Puppet Master Movies

Puppet Master has been around for a couple decades now. It is the movie that put Full Moon in true business. It has gotten better in some cases, and worse in others. However, I intend to give a basic summary of each Puppet Master movie, with the exception of Retro-Puppet Master, to the best of my ability. There is a warning though...if you have not seen the movies and don't want to know how they end, don't read this. If you could care less how it ends, or have seen them, then have a blast.

Puppet Master

The movie starts after World War II. Andre Toulon is in California in a hotel called the Bodega Bay Inn. It's a wonderful day, probably warm. Toulon is sitting in his private quarters, painting Jester's face while his other puppets are scouting the area.

Blade sees some Nazis coming and runs inside to let Toulon know they've been found out. Toulon reassures the puppets everything will be alright and hides them before shooting himself, thereby keeping his secret safe from those who would abuse it....or did he?

Several years later, a group of psychics are called together to meet Gallagher. to their surprise, it is to his funeral! They meet his widow and learn that Gallagher owned the hotel by marrying the proprieter's daughter. But, something isn't right to the psychics. It's not the Gallagher they've come to know.

Then, strange things begin happening. The maid tends to a fireplace and is killed by Pinhead. Then a psychic couple having an intimate evening are interrupted by Tunneler and Ms. Leech. They too are killed. Then, Pinhead and Blade finish off yet another psychic, who was talking to her stuffed dog, Leroy. That leaves only one psychic, Alex Whitaker, and Gallagher's widowed wife. Or is she really widowed?

To their amazement, they discover that Gallagher is alive again! And he plans to make his dead collegues live forever, as he thinks he was able to do. But, he makes one fatal mistake. The puppets have gathered at the table to await the order to kill again, but they keep some distance from Gallagher, obviously not liking him too much. But, Gallagher says he does not like the puppets at all and merely used them and saw them as worthless, tossing Jester aside and breaking his paneled face. It takes a minute, but Jester pulls himself back together, but the puppets have seen enough. They band together and trap Gallagher in an elevator where each puppet takes a turn making the last moments of his life the most miserable he could imagine.

All looks like a happy ending. Whitaker leaves the hotel and Mrs. Gallagher heads upstairs with Leroy, now alive. Thus, ending Puppet Master.

Puppet Master II

Puppet Master II picks up soon after Puppet Master. The puppets are weak and need Toulon to guide them. So, Pinhead digs up the grave of their beloved master and pours the life-giving brain fluid to the corpse, making it rise. Meanwhile, a group of paranormal experts have come to Bodega Bay Inn to study the strange happenings therein.

After getting in, they begin to set up their equipment. Down the road a ways, Camille, a psychic is trying to find the hotel and use her gifts to help the paranormal experts. She meets a hermit couple who are putting up an electric fence to kill some "varments" who've been after their livestock.

Camille finds Bodega Bay Inn and gets to know the experts. However, she does not get good impressions. She later sees two puppets in her room. Blade is definately one of them, and perhaps Jester was the other, for she mentioned no deformities or weapons on the second. Later that evening, she tries to leave, but has a run-in with Pinhead and Jester. She turns up later, dead. Tunneler sneaks into Patrick's room, Carolyn's brother. And he bores a hole through his head, killing him. But, Tunneler is killed on his mission.

Toulon then makes his appearance as Eric Chaney. He looks a lot like a mummy. He sees the footage of Tunneler and seems not at all phased. Later, he sends Blade and Ms Leech out to collect more tissue for the fluid. They go to the hermit home. Blade cuts the fence and Ms Leech kills the hermit man. But, the hermit woman is able to knock her off-gaurd and burn her in her wood-burning stove. Blade is a little astounded and hides, making small advances, but the hermit woman keeps trying to shoot him with a big rifle. But, Torch makes his debut. He comes in and shoots flames at the hermit woman, bringing her down in seconds. Blade is amazed at this new teammate and proceeds to finish the mission.

Jester is very weak and sickly. Toulon gives him some pity but then sees the puppets coming back. He scolds them for cooking the tissue.

Michael Kenney, Camille's son, stops by the hotel to find his mother and meets Carolyn. He is offered a place to stay and they plan to go search for Camille the next day. That night, Blade and Jester {now somewhat regenerated} return from a raid. But, they are getting found out ever so slowly. The tissue wasn't all fresh. Some of it was from animals and corpses. Blade also comes back from one of the hotel rooms after killing two more paranormal experts. Then, Toulon gives the order to kill all who remain, except Carolyn, who he belives is his reincarnated wife, Elsa. Torch is sent to kill Michael, who Carolyn is falling in love with.

Torch thinks he has killed Michael, but is later ambushed from behind. Blade and Pinhead take their cue to attack. But, both are defeated. Carolyn is caught by Toulon and he reveals two life-sized puppets of themselves. He transfers himself to the Toulon puppet and tries to get Carolyn to drink the last of the fluid. The puppets are confused at first, but soon learn they have been betrayed and used by the man they loved so dearly. Jester steals the last goblet of fluid and Pinhead attacks as Toulon reaches for it. Michael breaks in to save Carolyn and Torch comes in as angry as ever and ends Toulon's tyrany. Jester than finds a good use for that last goblet. He brings Camille to life and puts her into the Elsa puppet. then the puppets are packed up and driven to a mental institute for tots and teens. Thus ends Puppet Mster II.

Puppet Master III

Puppet Master III takes a backseat in time. World War II in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Hess is trying to give dead soldiers new life. Major Kraus is overseeing him when the experiment goes wrong.

Then, Lt. Stien visits the puppet theatre where Andre Toulon is amusing an audience with his stringless marionette, Six-Shooter. Six-Shooter begins to fire at a Hitler puppet. After the show, Toulon spends some time with the youthful audience in the back and gives them candy. Meanwhile, Jester, Pinhead and Tunneler watch from the puppet cabinet. After the children leave, Andre and Elsa are visited by Lt. Stien. Toulon takes the Nazi's threat as a bluff. But, once outside, Stien is able to take snapshots of Toulon giving his puppets the fluid that gives them life. Then, the Nazi is off to show Major Kraus the pictures. However, that evening, Toulon, not knowing what's in store, presents Elsa with a present...a doll in her image. This was a sign of his devoted love to her.

Major Kraus sends a raid to close the theatre and arrest the puppeteer. Dr. Hess comes along, wanting to talk to Toulon about the formula. But, something goes horribly wrong when Elsa is shot. Toulon is taken into custody and Elsa is shot again, killing her.

Toulon has two of his puppets, Pinhead and Tunneler take care of the guards and home they go. General Meuller informs Major Kraus of Toulon's escape and they prepare to go after him. Meanwhile, Toulon takes his puppets and hides out in a pharmacy where he comes upon some leeches. The idea strikes him to use the leeches to make another of his living creations. He, Pinhead and Jester go to the morgue where Pinhead breaks in and kills the docter. Jester then runs to the door and unlocks the floor-bolt, letting Toulon in. Toulon finds Elsa's corpse and begins taking what he needs from her. But, another doctor comes in! Pinhead pulls the phone wire and Jester takes the scalpel and stabs the man in the leg. Toulon finishes up and the trio walks out.

At the pharmacy, Toulon brews up the tissue and puts it in the doll he had made for Elsa. She then became Ms. Leech! After a quick outfit change, Ms. Leech, Jester, Pinhead and Toulon are off to meet Lt. Stien in the garage where he is repairing the Major's car. After a swift murder, Toulon and his puppets retreat.

Major Kraus learns of his driver's death, and order an investigation. Meanwhile, General Mueller scolds Kraus and Hess for not being able to get Toulon. He then leaves to visit a hooker. Toulon finds him there and, disguised as a blind man, takes Six-Shooter with him to the biulding and lets Six-Shooter scale the wall. Six-Shooter finds the general. He fires and misses. Mueller fires back, shooting off one of Six-Shooters arms. But, Six-Shooter has five more to retaliate. And he kills Mueller.

Hess finds the hand but is reluctant to give it to Kraus, who only becomes enraged and is determined to see Toulon executed. Meanwhile, in the new hifeout, Toiulon is found by Peter Hutz and his father. Toulon had met Peter after one of his puppet shows. The three converse and agree not to tell on each other.

Peter, after some time has passed, sneaks out of "bed" and watches Toulon painting the head of a new puppet he is making. He tries to touch Jester, but Jester isn't liking the idea of being poked. Peter offers to bring Six-Shooter the parts for a new arm, but Toulon says no and tells him he can be an assistant by watching the other puppets. He agrees.

Hess is working, and guarded in his lab. He drags his guard with him to the marionette theatre to look for records on the formula. There, he sees Peter, who had been sneaking about, scraping up tools for Toulon. He's found with a wrench, one of Jester's heads and Six-Shooter's arm. Hess brings the boy back to the lab and feeds him and asks to speak with Toulon, and Peter agrees. Meanwhile, Kraus is offering a reward for Toulon's capture. Peter's father refuses the reward, but wishes his wife to be free so his family could go to Switzerland in return for turning Toulon over. Kraus considers it and asks for the location.

Hess isn't greeted with open arms, and is threatened right off to watch his back. But, after an hour of conversing, Hess got what he wanted all along. He learned Toulon's secret, and learned of the former identities of some of the puppets. He also became more of a friend in that one hour. When Peter's father returns, he takes his son and leaves the hideout. Kraus then sends his troops in to shoot Toulon and Hess. Toulon gathers his puppets, as they were kinda busy killing Nazis, and runs with Hess. In the chase, Peter's father is shot. Peter than runs and hides.

A soldier is shot by Six-Shooter and Dr. Hess examines the body, but is stabbed and killed before the soldier expired. Hess urged Toulon to keep fighting and died afterwards.

Kraus walked to his office and was quite angry of not being able to catch Toulon. He picks up the phone, but only to find Jester with a pair of scissors. He had cut the phone line. After attempting to throw something at him, Kraus stepped forward only to be slashed in the shin by Blade, the new puppet. Blade looked an awful lot like Kraus, but in the puppet's body was the life of Hess! Toulon and the other puppets show themselves and Toulon taunts Kraus. Kraus shoots Toulon, trying to show no fear. However, Pinhead strikes Kraus over the head with an ashtray and attacks him with hooks attatched to a rope. After being secured, Toulon raises Kraus as if he were a puppet on a string. An axe is placed below him and the rope is lit on fire. Eventually, Kraus meets his end.

Toulon and Peter meet up again in a station. Peter packs up the puppets as Toulon gets tickets, dressed as Kraus. They escape Berlin on their way to Switzerland and to America. A brif shot of Six-Shooter ends the movie.

Puppet Master IV

The movie begins in the underworld where Sutekh is plotting to regain the power stolen by Toulon. A band of his followers work for him through the use of totems, little puppet-like monsters. They kill two people, both working on something called the Omega Project. The purpose of the project is to give a lifeless object artificial life and spontaneous movement. This is what Toulon had mastered and Sutekh plans to kill anyone seeking such power.

Rick, the boy-genius working on the Omega Project, now resides at the Bodega Bay Inn, and works also as the caretaker during the off-season. His girlfriend, Susie comes to visit him with two other friends, Chameron and Lauren. During their visit, Lauren finds Blade and carries him to Rick's room. She, being a psychic, feels something is not right about the puppet. So, she goes exploring and finds the trunk of Toulon's puppets. When it is opened, Rick pulls them out and starts reading Toulon's journal. Then, he brings to life: Six-Shooter, Pinhead, and Tunneler. none seem to like Chameron too much, but they seem a little more relaxed, but still cautious enough around Rick. After all, they have been misled several times before. Trying to find a code to the formula, Rick also brings Jester to life.

Rick tries his experiments on the puppets. Pinhead and Tunneler are fitted with lazers and participate in a lazer tag game with Rick, who is astounded by their speed and stradegy. But, a totem is delivered during the experiment and Lauren and Chameron summon two others!

Chameron is killed by one in his car, and Lauren flees back into the hotel. Rick tries to prove nothing is wrong, but finds Blade and Pinhead protectively at his feet, watching a totem escape after being noticed.

The puppets then band together and go looking for these totems. Blade is attacked by one, but is saved by Pinhead, who holds him to the wall, Blade soons pins the other side of the totem to the wall. Tunneler takes the time to make it into a dead donut of a totem. Rick tosses it away.

The second totem comes into the room. By now, the puppets are setting up a table and trying to bring life into Decapatron, Toulon's last puppet. Lauren runs out and Susie chases after her. Six-Shooter ties the totem up and when lightening strikes the cord, he electracutes it to death.

The third totem chases after Lauren and almost kills her, but Susie pours acid on it, saving Lauren's life. But, the totem comes back!

The puppets animate Decapatron. But, the totem breaks in and tries to do them all in. Blade takes the first initiative and protects the master, his friends and his team. But, the totem slaps him across the room, knocking him out temporarily. Decapatron takes over, using the battle-head to destroy the totem.

Rick accepts the role of puppet master when Toulon grants it to him. But, he knew the trouble was only just beginning.

Did you know that Puppet Master 4 and 5 were filmed at the same exact time? It was done this way so the movies wouldn't take as long to make. That's why it's the only two to actually fit together perfectly.

Puppet Master V

Curse of the Puppet Master