Curse of the Puppet Master

Despite the film's logline, his intentions are not clear until the very end. The entire film we see the scientist (George Peck) have Robert (Josh Green) cut and carve little wood blocks, but we actually never see the end result.

This is the film that rebooted the franchise, which still continues to this day. This installment is not so much about the puppets, but instead more about the 'dummy boy' Robert, who steals the show. The plot is more solid than the other Puppet Master films, and I enjoyed this film more than the previous installments. In fact, this would hold pretty well as a film on its own and not part of the franchise, especially also since it is a completely new storyline. George Peck was also rather good as the scientist.

Pity the film had such an abrupt ending...

After not being terribly impressed by the last two additions to the franchise, I wasn't expecting all that much from "Curse" and this was a blessing disguise. I found David DeCoteau's sequel somewhat a step-down in quality (which at times looked very second-rate), but probably a little more enjoyable if a tad creative in its story (despite a silly script, unintentionally humorous plotting and an abrupt ending). While still being one of the weakest, it skipped that childish feel of the recent ventures… to only deliver on the nasty and gory quota with its nightmarish details (resembling the tone of the original features), but while the jolts and cruelty is there it seemed to meander on its characters interactions and the constant mystery surrounding a disappearance, which is rather predictable to figure out. The puppets have always been the stars and that's nothing new here, as the creations are well-used despite some obvious stock footage from other features. The uncanny appearances and personalities come through, although some are underused; The Jester and especially Leech woman. However there are plenty of images of the puppets cementing how they are best of pals. DeCoteau's practical direction is raw and threadbare, but there's a lyrical guidance that shows in some atmospheric visuals. Most of the performances are particularly lousy and over-enthusiastic, but Emily Harrison seems to be an exception to the trend.

(I was going to skip this one)

This movie is a stand alone movie in the series, is not connected to the last two movies or the others,

Is brand new master and this as a New plot, A scientist attempts to master the art of transferring people's souls into puppets.

I didn't think it was too bad but i liked the Idea of the plot, it's brought some freshness to the series, it felt like the Puppet as some of Creep factor back.

There were some very bloody moment in this, which was not bad, I felt same as all the other in this series, another Average movie

The acting was not that good at all from some of the cast and some were bearable

5 out of 10

Curse of the Puppet Master takes a very different turn from the rest of the series, which for many is a bad thing - I have to agree as it does not fit chronologically anywhere in the original story...

Another notable thing that may upset many fans is the amount of footage from previous movies that has been used to cut down on the budget... Sadly, where this is done it is VERY noticeable and it does ruin the immersion in the story.

With that said, it is far from a terrible film but has marked a new direction which has upset long standing fans... My guess is they could not get a good enough script for a true Sequel or the cast were not willing to come back after Puppet Master V.

Either way, this is a new story arc in itself.

A doctor has now taken possession of Andre Toulon's puppets and seeks to recreate the work that his predecessor had done, but the opening scenes suggest all is not well.

While the change of story arc is unwelcome (If you wanted to fit this movie in Chronologically, it would appear somewhere early on as Leech is still alive...) the overall quality is good and the acting is actually better than some of the rest.

Joss Green who pays 'Tank' is brilliant in his role, which makes it surprising that he has not had more roles overall - He has the potential for great things... I could really see him in an Avengers role.

So, yes - if you were expecting a continuing story - Afraid you will be disappointed, but the new story arc has some sufficiently dark turns to get the nerves tingling!

Curse of the Puppet Master (1998)

** (out of 4)

Four years after the previous film, Charles Band and Full Moon decided to bring their puppets back and this sixth installment tries to be its own picture and not just connect to the previous. This time out Dr. Magrew (George Peck) and his daughter (Emily Harrison) hire a slow-witted man (Josh Green) to help them build our beloved puppets. The doctor has been able to give them partial life but he needs help giving them their own souls and of course it doesn't take long for our puppets to harm anyone who goes after their friends. CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER is considered by fans of the series to be the absolute worst but perhaps since I'm not a fan I could see it differently. Yes, this is an ultra low-budget film that doesn't have too much action in it and yes it's clear that the attempt to try and take the series into a new direction didn't work all that great but I thought it was rather refreshing seeing something different and not just a stretch of the storyline that was the first five films. I mean, is what we see here really worse than the puppets battling a Demon God? It's clear that Full Moon was working with no money because the film doesn't even have any stop motion. The puppets, for the most part, are just being pulled by strings or other devices and this is certainly a first for the series. The visual look of them isn't all that impressive and this also means that there's more "story" than action but I'll admit to being a sucker by getting caught up in that story. I thought there were some major flaws in the film but mostly character development. The slow-wit for some reason turns smart and into a ladies man without any explanation. The doctor has some bad motives that come out of no where and I think the twist doesn't work that well. You have a bully local who beats up the slow-wit, sexually attacks the daughter and then breaks into her home yet I guess it never dawned on anyone to call the police. The love story aspect doesn't work either. With all of that said, I still got caught up with the characters because the three leads are actually pretty good in their roles. The puppets might be lacking in terms of special effects but they do get back their killer personalities and we get a couple death scenes that add on some extra gore. The "Part 6" was dropped from the title and I'm guessing this was done to try and sell the movie as something new and original, which it pretty much is. I know fans were outraged that their beloved puppets were put in a new format but I still think it was a good decision and especially after the last two flicks.