This book is a comprehensive history of the most successful straight-to-video horror franchise of all time: Puppet Master. It provides an in-depth exploration of all 14 films to date—including a made-for-TV crossover and a theatrical reboot—and the action figures, comics, and other merchandise that have helped to keep the brand alive for the past 30 years. Puppet Master was the first film for independent producer extraordinaire Charles Band’s Full Moon Entertainment, launching a franchise and a micro-budget studio that have both continued to this day. What led to the film’s success? How did a little movie about killer puppets, designed to cater to the then-booming video market, wind up surviving video stores themselves? How did a series that had never even had a theatrical entry wind up with an unusually successful toy series? All of these questions are answered within these pages. Featuring new interviews with some of the biggest creative minds behind the franchise, as well as dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, this book is the ultimate guide to horror’s most murderous marionettes.

Nat Brehmer is a horror journalist who has written for Bloody Disgusting, Dread Central, Wicked Horror, and Diabolique Magazine, among others. He lives in Apopka, Florida.

Nat Brehmer

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 252
Bibliographic Info: 52 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7630-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4519-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 3
Chapter One. Fall of an Empire and a Full Moon Rising 7
Chapter Two. Puppet Master 13
Chapter Three. The Eternity Comics 31
Chapter Four. Puppet Master II 37
Chapter Five. Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge 54
Chapter Six. Puppet Master 4 and 5 72
Chapter Seven. Puppet Wars: The Unmade Trilogy 88
Chapter Eight. Puppet Master: The Action Figure Series 99
Chapter Nine. Curse of the Puppet Master 114
Chapter Ten. Retro Puppet Master 126
Chapter Eleven. Puppet Master: The Legacy 140
Chapter Twelve. Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys 152
Chapter Thirteen. Puppet Master: Axis of Evil 168
Chapter Fourteen. Puppet Master: Axis Rising 175
Chapter Fifteen. The Action Lab Comics 185
Chapter Sixteen. Puppet Master: Axis Termination 195
Chapter Seventeen. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich 204
Chapter Eighteen. Blade: The Iron Cross 214
Chapter Nineteen. The Fans 223
Chapter Twenty. The Future 228
Chapter Notes 235
Bibliography 239
Index 241

“One of the best aspects is that this is a fan’s recollection. Brehmer is a fellow fan of the series. He knows exactly what he’s talking about. It’s also extremely clear how much love and passion went into this book…Brehmer is able to deliver such a clear look at the series than any one commentary could do on its own…It delivers an essential must have look. It does it so well. At this point, if you are a fan of Puppet Master, you need to have this in your collection.”—Blazin Blue’s Review