O Mestre dos Brinquedos 4

A severe backwards step for the puppets in this mainly dull and tedious outing. Guy Rolfe, so fantastic as Andre Toulon in part three barely features this time and Richard Band's fantastical them tune appears with the puppets a fair few minutes in to the film. For the start of the movie we are introduced to the caretaker of Bodega Bay Inn (Gordon Currie) and some youth friends of his (many of the cast are Canadian and are all very good in unfortunately rather undemanding roles - Teresa Hill is quite yummy). Totems, minions of the Egyptian God Sutek want the secret of animation life back and the puppets (when they surface) act with a previously unseen cleverness to attempt to destroy the ugly and very computer game looking Totems. The Totems merely complicate the series and distract from the things that previously made the series so unique - they don't share the weird beauty of the puppets and thus don't really fit in. Top scene is Pinhead using a rag to clean blood from Tunnelers drill bit, classic and about the goriest this film goes. The fifth film was filmed concurrently with this one so expect similar sections of mediocre and a Toulon performance that seems to have been filmed in a different era (or even galaxy). Guy Rolfe deserved better and series fans certainly do. Grrrrrrr.

PUPPET MASTER 4 is certainly the best of the PUPPET MASTER series. Gordon Currie, Chandra West, and Guy Rolfe star in this horror film of incredible proportions. Never has anything like this ever been done before, were you take the villains from previous legendary horror films and make them the victims and the ones in need of help.

In my regards, this is one of the best horror films of the early 90's, and I recommend it to anyone with interest in horror films or if you liked the original PUPPET MASTER movies.

Not much else can be said about this film. It is probably a certainty that if you liked the series, you will like this movie, though.

PUPPET MASTER 4 gets 4/5.

The ancient demon God Sutek is finally angry enough that Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe) stole his life-giving formula that it sends some demons (tiny, of course) to the "upperworld" to get those responsible. Somehow that means scientists from a Government company, despite them having nothing to do with it. Who is involved is kid genius Rick Myers (Gordon Currie), who has discovered the puppets while doing his experiments at the Bodega Bay Inn while acting as a caretaker. Running only 75 minutes, this mess of a film actually has 5 screenwriters credited with the nonsense plot. The main point seems to be about resurrecting new puppet Decapitron (a hold over idea from Band's Empire days) and Toulon telling Rick he is the new puppet master. About the only good thing in the film is the stop motion work by Dave Allen and his crew, but it seems to be less and less with each entry. This marks a turning point with the tiny terrors being full blown good guys now. This was also the first in the PM series to feature no nudity. PUPPET MASTER 4 came out in November 1993 and the fifth entry, despite being filmed back-to-back, came out almost a year later in September 1994. Felton Perry has two scenes as a murdered scientist.

The notorious Bodega Bay Inn is now inhabited by a whiz-kid science major named Rick Myers who is working for an elite team of scientists in hopes of finding out the secret of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, in Hell, at the EXACT SAME MOMENT, a legion of evil rubbery demons send a horde of minions to the surface to kill anyone who has anything to do with Andre Toulon's elixir of animation. It certainly would be bad luck if Rick just happened to stumble upon a vial of the damning potion, now wouldn't it? Even though the plot of this particular chapter in the Puppet Master series is razor-thin and the acting stays consistently mundane throughout, it has a certain flair that most of the other entries don't. The puppets are much more likeable this time around, and their movements, although not as detailed or complex, are a lot more amusing and believable.

A brilliant super-nerd Rick Myers (Gordon Currie) who likes to play laser tag while rocking out to metal is conducting some experiments and doing research in the Bodega Bay Inn while he is caretaker. He feels he works much better in this environment while no one is looking over his shoulder. THE SHINING anyone? Three friends come over including his girlfriend Susie (Chandra West) and they find puppets that have been locked away since maybe some time around 1941. So, forget about parts 1 and 2 now. The puppets are brought back to life, but a demon named Sutekh (whose appearance is like a puppet as well. The biggest problem I had with this character is he wasn't scary and you just wanted to hug him) has sent three servants to get Toulon's secret.

Now, one thing I will say is the effects are getting better by 1993 and are actually getting quite effective in my eye. There is also a new puppet called Decapitron who can have different heads placed on his body. It is also through this puppet that Toulon (Guy Rolfe makes his return) appears to Rick. Strange to say the least and while the effects are getting better, this effect well wasn't a highlight I would say. Also starring Felton Perry in an almost useless role as Dr. Carl Baker.

Anyways, if you do watch it and in fact enjoy it perhaps PUPPET MASTER 5 will be for you as well as Jeff Burr directed it and is a complete sequel to this movie.