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Puppet Master

  • Video
  • 1989
  • R
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
14K
YOUR RATING
Puppet Master (1989)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:57
1 Video
99+ Photos
FantasyHorror

After being contacted by their mysterious former colleague, four psychics arrive at a secluded hotel where they are stalked by a group of murderous puppets.After being contacted by their mysterious former colleague, four psychics arrive at a secluded hotel where they are stalked by a group of murderous puppets.After being contacted by their mysterious former colleague, four psychics arrive at a secluded hotel where they are stalked by a group of murderous puppets.

  • Director
    • David Schmoeller
  • Writers
    • Charles Band
    • Kenneth J. Hall
    • David Schmoeller
  • Stars
    • Paul Le Mat
    • William Hickey
    • Irene Miracle
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    14K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Schmoeller
    • Writers
      • Charles Band
      • Kenneth J. Hall
      • David Schmoeller
    • Stars
      • Paul Le Mat
      • William Hickey
      • Irene Miracle
    • 127User reviews
    • 143Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Puppet Master
    Trailer 2:57
    Puppet Master

    Photos160

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    Top cast17

    Edit
    Paul Le Mat
    Paul Le Mat
    • Alex Whitaker
    William Hickey
    William Hickey
    • Andre Toulon
    Irene Miracle
    Irene Miracle
    • Dana Hadley
    Jimmie F. Skaggs
    Jimmie F. Skaggs
    • Neil Gallagher
    Robin Frates
    • Megan Gallagher
    Matt Roe
    • Frank Forrester
    Kathryn O'Reilly
    • Carissa Stamford
    Mews Small
    Mews Small
    • Theresa
    • (as Merrya Small)
    Barbara Crampton
    Barbara Crampton
    • Woman at Carnival
    David Boyd
    • Man at Carnival
    Peter Frankland
    • Assassin #1
    Andrew Kimbrough
    • Assassin #2
    Ed Cook
    Ed Cook
    • Pinhead
    • (voice)
    Linda Cook
    • Leech Woman
    • (voice)
    Tim Dornberg
    • Tunneler
    • (voice)
    Bert Rosario
    Bert Rosario
    • Blade
    • (voice)
    Michael Laide
    • Jester
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • David Schmoeller
    • Writers
      • Charles Band
      • Kenneth J. Hall
      • David Schmoeller
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews127

    5.513.9K
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    Featured reviews

    bcameron1

    GREAT!!!

    This is one great horror movie. The special effects are great. The acting is good. If you have never seen this movie you should run straight to the nearest video store and pick it up. Or just go ahead and buy it!!! The dvd is great. It is about 4 psychics investigating rumors that the secret of life has been discovered by master puppeteer Andre Toulon. But the psychics quickly discover Toulons secret of death in the form of 5 killer puppets. You have to see this movie to believe it. I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
    7ccthemovieman-1

    Much Better Than I Would Have Believed

    I thought this would be very low-grade horror and dumb with poor special- effects, but I was surprised: it was good.....very entertaining. It inspired me to see the sequels, too, and they - most notably the third one - were good, too.

    It's a little slow to start with, but once the puppets begin their attack story gets interesting, concluding with a gruesome ending. William Hickey gets decent billing in here but he's only in the film for a short time in the beginning. After that, it's just Paul LeMat and a bunch of unknown actors.

    In all, not super but more-than-decent entertainment for an hour-and-a-half.
    4gridoon

    How can such a weak film spawn so many sequels?

    This flick has developed quite a reputation as being a minor "cult classic", but actually it's not very good. Not very good at all. The story is shallow (I hear that it's further developed in the sequels, but that doesn't mean much for the viewers of this particular film), the characters are mostly uninteresting or unlikable, and the special effects, though cleverly conceived at times, show their age (already). There is also not much gore and not much suspense. (*1/2)
    5rickymartin0065

    Rather slow Cultclassic

    Being a fan of b-flicks and cultmovies, I was aware of this movie's reputation. So, why not give it a chance? Was I appointed? No, not really ... but was I excited?! Neither! This movie has an original storyline, is shot on a nice location and the special effects are OK (they look sometimes a bit silly, but in movies like this, there's one golden rule: how sillier, how much more fun!) But, in general, this is a rather slow and boring movie. It has some great (and sick) scenes ... but that doesn't cover up for the rest of the movie. This movie constantly repeats itself. I really had the feeling that the director had problems to fill his 90 minutes. So ... is it a waste of time?! No, you'll have fun with it. Just don't expect too much of this 'cultclassic'

    PS: Just like Child's Play, this movie is about dolls and puppets ... but that doesn't mean it's suitable for young children. A wise advice to all you babysitters out there!
    7ScarTrek

    Fun, cheesy movie

    Bad acting, awful hair, horrible plot, cheesy action, hokey characters.

    Still reading? Good. My brother picked this movie up for me on DVD, because he knows of my love of horror movies. My first thoughts as I inserted the disc was that it'd be a cheesy, laughable pile of 80's horror rubbish. So I was in for a pleasant surprise. If you can get past the initial presentation of the movie (it feels every bit as low-budget as it is), you'll find it to be creepy, intriguing, and above all, great fun. The puppets themselves could have been a whole lot worse. The effects are hardly Lord Of The Rings, but through a strange combination of live-action and extremely well-animated stop-motion, the puppets don't make you cringe every time they show up on screen. They're probably better actors than some of the live actors even, it's difficult to tell who's more wooden. But it's hardly a character-driven story. It's an unusual story nontheless, and it definitely interested me enough to watch it right through - and then pick up the first sequel!

    If you ever saw the movie Child's Play, with which comparisons are inevitable, you'll know already whether you can suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy a movie about killer puppets. If you can, and don't mind horrific 80's haircuts, I'd strongly suggest giving this one a rental, you could do a lot worse.

    More like this

    Puppet Master II
    5.3
    Puppet Master II
    Puppet Master III: La revanche de Toulon
    5.9
    Puppet Master III: La revanche de Toulon
    Puppet Master 4
    5.1
    Puppet Master 4
    Puppet Master 5
    4.8
    Puppet Master 5
    Puppet Master VI: Le retour des Puppet Master
    4.0
    Puppet Master VI: Le retour des Puppet Master
    Jouets démoniaques
    5.1
    Jouets démoniaques
    Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
    4.1
    Puppet Master: Axis of Evil
    Retro Puppet Master
    3.8
    Retro Puppet Master
    Dollman
    5.2
    Dollman
    Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich
    5.4
    Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich
    Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys
    3.9
    Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys
    Puppet Master X: Axis Rising
    3.8
    Puppet Master X: Axis Rising

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Pinhead's fists during the punching scenes are actually the fists of dwarf stunt woman Cindy Sorensen, who had to wear the same fingerless gloves and sweater sleeve to make it appear that it's the fist of Pinhead. Cindy cited the most difficult part of those scenes was to keep her head ducked the whole time while holding the Pinhead puppet on her shoulders and give off false punches at the same time.
    • Goofs
      (at around 10 mins) When Toulon puts Blade in the trunk, the hook is his right hand, while every other time it is his left, the knife being right. This shows that this shot was flipped.
    • Quotes

      Frank Forrester: Just a little bit of sauce and Dana can become quite the cynic.

      Dana Hadley: I am not a cynic, Frank! I like to think of myself as a nasty bitch.

    • Alternate versions
      The 1989 UK video version was cut by 3 secs by the BBFC to remove brief shots of a woman's breasts during the fantasy assault scene in the elevator. The shots were also missing from the Film 2000 DVD which featured the R-rated print.
    • Connections
      Edited into When Puppets and Dolls Attack! (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      La Chorrito
      by Pechula Chuppa

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    FAQ2

    • What are the differences between the R-Rated version and the Unrated Version?
    • Explain the timeline of the Puppet Master series.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1990 (Mexico)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Puppet Master I
    • Filming locations
      • Castle Green Apartments - 99 S. Raymond, Pasadena, California, USA(then Castle Green Hotel was the "Bodega Bay Inn" in the film)
    • Production companies
      • Full Moon Entertainment
      • Empire Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $600,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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