I love most of the Puppet Master films, especially the original five, but Puppet Master II (also known as Puppet Master II: His Unholy Creations) is definitely my favourite. It is often a tie between the first film and this one and the first one for me, and although I love them both, I think I like this one a little better.
The film has a relatively creepy and unsettling vibe to it that neither the original Puppet Master nor the ones that followed ever seemed to portray. Right away, the film starts of creepily as we see the famous Toulon Puppets walking about in a scary old cemetery in the middle of the night. They use the last of the elixir which gives them life to reanimate their old master, Andre' Toulon (this time, for the most part, played excellently by Steve Welles). Even before the opening credits we're treated to the creepy undead arms of Toulon emerging from his grave. Honestly, this used to give me nightmares as a kid.
Then we're introduced to our main characters, paranormal investigators who have arrived at the Bodega Bay Inn to document anything paranormal after hearing Alex Whitaker's bizarre tale. The main lead here is a young woman named Carolyn (Elizabeth Maclellan). After her brother is murdered by Tunneler, she is joined by Michael (Collin Bernsen), whose mother has also been killed by the puppets. They also meet a man named Eriquee Chanee', whose face is bandaged and who claims to be the owner of the hotel. However, it is soon discovered that the mysterious Eriquee is really Toulon, who (since being revived by the puppets) has turned overly evil and has been ordering his puppets to kill innocents in order to extract their brain fluid so he can transfer his soul into a mannequin doll. He also becomes obsessed with Carolyn, who he believes to be the reincarnation of his beloved wife, Elsa, who was murdered during WWII by the Nazis. What ensures is absolute creepy craziness, and comes to a head during an especially creepy finale in which Toulon's soul transfers into the scary-looking mannequin (Michael Todd).
Puppet Master II is a fantastic film that is so much fun to watch during those late stormy nights. I love all the homages it pays to classical horror films, such as The Invisible Man. Many of my friends and fellow horror fanatics who love the Puppet Master series have always noted the second as "too creepy and weird" for them to enjoy. While this is true to some extent, I think the overall weirdness and creepiness is what makes it one of the more enjoyable entries in the franchise. It's interesting though how after this film, the puppets were often shown as gentle and kind as opposed to their murderous ways as seen in this film and the first. Puppet Master 4 and 5 were especially more lighthearted than the first film, and certainly much more so than this one. Even in Puppet Master III Toulon was shown as a hero unlike the villainous creature from this movie. I think that is why I love this one so much. Nothing like it came out of the franchise again, and it is certainly a rare gem in its own series of films.
10/10
The film has a relatively creepy and unsettling vibe to it that neither the original Puppet Master nor the ones that followed ever seemed to portray. Right away, the film starts of creepily as we see the famous Toulon Puppets walking about in a scary old cemetery in the middle of the night. They use the last of the elixir which gives them life to reanimate their old master, Andre' Toulon (this time, for the most part, played excellently by Steve Welles). Even before the opening credits we're treated to the creepy undead arms of Toulon emerging from his grave. Honestly, this used to give me nightmares as a kid.
Then we're introduced to our main characters, paranormal investigators who have arrived at the Bodega Bay Inn to document anything paranormal after hearing Alex Whitaker's bizarre tale. The main lead here is a young woman named Carolyn (Elizabeth Maclellan). After her brother is murdered by Tunneler, she is joined by Michael (Collin Bernsen), whose mother has also been killed by the puppets. They also meet a man named Eriquee Chanee', whose face is bandaged and who claims to be the owner of the hotel. However, it is soon discovered that the mysterious Eriquee is really Toulon, who (since being revived by the puppets) has turned overly evil and has been ordering his puppets to kill innocents in order to extract their brain fluid so he can transfer his soul into a mannequin doll. He also becomes obsessed with Carolyn, who he believes to be the reincarnation of his beloved wife, Elsa, who was murdered during WWII by the Nazis. What ensures is absolute creepy craziness, and comes to a head during an especially creepy finale in which Toulon's soul transfers into the scary-looking mannequin (Michael Todd).
Puppet Master II is a fantastic film that is so much fun to watch during those late stormy nights. I love all the homages it pays to classical horror films, such as The Invisible Man. Many of my friends and fellow horror fanatics who love the Puppet Master series have always noted the second as "too creepy and weird" for them to enjoy. While this is true to some extent, I think the overall weirdness and creepiness is what makes it one of the more enjoyable entries in the franchise. It's interesting though how after this film, the puppets were often shown as gentle and kind as opposed to their murderous ways as seen in this film and the first. Puppet Master 4 and 5 were especially more lighthearted than the first film, and certainly much more so than this one. Even in Puppet Master III Toulon was shown as a hero unlike the villainous creature from this movie. I think that is why I love this one so much. Nothing like it came out of the franchise again, and it is certainly a rare gem in its own series of films.
10/10