Curse of the Puppet Master

"...The human experiment."

1998 1h 18m EN

💀

4.5

SKIP

⭐

4.1

IMDB

★4.5TMDB · 128★4.1IMDB · 2,545

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Andre Toulon's diminutive assassins take up residence at The House of Marvels, a traveling doll circus run by Dr. Magrew, who has been trying to create a living doll of his own with little success.

“...The human experiment.”

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Cast

George Peck
Dr. Magrew / Puppet Master
Emily Harrison
Jane Magrew
Josh Green
Robert 'Tank' Winsley
Michael Guerin
Joey Carp
Michael Sollenberger
Station Owner
Marc Newburger
Art Cooney
Scott Boyer
Larry
Jason Dean Booher
Pogo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David DeCoteau
Writers: Neal Marshall Stevens
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Puppet Master Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David DeCoteau, shot by Howard Wexler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jeffrey Walton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor J.R. Bookwalter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Peck and Emily Harrison and Josh Green carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David DeCoteau directs. Howard Wexler behind the camera. Jeffrey Walton scores. J.R. Bookwalter cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Puppet Master Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by David DeCoteau, shot by Howard Wexler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jeffrey Walton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor J.R. Bookwalter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8George Peck and Emily Harrison and Josh Green carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "...The human experiment.".
10IMDB entry: tt0132451 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Howard Wexler
Original score: Jeffrey Walton
Editing: J.R. Bookwalter
Production design: Allison Shavitz
Costume design: Judi Jensen
VFX supervisor: Matthew Jason Walsh
Runtime: 78 min · 1h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Curse of the Puppet Master (1998)
IMDB rating: 4.1/10 · 2,545 votes
MPAA: R

Part of

Puppet Master Collection

Long-running horror series which focuses on puppets animated by an Egyptian spell, each equipped with their own unique and dangerous device. It has spawned thirteen installments since 1989, as well as a crossover film with the Demonic Toys series, and a standalone reboot released in 2018.