“Crazy If True”: Fans Celebrate Reboot of Cult Classic Horror Franchise That Terrified 80s Kids
Puppet Master rarely earns a mention among the 1980’s genre-defining hits despite having terrorized a generation of kids who rented it from the video store. Created by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, the killer marionette saga debuted in 1989 through Band’s own Full Moon Features and quietly built one of independent horror’s most prolific catalogs, eventually spanning 15 feature films alongside comic books and video games. The franchise revolves around Andre Toulon’s murderous puppet troupe, led by the blade-wielding Blade. Sadly, the Puppet Master movies never received the mainstream theatrical push that allowed contemporaries like Chucky or Freddy Krueger to become pop culture icons.
“We finally closed a deal with Blumhouse, the biggest name in what’s left of the horror world,” Bran said in a passage of his new book, Horror Puppet. “It was a lucrative option deal for them to make a big reboot of Puppet Master. A movie, yes, and possibly a series as well. Best of all, I get to hold onto all my Puppet Master stuff, the movies and the merch. Honestly, I can’t wait to see what they come up with.” The excerpt was shared by a fan on Facebook. The book itself is currently exclusively available on the Full Moon Horror official website, and will be getting a wider distribution in bookstores and on Amazon starting this September.
The New Puppet Master Reboot Deal Is Great For Fans
Blumhouse is, without a question, the biggest horror producer in modern Hollywood. The label built its reputation on some of the best horror franchises of the 21st century, including Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and The Purge. Blumhouse has also expanded its reach thanks to hits such as Get Out, M3GAN, and Five Nights at Freddy’s, all produced under a long-standing first-look deal with Universal Pictures. However, despite Blumhouse being an industry behemoth, Band’s description of the Puppet Master pact as an option deal is great news for fans. Rather than selling the franchise outright, Band retains ownership of the existing films and merchandise while Blumhouse develops new material, a structure that mirrors how he previously handed off 2018’s Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich to Cinestate. That means Band can still control the original continuity regardless of what happens at Blumhouse.
The possibility of a TV show is also enticing. A television series would mark uncharted territory for Puppet Master, which has expanded into comic books through Eternity Comics and Action Lab Comics and into gaming through the multiplayer title Puppet Master: The Game, yet has never carried a scripted show. Band has already pursued a TV project in the early 2000s, but the idea never moved forward. With the funding and distribution reach of Blumhouse, a Puppet Master TV show becomes possible again. Fans are excited about the prospect, with many supporting a full comeback for Puppet Master. Of course, fans are also raising valid concerns, pointing out that a reboot shouldn’t be seduced by CGI and instead use the stop-motion techniques that made the original movies so unique.
The original Puppet Master movie is available on Shudder and Prime Video.
