Notable Cast: Thomas
Lennon, Nelson Franklin, Jenny Pellicer, Michael Pare, Barbara Crampton, Charlyne
Yi, Matthias Hues, Udo Kier
Hype is a cruel mistress. When the Puppet Master reboot was announced there was general shock from the
horror community. Not only was Charles Band still going strong with his own Puppet Master series, but he made it
very clear that he would not be ending his series in light of this reboot. If
anything, Puppet Master was a
franchise that desperately needed the reboot retreat and probably has for
decades. The announcement, along with inclusion of genre auteur S. Craig Zahler
as the writer, was somewhat refreshing. When you add that the film was directed
by Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund, who delivered the stylish if flawed Blood
Runs Cold which was made for the amount of money someone might collect from
couch cushions, then there was hype. Too much hype. As the credits rolled on Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, it
was hard not to feel a sense of disappointment. So much potential and the film
was focused on delivering a silly, tongue-in-cheek experience that Band’s
series is known for instead of delivering something a bit different.