As mentioned in my review of Puppet Master 4, Charles Band originally wanted to produce Puppet Master: The Movie. It would’ve been a huge theatrical release, but for whatever reason, the project fell through, though the script stayed. They decided that the one script would be divided into two movies, and Jeff Burr was hired to direct both. Both films were heavily padded to be feature-length, Burr saying that you could trim them into one 90-minute film. The films had a combined budget of under $1 million and were shot back-to-back, though there was a delay. The fourth film was released in November 1993, but the fifth film sat on the shelf for eight months. Finally, the film was quickly edited together and released direct-to-video in September of 1994, as was dictated by Paramount. So, with the backstory covered, let’s discuss Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter.
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Synopsis
After the events of the last film, Rick Myers (Gordon Currie) has been arrested and convicted of murder. Thankfully, he’s released on bail thanks to Dr. Jennings (Ian Ogilvy), a scientist working for the same company as Rick. Blade is confiscated by the police, but he escapes and makes his way back to Rick to ask for help. Meanwhile, the demon Sutekh (Jake McKinnon) sends a Totem puppet infused with his power to Earth and confront the puppets. Jennings takes thugs Tom Hendy (Nicholas Guest), Jason (Willard E. Pugh), and Scott (Duane Whitaker) to the Bodega Bay Hotel. Turns out Jennings is interested in finding Toulon’s secrets, so he wants to find the puppets and the life-giving formula. Rick, Blade, and Susie (Chandra West) get to the hotel and are instructed by Toulon (Guy Rolfe) to resurrect Decapitron. This leads to a fight between the puppets and Sutekh’s evil forces!
Review
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, despite the padding, is another solidly entertaining entry in the long-running franchise. Admittedly, this entry is clearly padded to reach feature-length like the last film, but it’s not enough to ruin it. Jeff Burr does what he can to make the film more dynamic, using titled angles and dynamic lighting/shadows. Like the other films, the puppet work is the highlight of the film, using a combination of puppetry and stop-motion. Sadly, there’s not as much stop-motion as the others, but it still looks great thanks to the late David Allen. Like the last film, Sutekh is an imposing villain, though his voice isn’t nearly as intimidating as the last film. However, unlike the last film, Torch is actually in the movie, though Tunneler only has one scene. Still, it’s great seeing the puppets have more human characteristics, making them more characters than props.
Once again, Gordon Currie makes a likable hero, and Chandra West works as his girlfriend who’s given more to do. As the human villain, Ian Ogilvy is fun as the cartoonishly pompous Dr. Jennings, almost like a dime-store Tim Curry. Again, while not given much screentime or lines, Guy Rolfe makes the most of it and gives a solid delivery. There are also some notable appearances from actors like Ron O’Neal (Superfly) and Clu Gulager (Return of the Living Dead). Also, Guest, Pugh, and Whitaker have some fun moments between each other, clearly improvising their dialogue and having solid chemistry. Admittedly, it’s kinda funny that this is called “The Final Chapter” when there’s clearly more movies to come. Granted, this could be considered “The Final Chapter” for many reasons, but that’s a story for another time. Overall, Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter is another solidly entertaining entry.
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