Puppetmaster (1989) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Freaky doll(s): Blade (not that Blade) , Jester, Pinhead (not that Pinhead), Tunneler, Leech Woman, Shredder Khan, and Gengie.
Where to start with the 15-film (and counting) Puppet Master series? Why, at the very beginning, of course, with the cult classic(-ish) original involving the titular puppet master André Toulon (William Hickey—Oscar-nominated, but not for this), who uses an Egyptian spell to animate all of his favorite dolls while being hunted by Nazis in 1939. He hides the dolls away, only for them to be rediscovered in 1989 by a group of psychics. The plot is confusing, and events sometimes feel a bit arbitrary, but the movie has loads of atmosphere, the designs are pretty fabulous, and the filmmakers imbue each of the main dolls with distinct personalities.
If you enjoy this one, decades worth of sequels, prequels, and seidequels await you. I’m not sure what put scary dolls in the zeitgeist in the late 1980s, but between this and Child’s Play, we had the beginnings of two of the longest-running franchises in movie history.
Where to stream: Shudder, Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Vudu, Redbox
