Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Puppet Masters

I like an old horror movie from time to time. This Golden Oldie, circa 1994, from Hollywood Pictures recently aired on Cinemax. Directed by Jeffery Dashnaw, The Puppet Masters still holds enough punch to keep the interest of horror and science fiction fans alike. The special effects are a tad weak by today’s standards, but the story line is well thought out.

In the small, sleepy, town of Ambrose, Iowa – a UFO crashes to earth witnessed by three average teenaged boys. They don’t remain average for long nor does anything else in this cool thriller.

The aliens, who seem to be a cross between a stingray and a cicada, quickly flatten across backs and attach themselves to spinal cords. Hidden beneath bulky clothing, they control the minds of town residents. From their concealed positions, they branch out quickly making it all the way to the White House. Candidates needn’t worry, however, the president is miraculously spared when Donald Sutherland (the main Dr. Goodguy) realizes that his son (Eric Thal) is infected.

Julie Warner does a superb job as the beautiful scientist with a degree in alien life forms. The twists and turns of this movie make it an enjoyable two hours of solid entertainment. It is extremely difficult, as the movie progresses, for the watcher to distinguish the puppets from the uninfected. I would recommend this movie to all fans of horror and science fiction, provided you realize the special effects are from the region of 1994.
--w



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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this take on the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers plot. I thought it amusing Donald Sutherland was in this one too (as in the 1977 remake of IofBS.

Good movie! Nice recommendation!

Susan said...

Sounds gross, but interesting - I guess if I can handle the orcs from LOTR triology, I can take it! I'll pick it up sometime, thanks

Weezel said...

darck, I agree. Hasn't I of BS been done at least 3 times with different takes? -- Maybe 4. I still keep watching!

Susan, you might like it, there is a little love story working in the background to keep the movie interesting!

Thanks to both of you for reading and commenting.