit wacky and felt too out of left field for me. It's telling that future installments dismiss or out right ignore the events of this film.


DVD: Puppet Master 2 is presented in a full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio with 2.0 stereo audio. It's a fairly terrible looking transfer film. It's an interlaced transfer which look even worse when viewed on a high definition television set. There's rampant compression artifacting of both the audio and visual variety is clearly evident throughout. The image is soft and lacking fine detail and audio is equally lamented by compression issues most notably the metallic-ringing throughout. The film is flawed but decent so it's a shame that it is marred by such a poor transfer.


VERDICT: Puppet Master 2 lacks much of the charm of the first film. It's definitely a bit darker and more menacing, the puppets get more screen time and are rendered with more detail and articulated movement, but the film is a bit hollow in my opinion and is outmatched by parts 1 and 2 of the franchise. Definitely worth a watch at least once even though I feel it misses the mark. **1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars )

PUPPET MASTER 3: TOULON'S REVENGE (1991)
"When good puppets go bad"



RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 82 Min.
DIRECTOR: David DeCoteau
CAST: Guy Rolfe (Andre Toulon), Ian Abercrombie (Dr. Hess), Sarah Douglas (Elsa Toulon), Walter Gotel (General Mueller), Kristopher Logan (Lt. Eric Stein), Matthew Faison (Hertz), Aaron Eisenberg (Peter Hertz), Richard Lynch (Major Kraus)




SUMMARY:After learning that Andre Toulon's puppets have no strings and seem to have a life of their own, Dr. Hess, a WWII Gestapo henchman, sends his officers to kidnap them. During the melee, Toulon's wife Elsa is killed, but the puppets fight back and escape with their leader. Toulon creates a new puppet, Six Shooter, models Blade after a pasty-faced Nazi and uses Elsa's essence to create Leech Woman. The army is ready. Body part by body part, revenge will be theirs…



FILM: The third installment of the Puppet Master franchise a prequel taking place three years after the start of Puppet Master ...huh? The year is 1941 in Berlin during WW2. Dr. Hess (Ian Abercrombie) is a scientist in the service of the Third Reich. He's been tasked to create a serum that will create an army of undead zombie soldiers. He's had a modicum of success but the serum is too unstable. Hess is overseen my Major Kraus (Richard Lynch) from the Gestapo. Kraus's driver Lt. Stein is an amateur puppeteer and attends a puppet show for children presented by Andre Toulon and his wife Elsa. During the puppet show a marionette of Adolf Hitler is fired upon by a puppet called Six Shooter, modeled after American gunslingers. He's got six arms and six guns, it's a great character design and he has a great Jack Nicholson laugh that I just love. The Lt. sneaks around after the show and witness the puppets being fed their serum by Toulon and he sees that they walk on their own unassisted by strings. He reports this to Krauss and Hess the next day. Krauss takes an SS squad to Toulon's residence the next day to arrest the puppeteer for treason. Hess convinces Kraus that he must speak with Toulon to gain his secrets of reanimation. Kraus agrees but then kills Toulon's wife Elsa after she spits in his face. As Toulon is being transported the two soldiers guarding him are killed by Tunneler and Pinhead allowing him to escape and plot his revenge. It's a great shot when Tunneler tunnels his way through the back of the driver's seat and through his chest.

This film has a lot going for it. Setting it during WW2 in Berlin is a good choice and it's a great backdrop for the film. The acting is superb from the key players. Richard Lynch (Bad Dreams, Laid to Rest) as the despicable Major Krauss is inspired, he's a great and wicked villain. Ian Abercrombie as the Nazi scientist Hess is also great casting. You get the feeling he's being forced into working for the Reich and he seems genuinely amazed by the work of Toulon. In fact, he redeems himself towards the end of the film. Abercrombie is most recognized at Mr. Pitt, Elaine's boss from the television series  Seinfeld, or as the Wiseman from Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness. And then there is Guy Rolfe (Dolls) as Andre Toulon. Hands down the best Toulon I've seen so far.


There's very little I did not enjoy here. The setting, the acting, the special effects - all great stuff. I wish it had been wide screen but as with most Full Moon productions it was created with the home video market in mind and catered to the fulls screen format that dominated the market.  Highlight for me include the origins of Blade and Ms. Leech, the awesome introduction of Six Shooter and that we find out why the Nazi's are pursuing Toulon at the start of the first film. A goof of sorts would be the including of Jester in the film who we saw Toulon create in the first film. The ending of the film more or less sets up the first film.


DVD: Puppet Master 3 is presented in a full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio with 2.0 stereo audio. The image is not nearly as poor as the presentation of Puppet Master 2. It should be noted that these three films are presented on a single flipper disc. Side 1 contains Puppet Master 1 and Puppet Master 2 while the flip side contains Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge and a Full Moon Video Zone behind-the-scenes featurette.

VERDICT: Of the the first three installment of the Puppet Master films Toulon's Revenge inches out Puppet Master as my favorite.  The acting is  fantastic and Guy Rolf's portrayal of Toulon is the best of the bunch, I cannot imagine anyone else capturing the essence of Andre Toulon the way he did here. Despite the films modest budget the WW2 era sets are well rendered, the film definitely has a sense of time and place. The stop-motion effects are really good though I think they may have been a bit better in Puppet Master 2. Despite the audio and visual misgivings I have for the presentation of Puppet Master 2 I am very pleased that Echo Bridge Home Entertainment have put together a budget-minded triple feature for fans of the film to enjoy. **** (4 out of 5 stars )

- McBASTARD