Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is the latest installment in the Puppet Master franchise. If you’re a fan (I’m not), then you might enjoy it.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich has a pretty impressive cast, which was enough reason for me to watch it. Well, the cast and also the directors and writer, but more on that later.

I’ll be honest and say that Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich really wasn’t my cup of tea. Not only haven’t I seen the original movie from 1989, I just found this one boring.

I mean, it features puppets killing people. And they kill a lot of people, but pretty much in the same way. I get that this is the concept, but it wouldn’t have hurt with more of a story.

I can enjoy watching Chucky as much as the next person, but Puppet Master didn’t do it for me.

Just too easy

I guess one of the things I disliked most about Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich wasn’t just that I was bored. It was the fact that the people getting killed were predominantly minorities. Oh, and also pets.

If you read my little “About” thing under any review, then you’ll know this is my pet peeve. I hate when animals are killed just for the easy little shock or “fun” of it. And Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich did a lot of that.

However, I could’ve still enjoyed the movie if it wasn’t boring. Of course, the killing of gay people and pets would still influence my overall score though.

Also, let me go ahead and mention the fact that they managed to show lesbians making out just before killing them off?

Yeah, that might just be my second biggest pet peeve after the killing of animals. It’s old, tired, and you could do so much better. It’s the biggest “bury your gays” trope out there and I’m very done with it.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

But the Nazi did it…

I know some people might go: “Oh, but the bad guy was a Nazi, so you just don’t get it!”

Oh no, I do get it.

I also get that someone chose to make the bad guy a Nazi and in doing so created the perfect excuse to kill off homosexuals, Jews, black people and any other kind of minority.

And I still hate it!

I watch movies in the horror genre to escape the real horrors of the world. Particular in the more offbeat horror comedy niches. Not to be reminded of the reasons why someone would want to kill me in the very real world.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

Written by S. Craig Zahler

To be perfectly honest, the fact that S. Craig Zahler wrote the screenplay for Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is the main reason I wanted to watch it.

Usually, he writes movies that are really crazy and violent, but the story tends to always be equally awesome. Also, there’s always some form of diversity and usually a badass woman. That’s probably the main reason why I was so disappointed with Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich.

Of course, S. Craig Zahler usually writes and directs his awesome movies. He wrote and directed Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99. Two very different but – in my opinion – equally brilliant movies.

His next movie is Dragged Across Concrete which will be out later this year. Yet another one both written and directed by him, so my hopes (and expectations) are way up there!

If you love Puppet Master

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich was directed by Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund. They’re a duo who have already done a few movies together and I’m sure the movie is probably as they wanted.

If I was a fan of the franchise, I might enjoy this movie as well. I can only imagine S. Craig Zahler did the screenplay because he’s a fan.

As it stands, I was entertained at times, bored at other times, and often too annoyed to be overall happy with the end result.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich will be out in US theaters on August 17, 2018.

Details

Directors: Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund
Writers: S. Craig Zahler, Charles Band
Cast: Thomas Lennon, Michael Paré, Udo Kier, Barbara Crampton, Betsy Holt, Nelson Franklin, Matthias Hues, Charlyne Yi

Plot

All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets up for auction at a convention, setting them on a bloody killing spree that’s motivated by an evil as old as time.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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