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The Puppetman

  • 2023
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
The Puppetman (2023)
The Puppetman, a convicted killer on death row always maintained his innocence and that it was an evil force controlling his body as he slaughtered his victims. Now Michal, the killer's daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her fathers claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. She must try and break the curse of The Puppetman before all her loved ones are killed.
Play trailer1:55
2 Videos
29 Photos
Body HorrorSupernatural HorrorHorrorThriller

The Puppeteer, a convicted murderer on death row, has always maintained his innocence, claiming that it was an evil force that controlled his body as he slaughtered his victims.The Puppeteer, a convicted murderer on death row, has always maintained his innocence, claiming that it was an evil force that controlled his body as he slaughtered his victims.The Puppeteer, a convicted murderer on death row, has always maintained his innocence, claiming that it was an evil force that controlled his body as he slaughtered his victims.

  • Director
    • Brandon Christensen
  • Writers
    • Brandon Christensen
    • Ryan Christensen
    • Matt Manjourides
  • Stars
    • Alyson Gorske
    • Angel Prater
    • Kio Cyr
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Brandon Christensen
    • Writers
      • Brandon Christensen
      • Ryan Christensen
      • Matt Manjourides
    • Stars
      • Alyson Gorske
      • Angel Prater
      • Kio Cyr
    • 39User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:55
    Official Trailer
    The Puppetman
    Trailer 1:50
    The Puppetman
    The Puppetman
    Trailer 1:50
    The Puppetman

    Photos29

    View Poster
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    + 25
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    Top cast23

    Edit
    Alyson Gorske
    Alyson Gorske
    • Michal
    Angel Prater
    Angel Prater
    • Charlie
    Kio Cyr
    Kio Cyr
    • Danny
    Cameron Wong
    • Glenn
    Anna Telfer
    Anna Telfer
    • Jo
    Michael Paré
    Michael Paré
    • Detective Al
    Caryn Richman
    Caryn Richman
    • Ruby
    Natalie Meetze
    Natalie Meetze
    • Young Michal
    Zachary Le Vey
    Zachary Le Vey
    • David
    Kathryn Schneider
    Kathryn Schneider
    • Patricia
    Curtis Arney
    Curtis Arney
    • Prison Doctor
    Luke Brewer
    Luke Brewer
    • Student
    Joshua Cole
    Joshua Cole
    • Diner Patron
    Donovan Gale
    • Police Officer
    Morrin Jermyn
    • Student
    John Lizzi
    John Lizzi
    • Liquor Store Clerk
    Gabrielle Nunzio
    Gabrielle Nunzio
    • Student
    Sean C. Sanders
    Sean C. Sanders
    • Prison Guard
    • Director
      • Brandon Christensen
    • Writers
      • Brandon Christensen
      • Ryan Christensen
      • Matt Manjourides
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews39

    5.33.1K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    6Mavors

    An average entry to the 2023 horror genre.

    The Puppetman is a horror movie directed by Brandon Christensen. The movie tells the story of Michal, the daughter of a convicted killer on death row who always maintained his innocence and claimed that an evil force controlled his body as he slaughtered his victims. Michal begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her father's claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. She must try and break the curse of The Puppetman before all her loved ones are killed.

    Well, the Puppetman is a 2023 horror flick with a decent story, some blood and gore, decent acting, a few twists, nice photo and music/ambience and with a new spin on the occult and possession horror. But it falls short and fails to stand out, mainly because of the many clichés and its disjointed narrative. The plot holes are many, and towards the end the movie becomes even more nonsensical.

    However the effects are well made, and some of the story line feels fresh. In my opinion, this one is just a little bit above average.

    It's worth watching if you're into new entries in horror movies with some blood and gore, but don't expect too much.

    Final score: 5.5.
    4kevin_robbins

    This movie offers a few engaging scenes and a solid concept but struggles with execution

    I recently viewed The Puppetman (2023) on Shudder. The plot revolves around a man who, under the influence of a malevolent entity, is compelled to commit a heinous act in front of his daughter, leading to his execution. Years later, his orphaned daughter, now a high school student, faces the entity as it possesses her friends, coercing them into committing gruesome acts. Will she become another victim, or can she find a way to stop the entity?

    Directed by Brandon Christensen (Superhost), the film features Alyson Gorske (Jungle Run), Kio Cyr (Give Me an A), Zachary Le Vey (Run Hide Fight(, Michael Paré (Gone) and Angel Prater (Amy's F it List).

    The Puppetman had the potential to be a standout horror film. The opening scene was well-crafted and effectively set the movie's tone. Unfortunately, it didn't maintain the quality of kill scenes after the beginning. While there were some entertaining fire and a shootout scenes, there was also a terrible seance that was awkward. The acting was good enough, but the ending was disappointing and felt like a copout.

    In summary, this movie offers a few engaging scenes and a solid concept but struggles with execution. I would rate this a 4/10 and suggest considering other options.
    4MovieNerdGalReviews

    It could've been scarier.

    I got the chance to see this film on Shudder last night and I had really high hopes from it after watching the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it took a downward spiral pretty fast.

    The Puppetman, is a story about a mysterious entity possessing a body and forcing the victims to commit suicide via mind control.

    Now, this idea isn't very original and has been done before however, I believe that it still had the potential to deliver some original great scares.

    The problem though, the story line is pretty much uninspiring and the acting is monotonous. From the beginning till the end, the movie doesn't even really surprise you and the scary scenes that are supposed to be scary aren't satisfying enough.

    The acting is okay and the cinematography is just bland which makes the movie even more uninteresting. If you're in the mood for something scary, this isn't the best option for you but if you want something watchable, I'd say give it a chance.
    5Democrit

    The film will not cause vivid impressions, but it will not be a disappointment either

    This is a story about a simple obsession with an ancient cult consisting of three people: parents and a child - this is the whole cult. The purpose of the demon is not clear, but he is very evil and manipulates everyone indiscriminately - in fact, demons cannot subdue everyone, no matter how evil they may be, even they obey "demonic laws", well, the authors did not try to understand the mythology, but the film is not about that.\n\PS It's simple, but with "taste", about students who are unlucky. I haven't seen Michael Peer in a normal movie for a long time, this is a pleasant exception, although he doesn't have much to play, but he looked good. The film will not cause vivid impressions, but it will not be a disappointment, such a mystical story is not bad.
    2justincorylindsey

    Velveeta

    This movie is absolutely terrible. It's incredibly poorly written and executed. Maybe it was a budget thing, who knows. The acting is very rough to put up with. There's just a ton of a scenes of a girl who is seemingly spaced out and her friend saying, " are you okay? ". Not to mention they make Michal out to be some scary, powerfully possessed chick that everyone should fear, but her friend Charlie was an awful friend and the real bad one ... and a weirdo if you ask me. Her whole friend group seems terrible. Overall it's just incredibly cheesy and corny. That psychic medium? Just rename her Velveeta because holy cow it's pure, unadulterated cheese.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The dorm room was actually a set that was built for this film.
    • Soundtracks
      Puppet On a String
      Performed by The Young Souls

      [Played during the end credits]

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 13, 2023 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Puppetman
    • Filming locations
      • Buffalo, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • AMP International
      • Not the Funeral Home
      • Shudder
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 36m(96 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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