The Puppetman, A Ghastly New Shudder Original

Looking for your next supernatural horror movie to obsess over? The Puppetman, from writer/director Brandon Christensen (Z, Superhost, Still/Born) should be at the top of your watchlist. The title will be available on Shudder and AMC+ streaming platforms from October 13 2023 and taps into everything I love about horror. Alongside films like Talk To Me, Final Destination, Choose or Die and The Saw Franchise, The Puppetman serves as an introduction to a new universe where diabolical supernatural forces kill off unsuspecting players.

In the opening scenes, we are introduced to the murderous villain, moments before he commits a brutal crime. Later, the radio recaps what happened to the father of one and what they discovered after David murdered his wife. Announcers go on to say the couple’s young daughter, Michal (Alyson Gorske) was found locked and chained in a dark room for who knows how long.

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Flash forward to years later and The Puppetman is again a newsworthy topic. As he sits on death row, his now teenage daughter starts to have memories of a childhood in foster care, she would rather forget.

Despite years and years in prison, David stated he was innocent of killing his wife. Michal struggles to come to terms with the fact she recollects nothing from her time with her parents but that afterward, her life was filled with death as well.

The performances from the small cast are enjoyable with Alyson Gorske who plays Michal permeating the screen with her final girl vibes. The other characters in The Puppetman are mostly fodder. However, they are still a likable group all with the desire to uncover the details behind Michal’s past. There is some excellent creepy tension and hair-raising visuals built up as Michal and her friends start looking into her sleepwalking antics. Her roommate Charlie has even gone as far as to record her nightly escapades.

Kills scenes and violence hits some very strong peaks when the body count starts to mount in the second half.

“The Puppetman” storyline is skillfully crafted (alongside co-writers Ryan Christensen and Matt Manjourides) to keep the audience from discovering who exactly is pulling the murder strings.

Suddenly, a psychically gifted woman reaches out to Michal claiming to know how to help. With it comes the introduction of The Puppetman Curse’s lore that adds accountability to events. Subsequently, this heightens the eerie and menacing atmosphere and a better understanding of the rules.

The Puppetman Movie

“The Puppetman” eventually completes its investigation into Michal’s personal history. By providing details about her past, the film deepens the horror and creates an excellent core for the story. Themes touch on things like the loss of identity, grief and, good old-fashioned demonic forces within religious sects.

“The Puppetman” can be considered a dark horse success, as the title seems to have flown under the radar. It has the potential to pave the way for more films in this subgenre, exploring the depths of fear and psychological terror even further.

Overall, this title is a great horror movie enlisting a new type of evil power to contend with.

The Puppetman is rated

4 Like a puppet on a string out of 5

“It wasn’t me”

Quote from David in The Puppetman movie.

“The story harkens back to films like Final Destination where you take a group of friends and exploit them for horrifying deaths,” said Christensen. “We had a ton of fun developing these characters and then taking everything we know about them and turning it against themselves. While I’ve killed off characters before, it was nothing compared to the grotesque machinations that Shudder allowed us to do on The Puppetman.”

Director Branden Christensen talking about the inspiration behind The Puppetman.

• The film stars Michael Paré, Caryn Richman and, Alyson Gorske.
• The Puppetman was produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell, Ryan Christensen is co-writer with Brandon. 
• Shudder Original Film The Puppetman is available to stream from Friday, October 13 During the Annual “FearFest” Celebration. The film won the 2023 Popcorn Frights Jury Award for Best Feature. Movies and Mania reviewed The Puppetman.

Shudder Original “The Puppetman” Horror Movie Trailer