Full Moon Entertainment’s Puppet Master series, about knee-high murderous puppets creatively killing people, was a staple of the video rental era. The original, directed by David Schmoeller (Tourist Trap) and co-written by Schmoeller and Charles Band (head honcho at Full Moon), has spawned nine sequels so far and is a merchandising sensation for the independent horror company.
The new film, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, may sound like just another sequel to the popular series, but it is far from that. The film is actually, in essence, a re-imagining of the series that’s not even technically a Full Moon Feature. Fans may be hesitant to trust another horror remake, but this film is an exciting, hilarious, and ultra-violent thrill ride that’s destined to impress fans of the original and new fans alike.
One of the first things that will entice viewers is that this film was written by genre film heavy-hitter, S. Craig Zahler, whose films Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99 are favorites among fans of modern subversive cinema. Zahler’s script is funny and pays homage to the original Puppet Master films while ultimately weaving an entirely new mythology. The characters are likable and Zahler has done a great job of creating a protagonist, Edgar (Thomas Lennon) that horror film fans and geeks (the likely audience for this film) are going to relate to a great deal.
Fans of inventive gore gags and gruesome practical FX take note, you’re going to love this one. There’s no shortage of crazy kills and gory gross-outs in this film. The FX were handled by Face Off alumni and horror whiz, Tate Steinsiek. The kill scenes in this film are a highlight and even seasoned horror fans are sure to be impressed with the variety of different ways these pint-sized baddies are able to dispose of their victims. And speaking of the FX, the look of the new puppets in this film are just plain awesome. You’ll recognize many of the familiar puppets from the original series, but they’ve been given a genuinely scary make-over that horror fans are definitely going to want replicas, t-shirts, and figurines of.
Richard Band (Charles Band’s brother and go-to music man) composed the theme to original Puppet Master series and that theme is nearly as iconic as the puppets themselves. For this new film we get a retooled version of that classic theme by none other than Italian genre film score composing legend, Fabio Frizzi (The Beyond, Pieces, City of the Living Dead). Frizzi injects the classic theme with his trademark Euro-sleaze feel which gives the film a really unique vibe during key scenes. I, for one, am hoping this soundtrack gets a the vinyl LP treatment, because Frizzi’s work here is simply fantastic.
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich follows Edgar, a recently divorced comic book artist/store clerk who discovers a mysterious puppet linked to the infamous Toulon murders in his parents’ house when he embarrassingly has to move back home. He takes the puppet to a local convention centered around the Toulon tragedy with the intent to sell it, but before he can do that, the numerous puppets at the convention horrifyingly spring to life and go on a massive killing spree. The film is cast with familiar faces to horror fans such as Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), Udo Kier (Suspiria), and Michael Pare (Bad Moon) who are all given great roles to work with here.
Directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund have done a brilliant job of breathing new life into the world of Puppet Master and it’s my hope that fans of the originals and horror fans in general will give this film a look. Be on the lookout for The Littlest Reich as it hits theaters, VOD, and Digital HD on August 17th.
Check out our new interview with Charles Band here!
