The Puppetman (2023) spoiler free review

“You’re not in control”. The Puppetman is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by Brandon Christensen and written by Christensen, Ryan Christensen, and Matt Manjourides. It will be released by Shudder on October 13, 2023.

A convicted killer on death row always maintained his innocence and that it was an evil force controlling his body as he slaughtered his victims. Now Michal, the killer’s daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her fathers claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. She must try and break the curse of The Puppetman before all her loved ones are killed.

Film synopsis

The cast includes Alyson Gorske as Michal, Michael Paré as Detective Al, Caryn Richman as Ruby, Zachary Le Vey as David, Angel Prater as Charlie, Anna Telfer as Jo, Cameron Wong as Glenn, Jayson Therrien as Carter, Kio Cyr as Danny, and Natalie Meetze as Young Michal.

My opinion

After witnessing the death of her mother when she was a child, Michal is now in college while her dad is on death row after being accused of the murder. But when a evil force appears in Michal’s life and threatens not only her life but that of her friends, her father’s claim of innocence begins to make sense. Having similarities with The Bye Bye Man (2017) and The Empty Man (2020) The Puppetman turns into a generic and predictable horror film about teenagers in college fighting against evil.

After having a intense opening scene that leaves you wanting more, The Puppetman fails to keep that intensity and instead turns into a predictable and repetitive film. The perfomances aren’t convincing enough lacking of chemistry between the actors with only Alyson Gorske as Michal being the only descent one. Thanks to Gorske Michal’s character development can be properly seen and her transition from vulnerable to creepy is believable. Unfortunately, the plot turns repetitive and predictable taking away the shock factor of the ending and the cliff hanger. The film leaves more questions than answers, the door open for a sequel, but several improvements in the writing and acting need to be made if that’s the goal.

[Editor’s note: This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.]