The Dungeonmaster AKA Ragewar (1984)

A 1984 anthology horror/fantasy movie that uses a sci-fi premise to frame the fantastical stories, The Dungeonmaster feels far less dated nowadays than you would expect, mainly due to the main character simply using his computer to give himself what we would now recognise as a fully-loaded smart home. He even wears smart glasses to help him when outside his home. I am not saying this is as prophetic as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it does feel more ahead of the curve than many other films from this time, even if the tech is still quite slow and clunky.

Jeffrey Byron plays Paul Bradford, the tech whizz at the heart of this. He is very happy in life, and he’s ready to take the next step with his girlfriend, Gwen (Leslie Wing). Gwen knows she risks always coming second to his computer though, so she wants some understandable reassurances. The competition for Paul’s attention turns fierce when a dangerous figure drags our leads into another world, with Paul having to pass a number of challenges set by the dungeonmaster, aka Mestema (Richard Moll), in order to keep Gwen safe and alive. 

Although this IS an anthology film, with many different segments written and directed by different film-makers, from Charles Band to Ted Nicolau, it doesn’t actually feel like an anthology film. There’s a steady through line that keeps each segment, bar one, feeling strongly connected to the overarching storyline, and our hero and main villain are a constant. But it still has the advantage that every anthology horror has . . . if you aren’t enjoying one tale then you shouldn’t have to wait too long until something comes along that you might like more.

It also helps that there are various creations from John Carl Buechler on display here. He helms one segment in the film, but his fingerprints are all over the thing, with some of the wonderful puppetry and texture that any fan of the man should find absolutely delightful.

While they are not troubling anyone for awards, all three main performers do a good job with the schlocky material. Byron is a likable dweeb discovering plenty of courage for the sake of the one he loves, and uttering ridiculous lines of dialogue with conviction en route to what he hopes will be an ending that has him victorious. Wing is often left to be the damsel in distress, but she also gets to have fun in one or two other incarnations, and she remains steadfastly plucky in the face of impending doom. Then you have Moll, clearly having a lot of fun as the deadly Mestema, strolling around the sidelines like a wrestling champ waiting for his opponent to be worn down before he enters the Royal Rumble melee.

If you are after a horror movie with genuine scares then this isn’t for you. If you want a fantasy film that aims for gritty and realistic violence in a world created with high production values then this isn’t for you. Want something that makes any sense? You should also look elsewhere. But if you want something that’s a lot of fun from start to finish, has decent performances, a great panto villain, and a segment that makes use of W.A.S.P. playing one of their songs while our hero tries to get through the concert crowd to save the woman he loves . . . you know what film you can rely on. While some may view this as not as polished, or as much fun, as something like Waxwork,  I would say it’s comparable, and deserves to be just as appreciated by fans as that movie is. 

8/10

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Evil Bong (2006)

If you are wondering just what you might get from a film called Evil Bong then you may have already spent too much time in the company of an evil bong. It's not a hard concept to figure out, not really, and the fact that it is directed by Charles Band means that you're unlikely to find a lot of hidden depth here. 

David Weidoff plays Alistair, a young (nerd) man who moves into shared accommodation with, as you may have guessed, a bunch of guys who like to get stoned. Alistair doesn’t personally indulge, which is why it takes much longer for him to be caught in the clutches of . . . the Evil Bong. In fact, Alistair only sets out to get stoned when he figures out what is happening to those around him, including Janet (Kristyn Green), a woman he has taken quite a shine to.

As silly and light as you should expect, Evil Bong isn’t actually as bad as it could be, thanks to the idea of people being transported to a “bong world” that is basically just a strip club where they are eventually killed, or have their souls temporarily held from their bodies. It is also a place where other characters from the Full Moon stable of movies can appear, for no other reason than allowing fans to recognise them and smile. Jack Deth, Gingerdead Man, Ooga Booga, and more appear onscreen for a few seconds. They add nothing to the plot of the film, but I cannot deny that it was fun to recognise them (and remember other Full Moon movies that I had already enjoyed or endured).

Band directs with his usual approach, take an idea that can be milked for years and throw everything together as cheaply as possible. He is helped by Domonic Muir’s script, which leans into the silliness of it all just enough to be slightly charming, as opposed to smug and offputting, and the “guest role” for Tommy Chong is an easy way to attract the right viewer demographic.

Weidoff isn’t the best actor around, but he is also far from the worst,  as are the other main stars.. Everyone knows what kind of movie they are in, and everyone does just fine by the material. I would say that this is actually one of the better casts I have seen Band put together, with Green a very likeable potential love interest, and Brian Lloyd, John Patrick Jordan, and Mitch Eakins, are amusing enough as the non-nerd flatmates ready to gently mock the new nerd in their midst. Robin Sydney also does fine, playing the girlfriend of Lloyd’s character, while the voice of Michelle Mais works well as for the Evil Bong aka EeBee. There’s also a small supporting role for Phil Fondacaro, someone who has appeared in many Full Moon movies, and who I always enjoy seeing.

This is silly, it is put together carelessly, and you may well start forgetting it even before the end credits have finished. But it’s also moderately amusing, at times, and keeps throwing enough elements around onscreen that some of them manage to stick.

4/10

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Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017)

And here we have it. I know that there is one more movie in the series, to date (that may be five more movies by the time you read this), but Puppet Master: Axis Termination tries hard to be the worst in the series. It's certainly on a par with the previous film, although it tries to distract viewers with some gratuitous nudity and gore.

I fear that attempting to describe the plot will result in me losing brain cells that I will never get back, so let me just say that a group of people are still out to stop a group of Nazis from using the puppets for their own nefarious plans. This group of people includes the character of Brooks (a tough military type played by Paul Logan, very similar to the character of Sgt Stone in the last movie) and a number of people with various supernatural abilities.

While he may do well in his role as businessman/carnival barker for Full Moon Features, Charles Band is a director who has long ago forsaken any ounce of talent and integrity for any quicker way to make a buck. Some may argue that he never had talent or integrity. Okay, I'm not entirely sure about the latter, but I'd point to the first couple of Trancers movies as evidence of the former. And I know some people still have a soft spot for Prehysteria! (which he co-directed) so we know that he once made some movies that people could enjoy. It just becomes harder and harder to remember them with each subsequent movie he helms.

The script by Roger Barron doesn't help at all, although I have to wonder just how much is developed from the fervent imagination of a writer wanting to try and use the puppets in a fun and entertaining adventure and how much is developed from the wide-eyed ramblings of Band, who probably thinks he is a one-man-idea factory, and the best person to steer this series back on to a track that he derailed it from in the first place. This is only the second script from Barron, who also wrote Trophy Heads (I cannot deny that I really want to see that), and it's clunky, ridiculous, nonsense that doesn't throw everything together in a good way.

At least the cast all do well. Wait, no, I am just kidding. The cast are almost uniformly atrocious. I may even forgive Greg Sesteros for his appalling accent in the seventh movie, it's nothing compared to the wildly uneven "Russian" accent being delivered by George Appleby, playing the good Doctor Ivan Ivanov (sheesh, even that name just smacks of utter laziness), or the . . . whatever accent that is supposed to be coming out of the mouth of Tonya Kay, one of the main Nazi villains this time around. I have enjoyed Paul Logan in a number of movie roles (nobody can kick a megapiranha in the face like he can), but he's not used properly here, placed far too often as the wisecracking cynic dragged involuntarily into a battle that utilises more magic than the guns he is more comfortable with. Nobody else is worth mentioning, because I'd rather not insult every single person involved with the movie.

Oh well, I am pretty confident that the next movie can't possibly be as bad as this one . . . can it?

2/10

There's a decent set here, for those who want the whole Axis saga.

Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (2012)

Puppet Master X: Axis Rising leads on immediately from the events of the last film. However, being directed by Charles Band, it is not concerned with actually needing to have any of the same actors in the main roles, it feels ten times cheaper, and it ends by teasing a continuing storyline that some may wish was just dropped in favour of more standalone instalments.

Danny and Beth (this time played by Kip Canyon and Jean Louise O'Sullivan) are to be recognised for their act of heroism in defeating the Nazi plot from the previous movie. Meanwhile, a Kommandant Moebius (Scott Anthony King) is eagerly awaiting on successful results from a doctor (Oto Brezina) that he has put to work on developing human corpse versions of the puppets they have managed to get their hands on.

There are some fun ideas here, mainly thanks to the script by Shane Bitterling, but everything is undermined by the cost-cutting directorial style of Band. I cannot fully hate any movie that has a scheming, busty, blonde Nazi (Stephanie Sanditz) in the mix, and the third act has some fun new puppets added to the roster, but the rest is much tougher to get through than it should be. Aside from the central cast, about eight people, it's obvious that Band didn't want to pay anyone extra if he could help it. You can get away with that if you keep every scene small and intimate. It's a bit harder to do it if you're supposed to be shooting a dinner party sequence (as happens here).

The cast are all exactly as you'd expect them to be for the budget. There are two people who don't do a terrible job, Brezina and Sanditz, with one giving a decent performance and the other most effective because of the look and manner of her icy blonde character. Canyon and O'Sullivan are worse than the actors who portrayed their characters in the previous movie, King gives the kind of pantomime Nazi performance I thought went extinct after 'Allo 'Allo! ended, and Brad Potts, playing a Sergeant who reluctantly has to "babysit" the two leads, gives the worst performance in the film, despite some strong competition.

What else is there to say? If you've read all of that and still think you may enjoy the film then you MAY enjoy the film. It has enough little pleasures to avoid being too painful. It also has sets that feel like they were thrown together to give the maximum coverage for the lowest cost (the Band way),  the character arc for Danny is pretty ridiculous, and there's a Japanese puppet added to the cast that, well, you will just have to see it for yourself. Not to mention the poorly-shot puppet fights that make the strings all too visible.

Thankfully, it looks like the eighth movie will remain the absolute low point, but this is still far removed from the quality we had at the start of the series. And I am already afraid about what the next instalment will have in store for me.

3/10

There's a decent set here, for those who want the whole Axis saga.

Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003)

It seems a bit unfair to review Puppet Master: The Legacy when I have reviewed all of the other movies that came before it. Because this is one of those specials that we've come to expect from Full Moon Features, a film that has about ten minutes of new material in there, if that, with the rest made up of edited sections from other movies. Charles Band, credited as director here (under the name Robert Talbot), never met one movie that he wouldn't try to stretch into three more movies.

The very slim plot sees a woman (Maclain, played by Kate Orsini) trying to track down the secret of Toulon. She eventually tracks down Eric Weiss (Jacob Witkin), who is actually the older incarnation of the boy named Peter Hertz, a child saved by Toulon in the third movie. As Maclain demands answers from him, Eric plays her a number of tapes and tells her a number of stories about the life of Toulon. It's all stuff that viewers will be familiar with, but what is more annoying is that it's also all supposed to be stuff that Maclain also already knows.

I would be kind to this movie and say that it was best viewed as a "greatest hits" swansong for the series, but neither of those things are true. Perhaps it was all meant to end here, although I am glad that it didn't (unless the next instalments can somehow get any worse, which I seriously doubt), but there were so many more good clips that could have been served up to entertain viewers, and remind them of what they loved best about the series. What you get, instead, is just a potted version of every other film (although I don't remember too many scenes from part 5 . . . but it's in there) without a decent enough framing device to make it feel like anything other than the lazy cash grab it so obviously is.

Orsini is quite bad in her role, but she's not given much help from the dialogue she's made to spout (by C. Courtney Joyner). Witkin is slightly better. And then you have to endure more moments you've already endured, as the flashbacks really take over with Greg Sestero talking in his horrible French accent. At least that allows you to know the structure, and to know that once that portion of the story is out of the way it is a Sestero-free zone for the rest of the movie. Thank goodness for small mercies. There are incidental pleasures from seeing the clips that feature action from the second and third movies, but you could always just . . . rewatch the second and third movies, which would save you having to be reminded of the weaker elements of some of the other instalments.

No wonder Band credited himself under a different name here. Taking any directorial credit is a bit of a cheek, considering how much of it is simply placing the work of others in some kind of series overview film collage. Easily avoidable if you've watched the series in order.

2/10

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Puppet Master (1989)

A group of psychics gather together to pay their respects to a deceased colleague. Except they actually have another agenda, to learn the secrets of a famed alchemist named André Toulon (played in a short sequence at the start of the movie by William Hickey). And their colleague may be hiding something from them all. It's not long until people start wandering off on their own, which allows them to be terrorised and picked off by Toulon's deadly creations, some killer puppets.

Directed by David Schmoeller, who also worked on the screenplay from a story idea by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, Puppet Master is the first in what would be the most successful series for Full Moon Features (in terms of fan loyalty and number of instalments). Unless I am forgetting another obvious contender.

All of the elements are in place here that let you know this is from the house that Band built. There's a very familiar score from Richard Band, a cast full of relative unknowns, with the exception of Hickey in his small role and Paul Le Mat as someone who turns out to be the lead, in a number of ways. There's a sprinkling of nudity, creative use of the low budget (done better here than in so many other Full Moon Features movies), and a few scenes that recycle footage from earlier scenes. And, of course, you get the main killers, which are among some of the best diminutive creations to be enjoyed in this kind of non-theatrical fare. The film was originally due to be released in cinemas, but Band figured he would make more in the home entertainment market. It's hard to argue against him when you think of how these films have maintained their following for the past thirty years.

The cast are all there to play second fiddle to the puppets, which they all seem fine with. While nobody is doing their very best work, nobody totally stinks up the screen either. Le Mat is a bit bland, but not awful, Robin Frates is the widow of the deceased figure at the centre of events, which automatically shades her with some mystery and suspicion, and Kathryn O'Reilly gamely takes on the role that throws some gratuitous nudity into the mix. Irene Miracle, Matt Roe, and Jimmie F. Skaggs do what is asked of them, and Barbara Crampton appears for a completely unnecessary, but welcome, cameo appearance (her total screentime is probably not even one full minute though).

Although it doesn't make the most of the fun premise, Puppet Master is a film I will always have a soft spot for. It has a weak script, an average cast, and those puppets, with each one at least having a memorably unique trait. That last aspect is enough to keep me happy. I hope to make my way through the entire franchise one day, and I suspect that I have already endured much worse during my cinematic "travels". I know that my optimism may be worn down by the time I get through the first few movies, but I'll cling on to it for now. Watch this space to see if it ever disappears entirely while I get myself up to speed with the escapades of Toulon and co.

7/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy a decent little set here.

Demonic Toys (1992)

Another Full Moon Entertainment flick from yesteryear that I somehow missed, Demonic Toys was always going to get a spin in my household one day. It had everything that I could want from a Full Moon movie. Which is, basically, some plot that focuses on diminutive denizens of death. Not that EVERY Full Moon movie has that main plot element but, let's face it, most of their better outings do.

Tracy Scoggins is a cop named Judith Gray who loses her partner in a truly terrible undercover operation that goes wrong so quickly it's hard to believe that the two cop characters are really supposed to be cops. Anyway, that leads to the criminals being chased into a warehouse, which is the very place in which the titular demonic toys live. A few more characters get involved (a douchey security guard, a young fast food worker making a delivery, and a girl named Anne who . . . has been hiding in the air-condition system), the toys attack, and the second half throws in plenty of hokum that can be enjoyed by viewers in the right frame of mind.

Based on an original idea by Charles Band (hmmmm . . . I think he has been allowed that credit ever since he first said "I know, let us have small dolls or puppets, or shrunken people, attack folk"), Demonic Toys is actually written by David S. Goyer, it's one of his earlier screenplays. Not that Goyer can do too much to elevate the material, but he doesn't do too bad in his attempts to keep things moving from one bit of silliness to the next. The toys include a dangerous robot figure, a baby doll (named Oopsie Daisy), an evil "Jack In The Box", and one or two others, and Goyer gives them all a moment in the spotlight, although the lead toy seems to be Oopsie Daisy, which is unfortunate when her main trait seems to be swearing in a way that is obviously supposed to be amusing juxtaposed with her baby form.

You also get a lot of the action situated in the one location, another common feature of Full Moon Entertainment movies, but it manages to feel a bit better than most thanks to the very small amount of variety on offer (the main warehouse, the air-conditioning shafts, the fast food restaurant set which is used for one or two scenes in the opening act). Director Peter Manoogian does what is required of him, never hitting the heights of his first two features (the magnificent Eliminators and Enemy Territory) but certainly keeping the whole thing in the upper tier of the Full Moon catalogue. You get  some fun creature designs, a few decent deaths, and a grand evil plan so demented that it's laughable (which I don't say as a criticism).

The acting isn't that bad either, with Scoggins doing as well as she can in her lead role. Bentley Mitchum is the other lead, the deliverer of the fast food, and also does fine. Ellen Dunning does alright with her small role, Peter Schrum is suitably irritating as the security guard, and Dano Cerny gets to be an entertainingly evil child.

In the grand scheme of things, Demonic Toys is not a good movie. In the filmography of Full Moon Entertainment, it's a fun time for fans of their particular style of schlock.

6/10

You can buy a fairly light disc here.
Americans can get a little triple-bill here.

Trancers II (1991)

For anyone interested, my review of the first movie is on Flickfeast here.

Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) returns to take on more Trancers in this hugely enjoyable sequel. Helen Hunt is also back, as Lena, and the film continues on from the events of the first movie, albeit six years later. Yes, Jack has been settled in the past now for six years and he's quite happy but he can sense something in the air, some vibe that somehow lets him know that Trancers are in the vicinity. What are Trancers, you might ask? Well, you have to watch the first movie to make sure that you're fully informed.

This sequel starts off a bit uncertainly but quickly hits its stride and then never pauses long enough for all of the nonsense to spoil the sense of fun. After an opening sequence that introduces the situation and characters and briefly tries to make the science stuff believable it's all about fun with the Deths and the people who end up having their lives saved by Jack.

With Charles Band directing once again, and Jackson Barr returning for the writing duties, there's certainly no big gap between the tone of this movie and the tone of the original. Deth is still a gruff guy, happier shooting a gun than trying to verbalise any emotions, and he's still a great central character.

Thomerson excels yet again in the lead role, and Hunt is also just as enjoyable as she was in the first movie. Art LaFleur and Telma Hopkins return, albeit briefly, and Biff Manard and Megan Ward have fun with their roles. Richard Lynch puts in a decent performance as the main villain while horror fans will love seeing supporting roles for Martine Beswick, Jeffrey Combs and the lovely Barbara Crampton.

There are a number of moments when the low budget becomes a bit obvious but that can't detract from the sheer sense of fun that fills every frame once Jack Deth sets his sights on baddies that he can happily blast away. Some additional emotional complication (Megan Ward's character is the future wife of Jack Deth, which displeases Helen Hunt, his wife in the present) is largely played for comedy value but adds a satisfying heart to all of the gunfights, gadgetry (the long-second watch returns) and paradoxes. If you liked the first movie then I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this sequel just as much.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trancers-2-DVD/dp/B00006LSGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341596821&sr=8-1

Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993)

Following on directly from the end of the first movie, Bloodstone: Subspecies II changes the main actress but keeps everything else pretty much consistent with the events of its predecessor. Radu (Anders Hove again) is still a nasty vampire and he still covets the bloodstone. He also covets the latest female vampire to be created (Denice Duff) and sets out to reclaim her as his consort after she escapes into the night.

Written and directed by Ted Nicolaou, this outing does what most sequels do. Basically, it's the same as the first movie but not quite as good in a number of ways. Unlike most sequels, however, it actually claws some points back in other ways and things even out to the point where this film ends up being equal to the first. What does it do better this time around? Well, there are some genuinely impressive practical effects (most of them in the first 10-20 minutes, admittedly, but they are onscreen for your enjoyment) and some effective use of light and shadow for a number of moody sequences.

The cast may not be all that great but they do what needs done with the average script. Anders Hove is the best thing onscreen once again as Radu while Pamela Gordon, under a LOT of make up, is equally nasty alongside him as Mummy. Denice Duff is now the actress playing Michelle (aka Michele) and she does okay, I guess, while Melanie "yes, daughter of William" Shatner is stuck in the thankless role of Rebecca, the sister trying to find Michelle and ensure her safety. Kevin Blair is Mel, a disposable male character there to show an interest in Rebecca, but Michael Denish is given more to do as the learned and helpful Popescu.

This is an entertaining and surprisingly atmospheric sequel that I recommend unreservedly to fans of the first film. Though do be warned - this was filmed back to back with Bloodlust: Subspecies III and so ends somewhat abruptly to help you choose whether or not you're going to watch the next instalment.

6/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Subspecies--Epic-Collection-Subspecies-Journals/dp/B000F6ZIJM/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1337544741&sr=1-1

Subspecies (1991)

Yet another fantasy horror movie formulated in the fevered mind of Charles Band, this low budget vampire film may have a lot going against it but it also has a surprising number of good points.

Radu (Anders Hove) is an evil vampire who can snap off his fingers to make little creatures that help do his bidding. We find this out at the very beginning of the movie when he returns to his village and angrily confronts his father (Angus Scrimm, wearing a wig that I can only describe as making him look like an 80 year old Leo Sayer).

"You make me feel like dancing, I want to dance the night away!"

Anyway, it's not long before we get to the main plot of the movie. Namely, three young girls end up having their lives endangered as they try to learn more about the history of the area and the tales of vampires that many of the locals choose to believe in. Silly, ignorant locals. One or two bitey moments later and it's the girls who feel silly. And scared.

Directed by Ted Nicolaou, Subspecies is surprisingly enjoyable for the type of b-movie fodder it so obviously is. The script by Jackson Barr and David Pabian may not be up to much but the pace never drags and there are some very good practical effects here and there. The stop motion work, showing the creatures created by Radu, is a hell of a lot better than I was expecting and shows that every penny in the budget was well used.

The acting isn't great, to be honest, but nobody really stinks either. Irina Movila, Michelle McBride and Laura Tate are the three girls about to learn more than they ever wanted to know while Michael Watson is the dull Stefan (a slightly mysterious man who might be able to help out), Ivan J. Rado plays an older man who knows more than he's letting on and Anders Hove is excellent as the evil Radu.

A bit of bloodletting, some decent special effects, a small helping of gratuitous nudity, some terrible decisions made by the main characters and a list of characters that includes "old crone" all mix together to make this one of the better movies from Full Moon Studios that you could choose to watch.


6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Subspecies--Epic-Collection-Subspecies-Journals/dp/B000F6ZIJM/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1337544741&sr=1-1