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Puppet Master

  • Video
  • 1989
  • 18
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
13K
YOUR RATING
Puppet Master (1989)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:57
1 Video
99+ Photos
FantasyHorrorSci-FiThriller

Psychics find themselves plotted against by a former colleague, who committed suicide after discovering animated, murderous puppets.Psychics find themselves plotted against by a former colleague, who committed suicide after discovering animated, murderous puppets.Psychics find themselves plotted against by a former colleague, who committed suicide after discovering animated, murderous puppets.

  • Director
    • David Schmoeller
  • Writers
    • Charles Band
    • Kenneth J. Hall
    • David Schmoeller
  • Stars
    • Paul Le Mat
    • William Hickey
    • Irene Miracle
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    13K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Schmoeller
    • Writers
      • Charles Band
      • Kenneth J. Hall
      • David Schmoeller
    • Stars
      • Paul Le Mat
      • William Hickey
      • Irene Miracle
    • 123User reviews
    • 141Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Puppet Master
    Trailer 2:57
    Watch Puppet Master

    Photos160

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    Top cast17

    Edit
    Paul Le Mat
    Paul Le Mat
    • Alex Whitaker
    William Hickey
    William Hickey
    • Andre Toulon
    Irene Miracle
    Irene Miracle
    • Dana Hadley
    Jimmie F. Skaggs
    Jimmie F. Skaggs
    • Neil Gallagher
    Robin Frates
    • Megan Gallagher
    Matt Roe
    • Frank Forrester
    Kathryn O'Reilly
    • Carissa Stamford
    Mews Small
    Mews Small
    • Theresa
    • (as Merrya Small)
    Barbara Crampton
    Barbara Crampton
    • Woman at Carnival
    David Boyd
    • Man at Carnival
    Peter Frankland
    • Assassin #1
    Andrew Kimbrough
    • Assassin #2
    Ed Cook
    Ed Cook
    • Pinhead
    • (voice)
    Linda Cook
    • Leech Woman
    • (voice)
    Tim Dornberg
    • Tunneler
    • (voice)
    Bert Rosario
    Bert Rosario
    • Blade
    • (voice)
    Michael Laide
    • Jester
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • David Schmoeller
    • Writers
      • Charles Band
      • Kenneth J. Hall
      • David Schmoeller
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    5.0
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    Puppet Master: Das tödlichste Reich
    5.4
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    Puppet Master X: Axis Rising
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Pinhead's fists during the punching scenes are actually the fists of dwarf stunt woman Cindy Sorenson, who had to wear the same fingerless gloves and sweater sleeve to make it appear that it's the fist of Pinhead. Cindy cited the most difficult part of those scenes was to keep her head ducked the whole time while holding the Pinhead puppet on her shoulders and give off false punches at the same time.
    • Goofs
      (at around 10 mins) When Toulon puts Blade in the trunk, the hook is his right hand, while every other time it is his left, the knife being right. This shows that this shot was flipped.
    • Quotes

      Frank Forrester: Just a little bit of sauce and Dana can become quite the cynic.

      Dana Hadley: I am not a cynic, Frank! I like to think of myself as a nasty bitch.

    • Alternate versions
      The 1989 UK video version was cut by 3 secs by the BBFC to remove brief shots of a woman's breasts during the fantasy assault scene in the elevator. The shots were also missing from the Film 2000 DVD which featured the R-rated print.
    • Connections
      Edited into When Puppets and Dolls Attack! (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      La Chorrito
      by Pechula Chuppa

    User reviews123

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Much Better Than I Would Have Believed
    I thought this would be very low-grade horror and dumb with poor special- effects, but I was surprised: it was good.....very entertaining. It inspired me to see the sequels, too, and they - most notably the third one - were good, too.

    It's a little slow to start with, but once the puppets begin their attack story gets interesting, concluding with a gruesome ending. William Hickey gets decent billing in here but he's only in the film for a short time in the beginning. After that, it's just Paul LeMat and a bunch of unknown actors.

    In all, not super but more-than-decent entertainment for an hour-and-a-half.
    helpful•38
    8
    • ccthemovieman-1
    • Jul 5, 2006

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    FAQ2

    • What are the differences between the R-Rated version and the Unrated Version?
    • Explain the timeline of the Puppet Master series.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1990 (Mexico)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Puppet Master I
    • Filming locations
      • Castle Green Apartments - 99 S. Raymond, Pasadena, California, USA(then Castle Green Hotel was the "Bodega Bay Inn" in the film)
    • Production companies
      • Full Moon Entertainment
      • Empire Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $600,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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