Puppet Master Week: Puppet Master II

Salutations everyone and welcome back for Day 2 of Puppet Master Week. When we last left our maleficent marionettes, they held quite a party for the psychics and that may have ended all in tears. Now, we find the mischievous little monsters breaking into Shady Oaks Cemetery uncovering the grave of Andre Toulon, Pinhead working diligently to clear off the dirt to find his dearly departed master.  This is Puppet Master II.

I still don't see your ball.  just take the penalty so we can play!

With Blade, Leech Woman, Jester and Tunneler by his side, Pinhead pours Toulon's formula over the decaying skeleton giving it life again. Why they waited a year before raising their beloved master, coupled with the fact he has been dead for 50 years, shouldn't he almost be dust?

Months later, a group of parapsychologists, led by Carolyn Bramwell (Elizabeth Maclellan of Friday's Curse, Jake and the Fatman, Santa Barbara, Puppet Master 2 and Crash and Burn) is trying to discover there is any truth to the ramblings of Alex Whitaker from the previous movie. Claims and accusations of a formula raising the dead does perk some ears up. With that logical conclusion, our brilliant shrinks head for Bodega Bay Inn, to investigate. Along with Carolyn is her brother Patrick (Gregory Webb of Boone, Falcon Crest, Running Mates and It's a Living), Camille (Nita Talbot of Search for Tomorrow, Girl Happy, That Funny Feeling, Night Shift and Spider-Man: The Animated Series) and Lance (Jeff Celentano of American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, Puppet Master II, The Player, Windfall and Moscow Heat) as they just move into to the hotel. Permits, contacting a landlord or executor of the estate is not a big issue apparently.

Medieval Darkman misspoke the words.

Camille is nabbed by the puppets with no hide nor hair of her left to be found. Plot device convenience brings Camille's son, Michael (Colin Bernsen of Double Trouble, Future Shock, Savage Land, The Glass Cage, Sliders and Cover Me) to visit the hotel. As luck would have it a bandaged fellow Eriquee Chanee' (Steve Welles of Biohazard, Shooters, Solar Crisis and Baywatch) standing about the same height and build of Andre Toulon, claims to have inherited the house and was in Bucharest prior to their arrival, graciously allows them to stay and find whatever it is they are looking for. A mystery indeed.

Odd things and deaths occur when it would appear that Toulon resurrected after all these years has gone completely unhinged, claiming that Carolyn is the reincarnation of his late wife. Yeah, that old chestnut that horror gets WAAAAAAAAAAY too often. Will Carolyn's soul and body survive? Are we going to see the book of the dead somewhere in here? And what of Scarecrow's brain?

Just some notations on the film now. David Allen Productions, once again show their capabilities in stop motion animation and animatronics. Creating a new puppet Torch, 4 versions had to be made for safety on the set as he flambes people in different scale and shots. Their puppet could shoot flames as long as 10 feet. When still linked to Paramount for distribution, the studio executives disliked the puppet Leech Woman and demanded it be destroyed because they didn't want her for future sequels. The funny thing is, she has made a comeback for Puppet Master III.... or did she?

With brief nudity, the gore has kicked up a notch but no more than the previous film.

Hey that's not Tom Servo!