Curse of the Puppet Master

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.

Based totally on the interesting looking cover I saw, I decided to see this movie. I had not seen any of the previous sequels, so I started from scratch. It starts out strange as a man is burning something and tells whatever it is that he was sorry. This man turns out to be Dr. Magrew, an old tinkering man that appears to be a scientist or something. There are these dolls, strange looking ones that move by themselves. One with a knife, a top's head, pinhead, and a cowboy with six arms. I assumed that they were evil, but they only seemed to kill humans that seemingly deserved to die. Two sheriffs and a bully were the victims. The most evil of the beings turns out to be Dr. Magrew who is turning an innocent man named "Tank" into some puppet. Jane Magrew is also innocent and for some reason loves the "Pinhead" doll. This doll loves her more than the human Tank whom she falls in love with. A very strange ending as Tank's anger gets the best of him with Dr. Magrew receiving his wrath. Poor Jane just survives but with many questions to answer with all the dead bodies laying around her house. If you like strange then this film is for you.

Curse is a standalone movie, which is part of the problem. You got this wacked out scientist who got hold of Toulon's puppets, and who obligingly let him know they're alive and willing to help him. Why they're willing to (initially) kill for him isn't clear.

George Peck's off-key performance is another problem: he acts like a thirty-year old in bad aging makeup. Maybe he is 60-70 like he is supposed to be, but he looks and acts really odd. And why does he have a 25 year old daughter?!?

There are very few people to like here, which also hurts. The romantic leads are vaguely sympathetic, but the scientist, the obnoxious town sheriff, the local town bully, etc., are all very unlikeable, making them slaughter-fodder.

The worst problem though, is the end. The movie just...stops. run credits! Whaaatt? Who knows. Catch the sequel, #7, when it comes out, I guess.

The uninteresting human characters mean that the puppets have to hold center stage. They're pretty much relegated to the odd gory slaughter or two, though. Even they seem somewhat confused as to what their motives are here. Jester and Leech Woman are relegated to the background as always, Blaze is missing (despite, as noted, his appearance in the opening credits), and the only new puppet we get is the new TV/Tank puppet, which appears for about 30 seconds at the end of the movie.

Definitely the weakest entry in the Puppet Master series. Even at the worse of time, the others in the series have had something to contribute. But Curse... just hangs there with nothing to support it or recommend it.

Dr. Magrew (George Peck) strives to give human attributes to expertly crafted wooden puppets. Emily Harrison who plays Jane Magrew is the bright spot of the movie. But the puppets themselves are the real stars. The killer puppets do away with the bad guys. The action scenes are good, but there are too few to get excited about. Even with the finale slamming the door on you; this mild horror movie is still fun to watch.

Peck is less animated than the puppets. Also starring are Michael Guerin, Josh Green and Jason Dean Booher.

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!