Psychics and Puppets

 I have reflected on the Puppet Master series in great detail, so no worries about doing so here. I was planning to add something on my Letterboxd account, so I added a bit of a piece below that wouldn't be included on said account. For a review of Puppet Master (1989), a review

Irene Miracle can't be rid of the Puppet killers that easy

I immediately regretted watching Puppet Master (1989) early Sunday afternoon (I almost always watch this Sundays at 1:00PM for whatever reason; this dates way back to when I watched it off Sci-Fi Channel for the first time during a Halloween marathon as a teenager) because this would have felt more meaningful during October. But I'm just so ready for that month, I've gotten that itch to watch the favorites early. In saying that, "Puppet Master" wasn't always an October-specific watch. Over time, I just sort of adopted that nostalgic attraction towards tethering certain films to the month of Halloween. Maybe, unfairly so. Now in the 90s, I was watching the film all the time, even in the dog days of Summer. Still, I'm the first to admit that a few times this thought kept creeping in, "Just doesn't feel like the right time, does it?"

Reason I even thought of "Puppet Master" was a podcast episode of a YouTuber I follow. He had a group on with him of his fellow horror fans (in his community of the YouTube sphere) talking about the Puppet Master series. That spark lit. I was checking Tubi, just expecting "Puppet Master" (and the next two sequels) to be on the streaming platform, considering a bunch of Full Moon's content is available. But DirecTV was offering ShowTime Network channels for a free preview weekend, and I realized they currently have the first three Puppet Master movies. I recorded them on the DVR and almost watched the films on Saturday afternoon. Instead, that old feeling of watching the first and second films back-to-back on Sunday afternoon couldn't be abated. Still, despite most of the film being set at Bodega Bay Inn (it resembles those Corman castles in Poe films, overlooking a cliff as the ocean waves crash), you'd think there would be this distinctive summer feeling, and yet I kept help but feel autumn anyway.

I could see why this might be considered a bit overrated by folks like me who like it a lot. Some might even consider it on the dull side. But I like how it builds towards Neil's re-emergence after appearing as a corpse more talked about (with a horrible rape in an elevator showing the monster he is) than seen. And a fun cast during Full Moon's more "aesthetically cinematic" era of the late 80s/early 90s remains irresistible to me.