How many puppet master movies were made

Soon, a doll named Pinhead is taking out the psychic's one by one, finally revealing that Neil has been alive all along using Toulon's Egyptian secrets of alchemy to reanimate himself. However, he's dumb enough to cross the puppets and throw Jester at a chair. Those puppets stay together. Only Alex and Megan survive along with Dana's formerly taxidermied dog, which is now mysteriously back alive. Such a small debut for a series that would go on to so many more installments, right?

Even though they only have five minutes of screen time, people fell in love with the little guys. Strangely enough, most of the music in this movie comes from a movie Band produced that's also about bringing inanimate objects to life, Tourist Trap.

Coventry 29 December Throughout nearly three full decades of being a horror fanatic, I always deliberately avoided the films produced by Full Moon Entertainment, but a good friend kept confirming that the "Puppet Masters" cycle is worth viewing; - or at least the first three are. Open-minded person that I am, I watched the first and certainly didn't regret it! David Schmoeller's "Puppet Master" is an unpretentious yet unhinged B-video gem! William Hickey's role as Andre Toulon, the doll-maker, is incredibly brief but iconic.

He discovered a method to bring his wicked puppets to life, something to do with ancient Egyptians, and during the intro in we see how he hides his five evilest creations in the walls of a hotel room and shoots himself before a couple of Nazis can apprehend him. The film opens with a nice eerie score, and close up shots of various puppet parts that blur in and out, a nice sequence.

After the credits have rolled the film begins properly in a large hotel on the coast of California, a caption informs us 'Bodega bay '. Andre Toulon William Hickey is putting the finishing touches to the face of a puppet that takes the form of a jester.

Another Chinese looking puppet sits on the window ledge and observes two German assassins well, thats what their called in the closing credits anyway wearing long black coats get out of a car and head inside the busy hotel. Toulon packs his puppets into a large trunk and hides them in a secret compartment in the wall.

The two Germans knock at the door, Toulon sit down, puts a gun in his mouth and shoots, a large amount of blood splatters on the wall behind him. It's now the present day and the film introduces it's main characters, first we're off to Yale University to meet Alex Whittaker Paul Le Mat and experience one of his nightmarish visions. Then we cut to a funfair somewhere to meet a fortune teller, Dana Hadley Irene Miracle who currently makes a living by telling gullible teenagers their fortune from a crystal ball.

Finally it's New York, well we get an aerial shot of the statue of liberty so it must be, right? They are all summoned to the now closed Bodega bay hotel at the request of a friend Neil Gallagher Jammie F.

Skaggs , but when they arrive they discover he has committed suicide. However, before long Toulon's killer puppets, Blade, Tunneler, Leech Woman, Pin Head and Jester start to dramatically reduce the guest list in various gory ways.

Who will survive? Why were the psychics summoned there? And is everything really as it seems? Watch it and find out! The puppets are just plain cool, they have real charm and personality, even though occasionally they brutally murder people, but I'll forgive them!

For instance the scene where Blade is running along a corridor at the beginning, a woman spots him, throws her arms up in the air and screams. The film then cuts to Blade who mimics her actions almost exactly and runs away, in one of quite a few impressive stop motion animation sequences. In another scene Blade pulls a chair with his hook toward a door so he can look through the keyhole, inside he sees Frank and Carissa having kinky sex at which point his mouth opens and his eyes pop out, the scene is handled well, with no silly music or sound effects.

The effects for the most part are fairly impressive, considering the budget they did a fine job but it was never going to be able to rival CGI that costs millions. The violence and gore is OK, although for the most part it's fairly restrained, there's some sex and nudity in there as well. The entertaining script by Joseph G. Collodi keeps things moving, and tries to add a nice twist at the end which works for the most part. But I think he forgot about the housekeeper, you'll have to watch it to understand what I mean!

The main problem I had with the film was that it dragged a little in places, and the film could have elaborated on Toulon's past and why the Germans wanted him a bit more, plus how and why he created his killer puppets, but this is discussed in the sequels.

A fine, well made horror film with extremely likable puppet killers that at least tries to create some sort of story around them. I definitely recommend it to horror fans, much better than expected. Receiving a message from their dead friend, a group of psychics arrive at a deserted hotel for his funeral find themselves struggling to stay alive when a group of puppets he brought to life are killing them off one-by-one and must find a way to stop him.

For the most part this was an enjoyable if slightly problematic effort at times. The most impressive feature here is obviously the special effects used for the puppets as they all seem to move and look quite realistically, regardless of the creation method being obviously stop-motion. It's almost impossible to see strings used to move them, and this makes them appear quite lifelike. The attention to detail in their personality is also quite refreshing to see, and each one is quite distinctive from the others through a wide range of different techniques with a specific personality that comes across quite easily.

Also nice to see was that all of the puppets seem to share equal screen time and each one gets to cause some serious havoc in their own right as all of them are capable for at least one death, which is a rather nice idea. Another good point is that the few attacks are well- handled, starting with the scene where a character is blindfolded and bound in bed, thinking their companion is sexually stimulating them when it's one of the dolls vomiting forth leeches which burrow into the skin.

There's a standout sequence where one character is attacked in the elevator, overcomes it only to find a second doll coming after her which chases them and eventually tries to break in providing some decent shocks. Along with the great finale that gets the retribution down nicely, there's some fun here when it had to be though there was a lot to be left desired. The biggest one is that the film takes too long to really get going and when it does, it doesn't really deliver as expected since there's little else on show.

There is a long time before the rampage starts, but they come very late in the movie where so much of this is spent on other areas that hold this part of the film back considerably in other issues as the group wandering around the hotel and how they keep themselves busy waiting for the funeral to get started. The motivation behind the villain is also kind of weird, as he could have resurrected himself quietly and no one would have been none the wiser trying to figure out how he could've performed the rite on himself.

It's also the source of a big continuity error that is very hard to shake off. Since the magic only affects non-living tissue, then he couldn't have performed it prior to his own suicide. And obviously he couldn't have performed the Rite after he was already dead, yet it's never explained how that transpired. While it's not quite the masterpiece that many say it is, it has enough moments where a great film is trying to come through to make it watchable enough.

Half a century after puppet master Andre Toulon kills himself in a hotel rather than the prospect of his serum that gives life to inanimate objects falls into the hands of evil Nazis, a group of physics are invited to the aforementioned hotel where they're victimized by animate puppets. This is the film that put Full Moon on the map and for good reason.

One of the main gripes that i've heard about it throughout the years is that it's needlessly slow which i didn't find to be the case that badly, even though it does plod at times.

Wuchakk 5 May However, their colleague has committed suicide and puppets animated by Egyptian sorcery are intent on killing them off one-by-one. This was the first of a franchise that includes a dozen sequels as of this writing , which is one more than the Friday the 13th franchise.

While decidedly Grade B in quality, I liked the grand ol' hotel setting, the cast, and the Ten Little Indians-like plot. Unfortunately, the first half hour feels lethargic and dull.

From there, the film's decent enough with quality puppet effects. Paul Le Mat is genial as the main male protagonist with frightful hair while Jimmie F.

Skaggs is formidable as the colleague gone mad. Hall, Schmoeller and J. Just recently was able to view this film after taping it in the wee hours of the AM. If you love horror, gore and some very kinky things going on in a very old Hotel, this is the film for YOU!

The story starts out in and the photography was fantastic, showing the old furniture and decorations and attire that people wore in The master puppet creator is shown making his creations and he hides them in a secret panel in his hotel room.

The puppet master performs magic with these wooden creatures and soon some gangster like men appear at his hotel room door. The film progresses forward to New York and some very high class colleges professors and ladies of magic meet once again at this old hotel. Lots of things start to happen and there is even a bed scene where arms are tied to the bed posts and it seems to get the puppets all angry and upset.

This is a great Horror film and very worth watching. 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. Soon after "Dolls and Child 's Play came this early and very first Full Moon effort on the killer doll theme that for a bare budget project is professionally catered, but nothing too surprising.

It's a film you thought more would come of it, but it did become a popular cult item that managed to spawn numerous sequels.

The film has a crisp, polished look and a creatively charming collection of puppets by David Allen, but for a story that bases itself on the whole mystery angle it's too skimpy and does too little by stringing along one set-piece after another to show off some unpleasant and outlandish deaths.

We're left with too many avenues which are brought up, and never expanded on clearly enough. Although the sequels would go on to do so.

Director David Schmoeller's able craftsmanship rightfully lets the dolls leave an impression, and in doing so effectively projects the suspenseful attack scenes with full-blooded shocks. Some sequences and imagery are eerie and sinisterly warped, and there's an odd kinky tone in the plot, but the slow pace doesn't help. It didn't need to be lightening fast, but some tighter handling would've worked well amongst the vivid Gothic atmosphere that the grand creaky seaside hotel bestows.

Leading the way and probably most memorable thing about this feature is Richard Brands' boundless, titillating music score that playfully sets-up the strange, dreamy air that smothers the foundation. The dolls work in stop motion animation, stunt puppets, and rod puppet designs that surprisingly come off very well.

Performances are fairly interesting and lift up material, with some recognizable names in Paul LeMat, William Hickey and Irene Miracle who illustrates a fun bitchy turn. Also Barbara Crampton appears in a delightful cameo. Directed by David Schmoeller, the first movie start off in at a hotel at Bodega Bay, CA where the puppet master himself, Andre Toulon William Hickey who commit suicide to escape being captured by Nazi spies for his knowledge of reanimation dead people and putting their souls into his puppets.

Bodega Bay will be used for the settings for a lot of the Puppet Master movies. The actor that play Andre will most likely be remember to most people as Uncle Lewis from 's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Anyways cut to , where a bunch of psychics are invited by a former colleague, Neil Gallagher. Jimmie Skaggs who they believe has been sending them visions of the future. Only to find that Neil Gallagher shot himself and they have come upon his funeral.

If they were really psychics, how on earth did they not see that Neil killed himself? They must have not been the best of their trade. The first 40 minutes dragged on without any puppets on screen. Finally all of the psychics are attacked or killed by the puppets that remain at the hotel. Only two of them will find the connection between Andre Toulon's puppets and what happen to Neil Gallagher.

Without giving away too much of the mess of a plot, the film is a bit confusing and made absolutely no sense. I watch it, a number of times, and it still doesn't. It didn't explain enough in the film, to the point, I have to guess just to fill in the blanks on the plot holes. Metaphysically speaking Neil killed himself. Okay that really tells us a lot about why there's puppets running around the hotel killing people.

What did the new puppet master had against his own friends and quickly turn against his puppets? Votes: 4, The most epic, expensive and tightly plotted film in the series made during Full Moon's collaboration with Paramount. It's a deadpan tragic revenge story and the first of many prequels.

This is the most serious film in the series, delving into the romantic subplot of Andre Toulon and his wife Elsa. R 88 min Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi. The puppets return and hunt paranormal researchers in an attempt to take their brain fluid for their master, Andre Toulon. Votes: 5, Featuring some of the best FX because it's directed by an FX director, but the drama plays like a lot of bland soap opera. It's saved by the gothic tone of the horror sequences and the supremely entertaining villains including the first major use of Andre Toulon.

The puppets battle their most powerful enemy yet as they protect their new master from the demon God that created the Secret of Life. Votes: 2, It's a simple slasher like Pt2 but way more exciting. Not Rated 88 min Comedy, Fantasy, Horror. A group of toymakers seek to use Andre Toulon's formula, now in the hands of Toulon's great-nephew Robert, to give life to a line of killer toys that they plan to unleash on Christmas Eve.

While cheap, it's better cast, made and written than later Full Moon films. R 79 min Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi. A young scientist and his friends, upon being attacked by demons, are protected by a gang of animated puppets. It's well produced and directed for the series but it's essentially an inferior copy of the original. Still watchable with memorable moments. From this point on, the films are marketed as teen slashers. PG 80 min Adventure, Fantasy, Horror.

In the late nineteenth century, an Ancient Egyptian sorcerer discovers the art of transferring the souls of the dead into inanimate objects. It's slow, full of filler but watchable and creative for such a cheapie.

More enjoyable if you dig the mythology of the franchise. Rolfe reprised the role of Toulon for three additional films before his death in , after which he posthumously appeared in Puppet Master: The Legacy through extensive use of archival footage. In Full Moon began shooting another two sequels simultaneously, Puppet Master 4: The Demon and Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter , the latter which, as the title indicates, was intended to be the final installment of the series.

After the release of The Final Chapter in September , Full Moon opted to retire Puppet Master and announced that a spin-off trilogy titled " Puppet Wars " was to be started in The spin-off trilogy was cancelled leaving the series to continue its legacy through merchandising and a growing cult following.

Due to demand from video retailers for a new installment of the series, four years after its retirement the Puppet Master franchise was promptly revived by the production of a sixth entry, Curse of the Puppet Master , in This was the first installment not to have David W. Allen involved with special effects. As by this time Paramount had ended its deal with Full Moon, to conserve costs the film was put together using using a combination of rod and string puppets, as well as archival footage.

In September of the following year, a Puppet Master spin-off featuring the Totems of the fourth installment was released, titled Totem , and that October, a second prequel taking place at an even earlier time than Toulon's Revenge was released, titled Retro-Puppetmaster.

This entry was an anomaly to the series, in that the main theme composed by Richard Band, brother of Full Moon's Charles Band, was completely absent, and it with its PG rating, Retro-Puppetmaster was the first film in the series not to be rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. The original idea for the seventh installment of the series was to take place following Toulon's Revenge , with Toulon and his puppets escaping Germany by train, after which they are confronted by Nazis and demons.

This idea was abandoned because the Kushner Locke Company thought it would offend the German audience, but it will form the basis for the ninth installment of the series, Puppet Master 9: Axis of Evil. Four days later on June 16, the first update was made available, verifying the film's roster of puppets to be included, as well as the principal cast members, Levi Fiehler and Jerry Hoffman. An eighth entry, Puppet Master: The Legacy , was released in , however only a fraction of the film contains original footage; the remainder is archival footage used to summarize the series thus far.

The same year, a crossover film featuring the animated playthings of Full Moon's Puppet Master and Demonic Toys series aired on Sci Fi Channel, however neither Full Moon nor Charles Band had any involvement in its production although the usual Puppet Master screenwriters are credited with penning its script.

As such, the puppets used in Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys are all noticeably replicas produced for the film. In , Charles Band alluded to a possible Puppet Master television series, called Puppet Wars see left for promotional artwork , and expressed interest in seeing a video game adaptation of the franchise developed.

In June , Band announced that a tenth installment of the series is planned, tentatively subtitled Axis of Evil. Similarly, the original film was reissued by Razor Digital in in DualDisc format, featuring both standard and stereoscopic versions. The Puppet Master series is a confusing one, as each installment not created in chronological order, and the events of Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge are dated inaccurately.