The global health emergency has put the operations of many companies on hold, not the least of which is the entertainment industry and their film release schedules. One company that’s showing its resilience through this ordeal is Charles Band’s Full Moon Features.
First, Full Moon shocked fans by quickly turning out a virus themed horror comedy, Corona Zombies. Then, using the same remote filming/jokey overdub methods, they churned out a sequel, Barbie & Kendra Save the Tiger King. Now, Full Moon is back with the next film from their Deadly Ten film slate, Blade: The Iron Cross, a violent little side quest for the iconic Puppet Master puppet that feels like a throwback to classic Full Moon films.
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Blade: The Iron Cross is the newest chapter in the long-running Puppet Master film series. This film acts as a sort of “side quest” for the iconic puppet from the series, Blade. The story follows a young beautiful psychic named Elisa (Tania Fox) as she awakens the dormant puppet, Blade, to battle against Nazi scientist, Dr. Hauser (Roy Abramsohn) and his army of undead soldiers.
There’s a lot to like about Blade: The Iron Cross. It takes a short while to get it’s footing, but once the story is established this movie jumps right into the fun. There’s quite a few fun FX gags in Blade, and the zombie make-ups are particularly wicked. Another thing that really works is its overall tone.
In many ways, Blade: The Iron Cross feels like a throwback to the older Full Moon films that fans love. It’s more serious in tone than much of Full Moon’s recent output. In place of the stoner comedy and sexy bikini babes approach that we’ve come to expect from their recent movies, we get a darker horror/action feel. That said, fans of the female form will still enjoy this one, I’m sure. Fans of older Full Moon films who aren’t as keen on their more sex-comedy type offerings will want to check this one out.
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That said, this film isn’t without it’s faults. It drags a bit in the first act, taking a little long to establish the set-up. It also bears the production quality that viewers likely expect from a Full Moon production. Ultimately, a fan of Full Moon’s brand of low-budget horror is destined to enjoy this film more than the general viewer.
Blade: The Iron Cross is a fun time. It’s certainly not high art, but if you like the Puppet Master films and you long for the glory years of Full Moon, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Now, back to impatiently waiting for Subspecies 5 (fingers crossed)!
Blade: The Iron Cross releases on Friday, June 26th, on the Full Moon Features app.
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