Death by Puppet: A ‘Puppet Master’ Series Retrospective
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From the late ‘80s to the early ‘90s, killer dolls were a trend in horror that I couldn’t get enough of. From Dolls, Childs Play, and even Dolly Dearest, I enjoyed them all to varying degrees. Which meant that Puppet Master, with its trunk full of evil puppets on the cover box, was an instant rental growing up. Like most in its sub-genre, the true stars of the film were the creepy, yet somehow endearing cast of killer puppets that spawned a very lengthy franchise; the ever so cool Blade, the terrifying Leech Woman, the sweet Jester, the brawny Pinhead, and deadly Tunneler. While other puppets would be brought into the fold, these five became the face of the franchise that propelled Charles Band’s Full Moon Productions into success after his previous film studio, Empire Pictures, collapsed.
Intended for theatrical release, Band realized Puppet Master would likely be more profitable with a straight-to-video release, an instinct that proved correct as it became massively popular on the home video market. The little indie film that could develope a huge cult following, and with an insane amount of merchandise, 10 sequels, a crossover with another Full Moon Entertaining series, and a reboot in the works.
As the series progressed, continuity was ignored and the timeline became muddied as the films jumped around in the increasingly complex narrative of puppet master Andre Toulon’s long history with Egyptian reanimation elixirs, his connection with his puppets, and his antagonist relationship with Nazis. None of that really matters though, because the reason fans return again and again is for the puppets. From villain to heroes, the murderous yet loyal puppets of Toulon’s are the most entertaining underdogs of horror. While we’re still eagerly awaiting Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, we look back at the extensive history of the Puppet Master franchise:
Puppet Master
The 1989 film that started it all; our introduction to the Bodega Bay Inn, our first meeting with the killer puppets, and a startling introduction to Andre Toulon in 1939 with the Nazis closing in. Though the rest of the film focuses on a group of psychics gathered together at the inn for the death of their friend Neil Gallagher, Toulon’s brief opening scene would ultimately provide the backbone of the franchise as the series’ hero. The featured puppets of Blade, Jester, Pinhead, Tunneler, and Leech Woman ruthlessly killed the unwitting psychics, but it set the tone that whether the puppets were good or bad ultimately depending on their master. In this instance, it meant the selfish and vengeful Gallagher, that stumbled upon Toulon’s secrets before death. Puppet Master also marked a notable cameo by Barbara Crampton, who is set to return to the series with a larger role in Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich.
Puppet Master II: His Unholy Creation
Released a year later, the first sequel also tends to remain at the top of the pack in terms of audience favorite. Picking up some time after the events of Puppet Master, where the film’s protagonist has since been committed to an asylum, this sequel follows the formula laid out before it. A new group of arrives to the Bodega Bay Inn, this time to investigate the events of the preceding films, before getting picked off one by one by the puppets. It also brings about the introduction to life-sized mannequins, which is sadly never again brought up again in the franchise. Blade, Jester, Pinhead, Tunneler, and Leech Woman all returned, and the sequel marked the introduction to Torch, a stylish killer with a flame-thrower for one arm. As cool as Torch is, especially his kill of a child that played too rough, he’s a puppet that didn’t return to the series very often.
Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge
The third entry, released in 1991, finally leaves the Bodega Bay Inn to travel back to 1941, during a World War II Berlin (never mind that this contradicts the opening scene in Puppet Master). It follows Andres Toulon’s satirical puppet show, which catches the attention of the Nazis, who then becomes obsessed with obtaining Toulon’s puppet animation secret. It erases the villainy of Toulon from the previous film, and gives more meaning behind Leech Woman- she’s injected with the essence of Toulon’s lost wife Elsa. This marks the first-time actor Guy Rolfe takes over as Andre Toulon, bringing with him an endless well of empathy. The core five puppets return, and Torch is swapped out for new puppet Six Shooter.
Puppet Master 4: The Demon
This 1993 sequel brings us back to the Bodega Bay Inn, for the silliest entry yet that’s pure ‘90s horror. If you don’t believe me, then see the scene where Tunneler and Pinhead play laser tag with their newest puppet master, Rick. Andres Toulon returns as a sort of Obi-Wan figure, guiding his puppets to accept a new master, and Rick in embracing the puppets and in overthrowing Sutekh’s demons. Who’s Sutekh? An angry demon from Hell that wants his stolen secrets back from Toulon. This marks the first sequel that doesn’t include Leech Woman among the core puppets, Six Shooter taking her place instead. The powerful new puppet introduced is terribly named Decapitron, who’s namesake comes from his interchanging heads.
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter
The original intended ending to the franchise is a direct sequel to Puppet Master 4: The Demon, continuing Rick’s story as new puppet master. The surviving humans return, as does the demon Sutekh and his henchmen of cool Totem puppets. Though the lineup of good guy puppets is mostly the same, right down to the save-the-day Decapitron appearances, part 5 does mark the return of Torch. While cool, it does point out the weird continuity gaps the series tends to be fond of. Where was Torch during the events of the previous film? Once again, when a series is this fun, does it ultimately matter? Alas, being that this film was meant to conclude the series (and obviously didn’t), it does mark the end of the series as we know it. None really lived up to what we loved about the first five past this point.
Curse of the Puppet Master
With a few years between the “final” installment and this new sequel begins the franchise anew, forgetting almost everything that came before. Gone is the Bodega Bay Inn, and the puppet’s new master Rick. I don’t think the film even makes mention of Toulon himself. Instead, the puppets we know and love have been transported to a doll museum in some little town. Their new master is the terrible Dr. Magrew (who?). While Leech Woman returns to her rank among Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler, and Six Shooter, the puppets wind up playing second string to their own film in favor of a weird love triangle. It’s a terrible low in the series that can be ignored and avoided.
Retro Puppet Master
Are you a fan of midnight movie favorite The Room? The perhaps this Puppet Master sequel is for you, as it stars Greg Sestero as a young Andre Toulon. Framed as a sort of bedtime story that Andre Toulon (reprised by the great Guy Rolfe) tells his puppets of his very first batch of puppets, where he first learns of the secrets of life. So, while the core lineup was seen in the bookend story, most of the film is spent with a retro, wooden batch of puppets. Six Shooter, Blade, Pinhead, and Tunneler all had retro counterparts, and the film introduced retro puppets Doctor Death and Cyclops. This sequel is an improvement over the last sequel, but that’s not saying much. Continuity has always been super weird with this series, but if someone can explain why young Toulon (Sestero) suddenly developed a terrible French accent, I’m all ears.
Puppet Master: The Legacy
There’s no other explanation for this bizarre sequel other than perhaps an attempt to streamline the entire series into something more coherent and linear. Which is a super nice way of saying this sequel spends a lot of time on archival footage of previous films in attempt to link them all together in a fashion more befitting of a series that honors continuity, which this one doesn’t. The story is irrelevant this time, because it’s nearly all footage you’ve already seen with a small, maybe 10 minutes’ worth of new footage. I suppose if you need a not so great summary of the series, instead of watching them, you could start here.
Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys
This made for TV movie isn’t considered canon, but it is a vast improvement over The Legacy. Crossing over Puppet Master with other Full Moon film Demonic Toys, which was written by David S. Goyer (yes, the same one behind Batman Begins), Corey Feldman stars as Andre Toulon’s great-great-grandnephew Robert. Making for a horror-filled holiday movie set over Christmas, Robert becomes the new puppet master, and his good puppets are pitted against the demonic toys for one big rumble in the toy box. It’s total cheese, but it’s far more fun than the previous two entries. Which I suppose isn’t saying much.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil and Puppet Master X: Axis Rising
These two prequel-sequels were released back to back, and are essentially just two halves of a whole. While Axis of Evil begins the tale of Toulon’s puppets versus Nazis, and an introduction to new puppet Ninja, Axis Rising brings Nazi puppets into the fold. So, think of this as the canon take on Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys. The battle of the plastic weight main event. The showdown ends how you expect, save for one little cliffhanger that leaves the door open…
Puppet Master: Axis Termination
The Axis trilogy comes to an end with yet another round of puppets versus Nazis and their evil Nazi puppets. It’s the first film of the franchise to have been crowdfunded, and as such Six Shooter was written into the script once the crowdfunding reached a certain level of donations. Blade’s hook hand was swapped out for a green filled syringe in homage to Re-Animator. Hyper-colorful, Axis Termination doesn’t look a lot like its predecessors, but from a story level, it’s more of what the previous two films offered. The series has come a long way from its origin, growing campier in its journey. Puppet versus puppet action is fun to a certain extent, but I can’t help but miss the tone of the original few films.
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich
Between directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund (Wither), and a screenplay by S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99), this upcoming reboot promises to be downright brutal. Which sounds utterly fantastic. I miss the creep factor of the first film, and the more earnest approach to the little iconic, murderous puppets. The little glimpses revealed so far have hinted at a dramatically different Blade and Tunneler, as well as new puppets. I’m ok with this. I’m ready for a shakeup. As a fan who grew up with these films, there’s a level of nostalgia that keeps me attached, even when I’ve outgrown the direction they’ve taken. I can’t wait to see where this takes the puppets next.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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