Puppet Master

(1989)**1/2

For a B-movie this one has a rather complicated plot that I'm going to attempt to simplify. The film begins in 1939 where puppeteer Andre Toulon is putting the final touches on his latest creation, another creepy-ass puppet for his collection. As he's working one of his other puppets, looking out the window, sees two Nazis arrive with guns in hand. The puppet warns Andre, but Andre already appears to realize that his destiny has been sealed. Putting away all his puppets and tucking them into a secret closet, he sits down, pulls out a gun, and kills himself.

We are then informed that it's "Present day", which means 1989. Neil Gallagher has discovered Andre's secret to giving life to puppets, a special serum, which he injects himself with before the evil puppets ultimately do him in. Soon after, a group of psychics receive a telepathic communication from Neil to go to the Inn where he is residing. When they arrive they learn that Neil was already dead when he contacted them. Huh? He summoned them from beyond the grave because the serum he took keeps him "alive", sort of. Yeah, I know, it's totally confusing. Once at the Inn all of Andre's puppets come to life and start murdering everyone. God, that was hard to write. The plot is so much more involved.

Okay, so here's the deal. There's some good stop-motion animation, the puppets are really cool, there's some nudity, and there's enough gore to warrant the R –rating. The downside? The puppets don't really start doing their thing until almost an hour into the damn story! The first chunk of the film moves at a glacial pace. I mean, with a movie called Puppet Master you'd think that the puppets would be running amok in every scene. Sadly this is not the case. I'm not sure what the 9 (!) sequels are like but if they're anything like the Leprechaun series I'm sure the puppets are having a tea party and discussing politics by time we get to the opening scene of the final sequel.

Some of the puppets are pretty damn cool,