‘The Puppetman’ Review: A Film That’s Most Effective in Its Final Moments
I find that the most difficult films to critique are those that don’t make a profound impact as really good or really bad. The Puppetman gets more right than wrong but it still exists in that grey area. It’s rough around the edges, featuring pieces of an interesting story at its core. But Brandon Christensen’s latest feature is bogged down by pacing issues, performances that don’t always connect, and a lack of insight regarding the central evil at play.
The film follows college student Michal (Alyson Gorske) and her pals. When Michal was a child, her father killed her mother and proclaimed his innocence because he said he wasn’t in control of his faculties at the time of the murder. From there, he was dubbed the Puppetman Killer. Following her father’s arrest, Michal ended up in foster care. Now, she is enjoying campus life and has a core friend group with whom she connects. It seems she is finally coming into her own. But Michal’s newfound sense of community is threatened when her friends begin to die in strange and unexplained ways. Ultimately, Michal’s surviving comrades begin to search for a link between their new friend and the unexplained trail of carnage she leaves in her wake.
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As I mentioned above, there are parts of The Puppetman that work and others that just don’t. As for what doesn’t quite work, some of the writing is a little clunky. It seems like the screenwriters (Brandon Christensen, Ryan Christensen, and Matt Manjourides) fell short of crafting completely realistic characters. That is especially noticeable with Michal’s friend, Charlie (Angel Prater). Charlie trivializes Michal’s father’s case in a way that seems more than a little tone-deaf. If a friend confides in you that her dad is a convicted killer, treating that information like water cooler gossip isn’t a good way to show your support. I recognize Charlie is scripted as a brazen loudmouth and that she doesn’t always think before acting. But she takes it to another level that makes her feel almost inhuman.
Additionally, most of the performances are a little stiff. Everyone is serviceable. But there were times when the banter between Michal and her pals took me out of the moment. Some of that can be attributed to a screenplay that may have needed another pass. But I suspect that also stems from some of the core cast members still being in a place where they are finding their footing as performers.
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Also challenging is the lack of explanation surrounding the Puppetman Killer. We get a primer on what set the events in motion and how they transpired. But there’s almost no explanation as to why the core participants were drawn to the dark arts. More context on what drew the key players into the ordeal would have gone a long way. Even a few lines about what rendered them susceptible to the evil at play would have done wonders. Less is more sometimes. But The Puppetman marks a case where less is actually less.
I was also a bit put off by the pacing as little happens until the one-hour mark. The film almost starts to feel like a coming-of-age drama for a spell. The focus seems to be more on the relationship dynamic amongst the core friend group than on the supernatural shenanigans at play.
When the film kicks into high gear, we get two brutal kill sequences unfolding side by side. Both are impressively rendered and serve to liven up the proceedings. My one qualm is that I suspect the kill scenes may have been even more effective if they had been strategically staggered to offset the lull by which they are preceded. With that said, the third act is gripping enough to make up for some of the pacing issues.
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One aspect of the flick that stands out to me as particularly effective is the air of mystery surrounding Michal’s past. The idea that we don’t immediately know how she ties into the Puppetman’s world makes her a mysterious lead. Is she the hero of the piece? Or could she be the villain? The sequences that seem to point to Michal as somehow involved with the killings put the viewer in an uncomfortable place, giving us cause to wonder if we’re cozying up to a sadistic murderess. The ambiguity surrounding the protagonist’s intentions kept me curious to see how matters would unfold.
Additionally, the central conceit of a supernatural presence that can take hold of any of the characters at any given time makes for a frightening prospect. And that is used effectively here, setting the precedent that no one is ever safe.
All in all, The Puppetman isn’t a perfect film. But it does pay off in the third act. If you’re game to check The Puppetman out for yourself, you can stream it on Shudder now.
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‘The Puppetman’
Summary
Though it doesn’t always work, ‘The Puppetman’ still manages to be unnerving enough to warrant a watch.
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