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Curse of the Puppet Master

  • Video
  • 1998
  • R
  • 1h 18m
IMDb RATING
4.0/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
Robert Donavan, Josh Green, George Peck, Jason-Shane Scott, and Michael Sollenberger in Curse of the Puppet Master (1998)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:58
1 Video
92 Photos
FantasyHorrorRomanceSci-Fi

A scientist attempts to master the art of transferring people's souls into puppets.A scientist attempts to master the art of transferring people's souls into puppets.A scientist attempts to master the art of transferring people's souls into puppets.

  • Director
    • David DeCoteau
  • Writer
    • Neal Marshall Stevens
  • Stars
    • George Peck
    • Emily Harrison
    • Josh Green
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.0/10
    3.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David DeCoteau
    • Writer
      • Neal Marshall Stevens
    • Stars
      • George Peck
      • Emily Harrison
      • Josh Green
    • 54User reviews
    • 43Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Curse of the Puppet Master
    Trailer 2:58
    Curse of the Puppet Master

    Photos91

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    Top cast15

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    George Peck
    George Peck
    • Dr. Magrew
    Emily Harrison
    Emily Harrison
    • Jane
    Josh Green
    Josh Green
    • Robert
    Michael Guerin
    • Joey
    Michael Sollenberger
    Michael Sollenberger
    • Station Owner
    Marc Newburger
    • Art
    • (as Marc Newberger)
    Scott Boyer
    • Larry
    Jason Dean Booher
    • Pogo
    Robert Donavan
    Robert Donavan
    • Sheriff Garvey
    Jason-Shane Scott
    Jason-Shane Scott
    • Deputy Wayburn
    William Frederick Knight
    William Frederick Knight
    • Medical Examiner
    • (as William Knight)
    Patrick Thomas
    Patrick Thomas
    • Shipping Agent
    • (as Pat Thomas)
    Ariauna Albright
    Ariauna Albright
    • Operator
    • (voice)
    J.R. Bookwalter
    J.R. Bookwalter
    • Tommy Berke
    • (voice)
    Eric W. Edwards
    Eric W. Edwards
    • Bully
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • David DeCoteau
    • Writer
      • Neal Marshall Stevens
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews54

    4.03.3K
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    Featured reviews

    4BA_Harrison

    I thought it might be a good idea to catch up on some of the Puppet Master films. In hindsight...

    Curse of the Puppet Master, the sixth film in the long running horror franchise, sees Toulon's tiny terrors in the possession of Dr. Magrew (George Peck ), owner of The House of Marvels, a small-town roadside attraction that he runs with the help of his pretty daughter Jane (Emily Harrison). When Magrew meets gas station attendant Robert 'Tank' Winsley (Josh Green), who likes to carve with wood, he offers him a job at his place, creating the many parts for a new living puppet, into which he secretly plans to transfer Robert's soul.

    Director David DeCoteau (as Victoria Sloan) starts things off well enough, introducing his characters and setting up a few deserving victims along the way: a gang of local bullies, led by Joey Carp (Michael Guerin), and a nasty sheriff (Robert Donavan). So far, so good, but then it all goes pear-shaped: there's too much use of archival footage of the puppets, the boom mic makes an appearance, very little effort is made to make the puppets move as though they're alive, the gore is disappointing (just some blood splashed around), DeCoteau provides lots of shots of shirtless hunks (no surprises there) but no T&A from Harrison, there is an overuse of lightning and smoke to the point where it is distracting, and worse of all, the ending is ridiculously abrupt. The film simply stops mid-action, leaving the viewer to ponder whether they fell asleep and missed something. We should be so lucky.

    3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.
    5atinder

    I didn't think it was too bad

    (I was going to skip this one)

    This movie is a stand alone movie in the series, is not connected to the last two movies or the others,

    Is brand new master and this as a New plot, A scientist attempts to master the art of transferring people's souls into puppets.

    I didn't think it was too bad but i liked the Idea of the plot, it's brought some freshness to the series, it felt like the Puppet as some of Creep factor back.

    There were some very bloody moment in this, which was not bad, I felt same as all the other in this series, another Average movie

    The acting was not that good at all from some of the cast and some were bearable

    5 out of 10
    4paulclaassen

    Better than previous installments.

    Despite the film's logline, his intentions are not clear until the very end. The entire film we see the scientist (George Peck) have Robert (Josh Green) cut and carve little wood blocks, but we actually never see the end result.

    This is the film that rebooted the franchise, which still continues to this day. This installment is not so much about the puppets, but instead more about the 'dummy boy' Robert, who steals the show. The plot is more solid than the other Puppet Master films, and I enjoyed this film more than the previous installments. In fact, this would hold pretty well as a film on its own and not part of the franchise, especially also since it is a completely new storyline. George Peck was also rather good as the scientist.

    Pity the film had such an abrupt ending...
    2Gislef

    Where's the Rest of the Movie?!?

    Curse is a standalone movie, which is part of the problem. You got this wacked out scientist who got hold of Toulon's puppets, and who obligingly let him know they're alive and willing to help him. Why they're willing to (initially) kill for him isn't clear.

    George Peck's off-key performance is another problem: he acts like a thirty-year old in bad aging makeup. Maybe he is 60-70 like he is supposed to be, but he looks and acts really odd. And why does he have a 25 year old daughter?!?

    There are very few people to like here, which also hurts. The romantic leads are vaguely sympathetic, but the scientist, the obnoxious town sheriff, the local town bully, etc., are all very unlikeable, making them slaughter-fodder.

    The worst problem though, is the end. The movie just...stops. run credits! Whaaatt? Who knows. Catch the sequel, #7, when it comes out, I guess.

    The uninteresting human characters mean that the puppets have to hold center stage. They're pretty much relegated to the odd gory slaughter or two, though. Even they seem somewhat confused as to what their motives are here. Jester and Leech Woman are relegated to the background as always, Blaze is missing (despite, as noted, his appearance in the opening credits), and the only new puppet we get is the new TV/Tank puppet, which appears for about 30 seconds at the end of the movie.

    Definitely the weakest entry in the Puppet Master series. Even at the worse of time, the others in the series have had something to contribute. But Curse... just hangs there with nothing to support it or recommend it.
    5phoenixyk1

    Darker and deeper than the rest...

    Curse of the Puppet Master takes a very different turn from the rest of the series, which for many is a bad thing - I have to agree as it does not fit chronologically anywhere in the original story...

    Another notable thing that may upset many fans is the amount of footage from previous movies that has been used to cut down on the budget... Sadly, where this is done it is VERY noticeable and it does ruin the immersion in the story.

    With that said, it is far from a terrible film but has marked a new direction which has upset long standing fans... My guess is they could not get a good enough script for a true Sequel or the cast were not willing to come back after Puppet Master V.

    Either way, this is a new story arc in itself.

    A doctor has now taken possession of Andre Toulon's puppets and seeks to recreate the work that his predecessor had done, but the opening scenes suggest all is not well.

    While the change of story arc is unwelcome (If you wanted to fit this movie in Chronologically, it would appear somewhere early on as Leech is still alive...) the overall quality is good and the acting is actually better than some of the rest.

    Joss Green who pays 'Tank' is brilliant in his role, which makes it surprising that he has not had more roles overall - He has the potential for great things... I could really see him in an Avengers role.

    So, yes - if you were expecting a continuing story - Afraid you will be disappointed, but the new story arc has some sufficiently dark turns to get the nerves tingling!

    Deadly Dolls and Terrifying Toys

    Deadly Dolls and Terrifying Toys

    From a simple wind-up monkey to the high-tech terrors of M3GAN, these disturbing playthings left us with nightmares.
    See the gallery
    Production art
    Photos

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most scenes of the Puppets are recycled from previous films in the Puppet Master series.
    • Goofs
      (at around 46 mins) Pinhead, after being stomped on, is in the next scene locked in a cage next to Blade.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Magrew: Robert, I know this may be painful, but try to relax.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits consist of a montage of scenes from the previous 5 Puppet Master movies.
    • Alternate versions
      The Blu-ray release has a new title sequence, longer death scenes (which were presumably cut to avoid an NC-17 rating) and all of the digital effects on the Tank puppet have been redone from scratch.
    • Connections
      Edited into When Puppets and Dolls Attack! (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Will You Visit Me On Sunday
      (uncredited)

      Written by Charlie Louvin

      Produced by Clyde Beavers

      Performed by George Jones

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    FAQ1

    • Why is there no original stop-motion animation in this movie like there is in the previous films?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 26, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Curse of the Puppet Master: The Human Experiment
    • Filming locations
      • USA
    • Production company
      • Full Moon Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 18 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DX Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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