• Warning: Spoilers
    Puppet Master is one of those franchises that every horror fan knows, and has a peculiar fondness for despite the fact that it isn't very good at all. Here, in the fourth instalment we see a demonic creature out to destroy anything associated with the eponymous puppet master, Anton Toulon himself. The subjects of his wrath? The lethal and animate toys Toulon created, as well as an improbably young scientist working on a project to bring life to the inanimate and a clutch of his witless friends and associates. Sound dreadful? Well, it's not. Harking back to the glory days of American horror, this is retro stuff that feels as if it was made ten years before it actually was. And that's a good thing, kids. Trust me, if the only horror you have seen is 'Shrooms, Thir13en ghosts and other such nonsense that gets the green light in modern horror cinema, you really are missing out and would do well to check out pretty much anything pre 1989 as an educational experience. Whilst the production levels and acting are bordering on the inane, this has atmosphere by the bucket load. In truth, the Puppet Master movies feel like really dark kids films, as there is next to nothing in the way of gore or violence, though this one at least has an entertaining death scene near the start which is relatively tense. Special mention must go to the metal soundtrack, which was great, as well as the device used to end the demonic menace: The Decapitron, a puppet with the power of mimicry. Entertaining enough horror yarn.