COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - PUPPET MASTER: DOKTOR DEATH (FULL MOON BLU RAY)
In horror, spin-offs usually don’t fare as well as their original counterparts. Take THE CONJURING universe as the most modern example. While the first two Conjuring films received heaps of critical and fan praise, the spin-offs for ANNABELLE, THE NUN, and THE CURSE OF LA LLORNA have been met with middling reviews at best, and at worst absolute vitriol. What makes horror spin-offs so tricky? We don’t have enough time in this forum to try and answer that question to the fullest extent. Still, my quick take is that they are usually afterthoughts designed to capitalize financially on the success of a prior film quickly. Kind of like rushed sequels, spin-offs seem to have less of what people liked from the reference material and feel more mediocre in comparison. One series that is no stranger to sequels or spin-offs is the PUPPET MASTER films, the most recent of which is PUPPET MASTER: DOKTOR DEATH. Does this spin-off give a well-needed boost to Full Moon’s murderous marionettes or is it just another in a long line of films that fail to capture the magic of the series they diverged from?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The scalpel-wielding Doktor Death first seen in 2005's RETRO PUPPET MASTER crawls out of his trunk and is unleashed into a ramshackle nursing home. Once the terror begins, it refuses to stop until the pint-sized psycho surgeon has spilled buckets of blood.
HOW IS IT?
The PUPPET MASTER films are near and dear to me, even though I know most of them are not good. Even the best ones in the series suffer from something akin to low-production value, silly stories, or bad acting, and yet, these films keep coming back like a herpes outbreak every few years. In fact, next to the AMITYVILLE franchise, you’d be hard-pressed to find another series with as many entries as the Puppet Master films have. Given all of this, PUPPET MASTER: DOKTOR DEATH is a surprisingly fun entry in the series that isn’t likely to win over the naysayers of the franchise. For fans, this is probably the best one could ask for with respect to a Puppet Master spin-off series.
DOKTOR DEATH functions more like a long-form episodic horror show than a feature-length film. With a runtime of a whopping 59 minutes, it’s as efficient as a horror movie that you’re likely to find these days. Like any Puppet Master film, the characters are forgettable and the effects are cheap, but the Doktor Death design itself is effective and the short runtime has little room for waste as far as a slasher doll film goes. Unlike other recent killer doll films, DOKTOR DEATH is not trying to say anything about today’s society, even if it intentionally or not is poking fun at how we treat the elderly as disposable. What you’re here to see isn't social commentary, it’s a killer doll killing people and that’s exactly what you get. Once Doktor Death is unleashed within the first 10 minutes you shortly after are treated to his first of many murderous takedowns of both the residents and staff of this retirement community. Par for the course with Full Moon films, the effects are a blend of (bad) CGI and simple practical effects doused in gallons of red-dyed Karo syrup. This is not a knock on the film, as the kill scenes are a lot of fun and the finale is certainly something to behold. No ones going to win any awards for their work here, but it is serviceable enough to entertain.
Despite some effective visual gags, a cool-looking puppet, and breezy runtime the typical hallmarks of Full Moon films are on full display. There are story decisions that are so head-scratching you’ll think you missed something, and there is zero character development whatsoever which makes the whole thing largely forgettable, even if it is a fun watch. It’s the kind of film that you will forget you’ve seen and eventually rewatch a few years later only to repeat this process in perpetuity until death do you part. For those who need character development and a cohesive plot, it may come as no surprise that this ain’t it. I did find myself wondering what could have been if just a bit more care was taken in both of these areas as they are the kinds of things that don’t really require additional funds to produce. For example, there is a part where one character seems to be able to see through Doktor Death’s puppet eyes, but it’s not explained at all or really even explored aside from a scene or two. It begs the question, how necessary are all these ideas, and would it make sense to condense them down to the most interesting ones rather than just throw proverbial horror spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks? Either way, I like this episodic feel to this Puppet Master spin-off, and would even encourage additional films to follow suit!
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Given the recency of this release, the visuals are pretty sound and similar to other FULL MOON FEATURES releases. While there is a kind of “Modern SOV” look to the whole thing, it’s not distracting in any way. The blur is presented in 1080p widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Images from this release are used throughout this review and below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Sound-wise, DOKTOR DEATH has two different audio options; a 2.0 Stereo track and a 5.1 Surround Sound mix. I listened to the latter for this review and it’s completely serviceable. The soundscape is pretty limited to indoor scenes and even the action-heavy moments don’t really give the rear channels much of a workout, but it's good enough for the film overall. The biggest blemish is the lack of any kind of subtitles, something which is still inexcusable in this day and age.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
As far as bare-bones releases go, this is one of the barest. The only “new” features for this are some trailers for upcoming Full Moon releases, and the other feature is a re-hashed videozone from RETRO PUPPET MASTER. I’m not saying that this movie needs a feature-length documentary, but at the very least a director’s commentary or some behind-the-scenes footage would have been nice.
BONUS MATERIALS
Retro Puppet Master Videozone
Full Moon Features Trailers
LAST RITES
PUPPET MASTER: DOKTOR DEATH is a film for the most die-hard of Puppet Master fans. With a short runtime and a no-frills blu ray release it is far better than most would think, even if it’s not going to win over new fans as much as placate older ones. Still, it offers up a nice template for how to do future Puppet Master spin-offs, as long as they can tidy up some of the script and story.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy of PUPPET MASTER: DOKTOR DEATH for the crypt. PUPPET MASTER: DOKTOR DEATH is available NOW via MVD DIRECT and FULL MOON DIRECT!
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