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Meet Toulon’s Killer Puppets from ‘Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich’!

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From the earliest glimpses of the S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk) penned screenplay of Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (read my review), it was clear this was not going to be anything like the puppets we thought we knew. In this reboot, Andre Toulon wasn’t fleeing Nazi-controlled Germany, but was a Nazi. As such, his beloved puppet creations reflect that. They’re ruthless, bloodthirsty, and offensive. And there’s so, so many.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is arriving today on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K, bringing home the bloodiest, most bonkers horror movie of the year. Starring Thomas Lennon, Barbara Crampton, Udo Kier, Michael Paré, Jenny Pellicer, and Skeeta Jenkins, with a great score by Fabio Frizzi, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is a definitive crowd pleaser. These puppets aim to offend and maim, and the kills are over the top gory. In celebration of the official release, it’s time to meet the puppets!


Blade

The trusty ringleader of Toulon’s puppets returns for this reboot with a new makeover. Still Toulon’s number one creation, this fan favorite puppet has hands that pop apart for quick draw of the trademark hook and knife. His face a bit gaunter and greyer, frozen in a frown, and is a lot less upbeat than his seemingly friendly Full Moon counterpart, and a lot more vicious. This iteration of Blade is often sporting a Nazi armband. He’s definitely not your friend.


Skull Blade

The most popular of toys tend to get variants, and Toulon’s most popular puppet is the perfect example. Though the weaponry, outfit, and modus operandi are all the same, this version of Blade has one major difference; his head is a skull. It’s a pretty cool look. For a Nazi puppet anyway.


Pinhead

The enforcer of the puppet team, Pinhead is monstrous in size with a tiny, scarred head. His fingerless gloved hands are often used for ripping apart his victims, and his pint-size contradicts the sheer strength he employs. Like his pal Blade, Pinhead also has many variants that can be spotted throughout Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich.


Tunneler

For nostalgic fans of the original Full Moon series, take comfort with this version of Tunneler. Save for an all-black outfit and more angular facial features, this puppet is pretty much just like the puppet you remembered. He still uses his dome topped drill to tear into his victims, but this Tunneler also tunnels through walls and ceilings. In other words, not much can stop this Tunneler. But for fans hoping for a more drastic design departure, keep an eye out for some very, very interesting variants on Tunneler, too.


Kaiser

Known as Torch in the Full Moon series, Kaiser has a metal head shaped like a German Stahlhelm helmet with a big spike in the middle. Kaiser bears a flamethrower in lieu of his right hand, and his eyes glow red. This little military monster also has uniform variants in the film. His long-range weaponry and scary appearance make Kaiser one puppet you never want to cross paths with.


Amphibian

Leech Woman is missing from this reboot, but Amphibian might be a decent substitute. The most innocent looking puppet of the bunch, Amphibian looks like a happy frog going out for a party with his cute party hat, red shoes, and bow tie. This dapper puppet has a killer instinct that matches his fashion sense, though. Amphibian opens his mouth and spits out deadly projectiles before reveling in his kill.


Autogyro

Toulon’s evil twist to the autogiro flight craft meant a deadly puppet with far more mobility than he should ever have. Robotic in appearance but with flight skids for legs, Autogyro has a flying propeller for a hand. This means that not only can this puppet whiz through the air, but he can use that propeller as a weapon. If there was a victim tally for team Toulon, Autogyro might rank near the top of the list.


Junior Fuhrer

This doll has the body of a diaper wearing baby but the face of Adolf Hitler, with glowing blue eyes. Like the demagogue it was modeled after, Junior Fuhrer’s kill tactics are based on its ability to control those around him. Just because this doll looks and moves like a baby doesn’t mean it’s incapable of inflicting unimaginable pain. Junior Fuhrer unleashes one of the most devastating and humorously gruesome kills in the entire film.


Money Lender

Ladies and gentleman, may I present you with the film’s most offensive puppet of all; Money Lender. Toulon created this propaganda puppet to perform on stage with Blade to poke fun at the Jewish community. Sporting a kippah with a large nose, tiny glasses, beard, and pointy teeth, Money Lender lands the film’s most controversial, twisted kill of the entire film to ensure his offensive nature matches his appearance.


Mr. Pumper

Considering resources were scarce during the war, and children were taught to preserve natural resources in Germany, Toulon’s creation of this anthropomorphic petrol pump appears to be a demented play on that. With a hollow head, accordion torso, and faucet for a nose, Mr. Pumper extracts his victims’ “natural resources” with gleeful abandon.


Mechaniker

This little robotic puppet on wheels is perhaps the tiniest of the Littlest Reich, but should not be underestimated. A mechanical fighting puppet that Toulon designed specifically for boys, Mechaniker is crafted from repurposed war materials. Some of Mechaniker’s pieces have been found to exhibit British and American markings, meaning that Toulon likely crafted this puppet from fallen Allied tanks and aircraft. This means that Mechaniker is far studier and tougher than most of Toulon’s puppets.


Grashüpfer

Rivaling Amphibian in cuteness, Grashüpfer is an insect puppet sporting a purple tuxedo that complements his green color scheme. But similar to Amphibian, this puppet’s cuteness belies its lust for blood. Like the insect its design is based on, this puppet has a penchant for jumping and chewing, but with very deadly implications.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon, SeriesFest, and Popcorn Frights Film Fest.

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Five of the Worst Night Shifts in Horror Movies

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Sam Raimi struggles on the night shift in Intruder

A luxury team-building trip descends into a bloody fight for survival against a vengeful retreat leader in Corporate Retreat, out today in theaters. It’s the latest entry in a cathartic subgenre of workplace horror that examines every harrowing aspect of job employment.

No job is safe from horror, either, from babysitting to even the most white-collar gigs. But if you work an overnight shift? All bets are off. Vengeful co-workers and bosses aside, the night shift is likely to come armed with witches, creatures, demons, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Even deadly outbreaks. 

Corporate Retreat, along with these five horror movies centered around some of the worst night shifts, will make you glad the weekend has finally arrived.


The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Passenger director André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the bizarre mysteries contained within the body of an unidentified young woman during an unexpected night shift. Well-executed scares, clever twists, and earnest performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch give this supernatural haunter serious heft. While the narrative bides its time unveiling the truth behind Jane Doe’s battered body, it’s heavily steeped in witchcraft. In other words, The Autopsy of Jane Doe presents a new take on the subgenre. More importantly, it’s seriously scary.


Cold Storage

Cold Storage

COLD STORAGE, StudioCanal 2023

A lethal, mutated fungus breaks free from confinement deep within the bowels of a storage facility. At the frontlines of the madness are Teacake (Stranger Things’ Joe Keery) and Naomi (Barbarian‘s Georgina Campbell), two employees thrust into the middle of the chaos when they investigate an alarm beeping somewhere deep within the building. Director Jonny Campbell (Netflix’s Dracula), working from a script by David Koepp based on his novel, helms the goopy madness with workman efficiency. This lighthearted, goopy horror comedy romp makes the deadly night shift a bit more bearable.


Graveyard Shift

Graveyard Shift follows new hire Hall (David Andrews) tasked by his mean boss Warwick (Stephen Macht) to assist with the insane rat infestation beneath their mill. They find something much most monstrous as the cause. Though the film was panned, it’s a fun creature feature with an always welcome appearance by Brad Dourif as the intensely eccentric exterminator. The film also opts for a happier ending, whereas (spoiler), the story sees both Hall and Warwick getting devoured by the mutated rats, the crew in the upstairs mill none the wiser.


Last Shift

last shift welcome villain films

‘Last Shift’

Rookie Officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) has been assigned to watch over a closing precinct on its final night of operationalone. With nearly everything already moved over to the new station, including rerouted 911 calls, it should be a pretty quiet night as she waits for a Hazmat team to arrive to remove biohazardous waste. Instead, it becomes a waking nightmare as she’s forced to deal with unsettling visitors. Last Shift, co-written by Scott Poiley and director Anthony DiBlasi, brings the scares.


Intruder

The overnight stock crew of a local grocery store finds themselves falling victim to an unseen killer in this highly infectious late ‘80s slasher. The deaths are delightfully gruesome and inventive; look for this killer to make excellent use of grocery store items as weapons. Frequent Raimi collaborator Scott Spiegel directed this bloody slasher, which means a lot of overlap with the Evil Dead II. That means putting Sam Raimi in front of the camera for a change, along with Ted Raimi and Evil Dead II’s Dan Hicks. Look for a cameo by Bruce Campbell as well! 


Corporate Retreat releases in theaters today; get tickets now.

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