THE PUPPETMAN tries to tug at those strings

Michal (played by Alyson Gorske) is a college student who has some serious trauma from her childhood. Her father killed her mother and was sent to prison, all the while maintaining his innocence. He claims that he was not in control of himself when the murder was committed. He was dubbed in the media as the Puppetman Killer.

Michal ended up in foster care and now seems happy with her campus life and her group of friends. When Michal’s friends start dying in unusual ways, she starts to suspect that there is something to her father’s claims from years before and must figure out what’s happening before more people die.

THE GOOD

I liked the premise of this movie. I liked the opening scene and it really set the tone for the movie. Once we find out that Michal’s parents had her locked in a cage as a child, many questions arise. Were they abusing her? Did they think she was dangerous to herself or others? Those questions alone kept me intrigued to see what the deal was with this “killer”. The deaths were brutal and more shocking I think because it looked like the victims were doing it to themselves. The director, Brandon Christensen, has directed some great horror movies in the last few years that I’ve enjoyed including Still/Born, Z, and Superhost. He has a great storytelling style.

THE BAD

Without giving too much away, it turned out that all this was because of some demon that Michal’s parents worshipped. I wish they had gone more into detail about this demon. It was discussed but not enough in my opinion. Also, the acting wasn’t the best. I thought the story was good so that helped make the mediocre acting less noticeable for me.

OVERALL

This was a fun movie with a decent story. The crazy kills should appease your horror-loving heart. Check out The Puppetman is now streaming on Shudder.