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Late to the Party: Puppet Master (1989)

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Puppet Master

Welcome back to another weekly edition of Late to the Party, the review series where iHorror writers finally get around to watching horror classics that have admittedly flown under our own personal radar. This week, I watched Puppet Master.

Puppet MasterĀ is a 1989 direct-to-video cult classic that somehow spawned eleven sequels (with a twelfth currently in production – written by S. Craig Zahler ofĀ Bone Tomahawk andĀ Brawl in Cell Block 99 brilliance… frankly, I’m shocked).

via IMDb

In the film, a group of psychics collect at the home of an old colleague after they are summoned for vague reasons that I admittedly wasn’t paying close attention to. Their recently departed colleague, Neil, had been working with them to find a method of giving life to inanimate figurines – a technique supposedly created by the Egyptians.

After a suspicious radio silence from Neil, the psychics gather to “settle the score” and – of course – discover a deadly collection of unique dolls. Then things get messy (as they are wont to do).

via IMDb

This may be a controversial opinion, but really the only parts of this movie that actually held my interest were the killer puppets. Everything else was pretty “meh”. Actually, I’m going to assume that’s probably not outlandish considering that’s kind of the point of the whole franchise, right?

The puppets are certainly (somehow) effective at their murderous goals. This is – admittedly –Ā  somewhat strange since they don’t look particularly menacing or strong or capable. It’s hard to find them genuinely frightening or threatening (aside from the fact that they move on their own and one pukes out live leeches).

via IMDb

The puppets are a little silly (predictably, surely) and their design is a wee bit baffling at times. That being said, I understand that the subsequent films (many of them prequels) flesh out the character designs of each puppet.

I certainly respect that dedication to build the characters of each puppet, but it doesn’t help the absurdity of seeing the toys out of context. When you’re starting a film with no franchise in mind, it’s something you should probably be mindful of.

Overall, I found the film to be underwhelming. I had high hopes, given the wild popularity of the franchise and its now iconic puppet characters (particularly the “leader” puppet, Blade).

via IMDb

While Puppet Master is by no means a great film, I’m glad I finally got around to watching it. If nothing else, it’ll give me a reason to watch the sequels. I get the sense that this is one of those horror franchises that is more than the sum of its parts.

I’m not confident that the sequels are technically better films, but I’m just genuinely curious about the prequels at this point. I want that character development!

via IMDb

I’m also pretty sure the sequels caught on to the actual selling point of the film and decided crank up the puppet presence for an overall more satisfying bloodbath. So, silver linings, people.

 

Keep an eye out for more from Late to the Party, or click here for previous reviews!

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/directorĀ SĆ©bastien VanicekĀ was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “Heā€™s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize theyā€™re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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