And back again - well not in the Nazi Reich anymore that is. Which was the previous entry. Don't be dissapointed or excited yet - we'll get back there, if you hang and watch on that is. Because there are a couple of those movies still to come. It's interesting that someone wrote in one of the series reviews that most of them are not connected.I mean you can watch them without any prior knowledge (though you do have the one that kind of has the first 10 minutes retelling the previous one, and I think it's number 5 in the series that does that).. I don't find that to be entirely true. You get kind of the same puppets (at least until number 7) with a few additions here and there. Here you also have evil puppets from beyond ... whatever that means to you. They have some sort of plan, but I couldn't spoil it to you, even if I wanted to.

If there's one thing to be said for Charles Band's long-running horror- franchise "Puppet Master", it's that it is a franchise that has proved to have a high degree of staying power, lasting near three decades thus far and with no signs of slowing down. Even now, there's talk of not only another sequel to the original franchise, but even a full- fledged theatrical reboot to the sometimes beloved series.Of course, the series has needed to change with the times to remain culturally relevant, and in no place is that more apparent than in 1993's "Puppet Master 4." (Also known as "Puppet Master 4: The Demon.) It's an entry to symbolizes a lot of change for the overall story, both in subverting expectations and also finally taking the steps to update and modernize the overall franchise by injecting it with that grand old 90's cheese that so many now nostalgically look back on with a big grin.It's also the first entry in the series to toy with the idea of the killer puppets being full-blown "heroes" in their own film. Whereas they typically had been previously portrayed as villainous and murderous (or at best as anti-heroes out for revenge at the call of their master as was the case in the third film), here they are finally at the hands of a decent master with no dark or selfish motivations who is merely seeking to survive and uses the puppets for good. It's a nice, refreshing change of pace... especially as it fulfills the typical audience desire to see the "villains" win (at least a little bit) without making us directly route for them to do terrible things.We follow Rick Myers, a caretaker at the Bodega Bay Inn who also happens to be working in a research project to create artificial intelligence. (90's Alert! Techno babble and bad 90's computer programming scenes imminent!) However, as the project is getting dangerously close to discovering the secret to life that had previously been found by the Puppet Master Andre Toulon, the demon lord Sutekh sends a group of evil diminutive "totems" to kill all involved. Once Rick and his friends discover Toulon's puppets, they are forced to bring them to life to battle this new threat! And they will also finally have to animate Toulon's hidden incomplete masterpiece of a puppet "Decapitron" in order to survive...Part of the fun of this entry is the subversion in finally making the puppets the good-guys, thus allowing a sort-of full-on "war" between two miniature factions. It supplies for a lot of fun moments and creative sequences. Our cast of human characters are also reasonably good leads for a low-budget horror feature, and you care just enough about them to keep you invested in the human drama. (Even if there are some clichés that will make you groan, like the "hot chick in glasses" scientist. Ugh.) There's also a lot of fun to be had looking back on it in that nostalgic "time capsule" way. This is very much the product of its time, with cheesy 90's style, cheesy 90's dialog and cheesy 90's effects running rampant. It's quite charming as a result, especially for those who grew up in that decade.That being said, this is a very uneven film and it does suffer quite a bit for its faults. Many aspects of the story are dated to the point of going beyond the nostalgic charm. The pacing is all out of whack. Certain major elements seem out of left field. And it all does feel just a bit silly, even for a "Puppet Master" sequel.Still, there's plenty of fun to be had. The series was never anything more than trashy, goofy B-movies with some blood and boobs and creepy puppets... And you certainly get that here for the most part.So I'm giving it a middle-of-the-road 6 out of 10. If you're a series fan, a Charles Band fan, or just a B-movie fanatic like me, you'll get your money's worth.

A young scientist (Gordon Currie) and his friends, upon being attacked by demons, are protected by a gang of animated puppets.On Super Bowl Sunday 1993, Charlie Band called director Jeff Burr and asked him to come in for a meeting. Burr had previously worked on Band's "The Vault", but the film never came out. At this meeting, Burr was offered parts 4 and 5 for "Puppet Master" and two parts of "Oblivion". At this time, Full Moon was largely backed financially by Paramount.Someone concerned with the continuity points out: In "Toulon's Revenge", Andre Toulon escaped Berlin somewhere between 1942 and 1944. Toulon committed suicide on March 15, and the film mentioned the Eastern Front, whose conduct of operations didn't take place until summer of 1941. In this film, Toulon's diary recounts Major Krauss's death as being on April 7. Since in previously established timelines, Toulon made it to America almost one year after escaping, Toulon would have to had killed himself on March 15 either in 1943 up to 1945.Who is this concerned? "Puppet Master" may be one of the worst horror franchises out there. Possibly not the very worst, because "Hellraiser" (for example) has really gone downhill to low, low depths. But really, this is Charles Band cheese, luckily saved by Jeff Burr, one of the best directors in the genre.The film is not all bad. The casting is strange and the acting is poor, but the effects are decent. Not great, as they never are in the series, but the introduction of the demons is nice and they're way better than any of the puppets. Apparently Burr had only limited impact on the casting, as he wanted Judy Geeson for a role but Charlie Band overruled him and handpicked his own actress.If you love movies, especially these lower budget movies, pick up this disc with Jeff Burr's audio commentary. Burr really needs to write an autobiography, as his memory is incredible and he is an excellent storyteller. He finds a way to fit 200 minutes worth of discussion into a less-than-90 minute film. His reflections on Albert Band and puppetry and everything else are priceless.

I though that PM4 and 5 were the best of the series. the puppets are fighting the Totems, minions of Sutek, who want the secret Toulon stole from him back. To help the Puppets, a new one, Decapitron (originally an idea for an unmade Empire Pictures filck) is made. This has always been my favorite Full Moon flick, and I love part V. Keep up the work Mr. Band. As usual, the video contains an excellent videozone, and the video itself was distributed by Paramount. A Puppet Master Box Set was released in 2000 by Full Moon, but was quickly recalled by Paramount because they still claimed the rights to these films. Paramount needs to stop being an ass and let Mr. Band release all of his great films through Full Moon, not the Paramount "Full Screen Collection". Bless Full Moon.