The Puppetman

The newest Shudder exclusive entry as of today- I appreciate the network but lately has been hit or miss. Found the idea and set up on this one to be good, and intriguing. Unfortunately, the script seemed a bit uneven and fragmented and about a quarter way in just stammered along until it got closer towards the end. Good effort, but character motivations were questionable (including the entity's) and a couple characters in general didn't gel well with the over-all plot (which by the time it was said and done, I thought seemed a bit thin). Once it finally got to the reveal, it was a decent twist, and a decent death or two were included along the way.

This is a story about a simple obsession with an ancient cult consisting of three people: parents and a child - this is the whole cult. The purpose of the demon is not clear, but he is very evil and manipulates everyone indiscriminately - in fact, demons cannot subdue everyone, no matter how evil they may be, even they obey "demonic laws", well, the authors did not try to understand the mythology, but the film is not about that.\n\PS It's simple, but with "taste", about students who are unlucky. I haven't seen Michael Peer in a normal movie for a long time, this is a pleasant exception, although he doesn't have much to play, but he looked good. The film will not cause vivid impressions, but it will not be a disappointment, such a mystical story is not bad.

I think this film deserves closer to a 6.5 or even a 7 to be honest, I thought it was pretty great and had a fresh idea. I did have hopes for a different ending though, see if you catch what I mean. The actors and actresses were pretty good and the main character was cast really well, i hope they can do another one because I'd be interested in seeing it. The way it was shot and sets were good too. I dont know why others gave this the review they did but if you're like me and always check IMDB before watching a flick, I hope you see my review here and watch the movie, I think it could have somewhat of a cult following.

A nice breath of fresh air (yeah I know that term has been beaten to death..).

Good story, some blood and gore, decent acting, a few twists, nice photo and music/ambience. A bit lowbudget I think, but if thats the case they did a good job!

Its not a 10, as I think it has just a few too many minor plotholes/logical issues. But its not a 3 or 4 either.

I settled at a 6, and I think thats fair :) (Im sure I will will see some 7's later on)

Its up there with the movie "it follows" I think, which I also like.

Ok.. so they want more characters for this review? Jeez. Ok then..

Oh nevermind I think this is enough!

So yeah, a decent horror movie. A bit slow at the start maybe, but I thibk its worth to keep going.

Well done guys!

6/10.

I recently viewed The Puppetman (2023) on Shudder. The plot revolves around a man who, under the influence of a malevolent entity, is compelled to commit a heinous act in front of his daughter, leading to his execution. Years later, his orphaned daughter, now a high school student, faces the entity as it possesses her friends, coercing them into committing gruesome acts. Will she become another victim, or can she find a way to stop the entity?

Directed by Brandon Christensen (Superhost), the film features Alyson Gorske (Jungle Run), Kio Cyr (Give Me an A), Zachary Le Vey (Run Hide Fight(, Michael Paré (Gone) and Angel Prater (Amy's F it List).

The Puppetman had the potential to be a standout horror film. The opening scene was well-crafted and effectively set the movie's tone. Unfortunately, it didn't maintain the quality of kill scenes after the beginning. While there were some entertaining fire and a shootout scenes, there was also a terrible seance that was awkward. The acting was good enough, but the ending was disappointing and felt like a copout.

In summary, this movie offers a few engaging scenes and a solid concept but struggles with execution. I would rate this a 4/10 and suggest considering other options.