With gruesome kills and references to genre classics such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street, Puppet Killer answers the question nobody asked—”what if Elmo was a serial killer?”
★★★✰✰
A love letter to the iconic slasher films of the 70s and 80s, Lisa Ovies’s Puppet Killer attempts a Scream-esque self-aware parody that pokes fun at tropes of the genre while also revering classic horror films.
The opening scenes of Puppet Killer show horror-obsessed Jamie as an infant being gifted a pink fluffy puppet named Simon (Lee Majdoub), who his mother states will be his “best friend”. After the death of Jamie’s mother, and his father’s remarriage, Jamie seems to fall victim to an “evil step-mother” who, when visiting the family’s cabin in the woods, demands he stops watching age-inappropriate horror films and gets rid of Simon. Arguing with his father, Jamie’s step-mother ends up deciding to leave the cabin, and the family, only to be drawn by a voice into the basement and promptly murdered in a rather gory kill.
We then flash-forward ten years later to 18-year-old Jamie (played by 52-year-old Aleks Punovic) planning a Christmas trip with his friends, up to the very same cabin. Things begin to take a turn for the worst as Jamie’s friends start to disappear one by one. This is where it becomes clear that the filmmakers truly love the slasher genre with many of the kills referencing iconic kills from horror franchises. If you’ve ever wondered what Jason would look like if he was a pink fluffy puppet then Puppet Killer will certainly answer that for you.
Like the casting of Punovic as Jamie many of the cast are far older than the roles they are playing, this being another nod to the classics of the slasher genre. The entire cast are great and manage to bring their roles to life, but the standout of the film is clearly the voice of Simon, Lee Majdoub (who also portrays Jamie’s friend Curtis). The difficulty of managing to balance the creepy and comedic aspects of Simon is achieved well by Majdoub, as Simon starts of sounding relative child-like and innocent but begins to feel more and more menacing as the film goes on.
If you’ve ever wondered what Jason would look like if he was a pink fluffy puppet then Puppet Killer will certainly answer that for you.
A staple of the horror genre, Puppet Killer is certainly not the only horror parody to take place in a cabin in the woods. Horror fans will remember Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods from 2011, which as the title suggests also takes place largely in this setting. Like Whedon, Ovies utilizes this setting incredibly well. With hilarious, yet ultimately gruesome, chases through the woods, and shots contrasting the red of blood and white of snow in the isolated location the setting really shines in Puppet Killer. The fact that we have already seen one murder take place in this location also successfully adds even further foreboding as Jamie and his friends get more and more isolated from the outside world.
Whilst Puppet Killer is a fun watch and a successful parody of the slasher genre, it does leave something to be desired when it comes to the script itself. Characters and storylines aren’t given time to properly develop leading the viewer to feel somewhat dissatisfied. For example, brothers Curtis (Lee Majdoub) and Rick (Richard Harmon) bicker constantly throughout the film, yet very little backstory and no resolution is given to this, and as the film goes on this begins to feel increasingly grating for the viewer. Some may argue that this is a problem with the slasher genre in general (how much character development can really fit in a film where a majority of the characters are dead by the final act?) but it feels more obviously a problem in Puppet Killer where there is clearly a promising backstory not being expanded upon.
Despite this, Puppet Killer is a fun addition to the festive horror-comedy sub-genre, and well not quite as obviously Christmassy as McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse, Ovie’s referenced-filled take on the genre is likely to be well-received by horror buffs.
The Verdict
Puppet Killer is perfect for fans of classic slasher films especially those looking for a fun and festive movie for the Christmas season. What it lacks in nuance, the film more than makes up for in seasonal slasher mayhem.
Words by Isobel Pankhurst
Puppet Killer will be available for digital download from 29th November
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