A top notch comedy horror flick, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, has entered the home market on several formats including DVD, Blu-ray and 4K/BD combo. The wacky slice and dice movie has a lot vicious scenes with blood and guts that are set up by some of the best off-handed comedy the very good cast can deliver. If you are looking for a good horror flick for this coming October’s Halloween madness, then check this out starting September 25.
It’s Postville, Texas 30 years ago and a man enters a bar late at night. The female bartender is chatting with a female at the bar and she remarks “it’s that old guy again”. The female is concerned that he’s a creep and tells the bartender to inform manager that he is here again. The bartender remarks “he’s probably harmless”. Female says, “Nobody’s harmless, especially a male nobody”. The old man approaches the bar and asks if he can sit down. After some conversation he gets disgusted and walks out. The bartender and the female are driving home after the bar closing late at night and in a split second something savagely ghastly happens.
The film switches to modern day following the opening credits and Edgar Easton who works at a comic book store has just moved back into his parent’s house following a messy divorce. It’s just temporary he tells his concerned Dad, until he can get a place and get back on his feet. He moves into his deceased brother’s bedroom and notices some of his things have been kept in the closet including an ugly puppet. Being his job is working the counter of the local comic book store, he thinks the doll is kind of cool and probably valuable. After a short time living there he meets Ashley and they agree to go to a convention with the “killers” theme celebrating sick murders that happened 30 years ago.
So begins a sick and twisted tale of murder and mayhem that has so much blood and guts that it would fill several chum buckets. It’s the kind of horror that fans of the genre crave and this one does not disappoint. I like the way the directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund, who have worked on several other projects, work this script out in its fullest gory detail. Setting up the terror with some very good comedy led by Thomas Lennon (Reno 911), it doesn’t matter how many heads roll in the film as you know it’s just another gritty shock induced fun.
The whole cast does a good job in the film and that’s what makes all the production and camera work a winner. Included in this statement is the brilliant make-up, prosthetics, costumes, props, puppeteers, animatronics, sound and visual effects. Well-choreographed scenes add a lot of surprise and the timing of the puppet attacks are quick and unexpected.
BONUS FEATURES
The video formats have the following extras accompanying them:
“Behind the Scenes of Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich”
“The Cast of Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich”
“Puppets: From Concept to Creation”
“Lightning Girl Comic: From Sketch to Final”
“Photo Gallery”
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains a massive amount of gore, vicious violence, language, sex/nudity, and rude comments. You know, everything this fan base takes for granted. You may want to watch the film through the credits for a comedic stinger (a fast film clip that some movies carry so movie audiences will watch the credits). The film ends with a possibility of a sequel
WARNING: the trailer attached to this review is the RED BAND trailer for adults, so be cautious that no children are watching.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good comic relief filled horror flick. (5 out of 5 Stars for Horror)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: Charlyne Yi, Thomas Lennon, Michael Pare, Udo Kier, Barbara Campton
Directed by: Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund
Produced by: Lorenzo Di Bonaventura
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains sex/nudity, language, rude comments, violence, gore
Original Theatrical Release: April 20, 2018
Video Release Date: September 25, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: 1 Disk
Distributed by: RLJE Films
Released in: DVD, Blu-ray, 4K/BD combo
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
