Charles Band’s living puppets are making a return for an upcoming reboot. In fact, they’re all returning again in multiple films since Di Bonaventura Pictures and Caliber Media have partnered up to develop a brand new take on Band’s cult classic horror film franchise Puppet Master.

Their intention is to produce a number of storylines within a new Puppet Master universe. The producer are already moving forward with the first installment entitled Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich with eyes set on S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk) to pen the script and expand the mythology.

Jack Heller for Caliber Media said,

We couldn’t be more excited to take the series in a new direction while embracing all the practical effects and terrifying insanity that fans of the PUPPET MASTER films love.

Band is fully involved with the project and will serve as the executive producer. He plans to announce the collaboration with Dallas Sonnier from Caliber Media this weekend on stage at the Texas Frightmare Weekend.

A director is not yet attached to Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, but a search is quietly underway.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich Synopsis

The storyline for THE LITTLEST REICH follows a recently divorced young man who discovers a mint condition Blade doll in his deceased brother’s closet and plans to sell the toy at a convention in Oregon celebrating the 30th anniversary of the infamous Toulon Murders. All hell breaks loose at the Postville Lodge during the auction when a strange force animates all of the various puppets throughout the convention as they go on a bloody killing spree.

Since we recently published an interview with horror legend Charles Band, what better time to write up a top 10 list of the greatest Full Moon Pictures movies ever made? The timing is pure coincidence, I assure you. We here are Yell! Magazine are much too proud to suck up to Hollywood types by publishing a follow-up article praising their work to high heaven. We Internet journalists conduct ourselves with the utmost dignity and discipline and we strive to be an example to our peers. We are as innocent and giddy as newborn babies floated down to Earth on the wings of angels.

On an entirely unrelated note, why wasn’t I invited to this year’s Christmas party?

Anyway, without any further delay, here is Yell! Magazine’s Top 10 Full Moon Pictures Movies Of All Time! As usual, the movies are presented in no particular order.

No.10 Doctor Mordrid

While Full Moon Pictures is largely associated with the horror genre due to its long-running Puppet Master franchise, the studio also delved into the realms of science fiction (Crash and Burn), historical drama (The Pit And The Pendulum) and, in the case of Doctor Mordrid, comic book fantasy. Directed by Charles Band himself, Mordrid was originally intended as a vehicle for Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, but the rights were lost somewhere along the way and the movie was retooled. The basic Doctor Strange framework is still there: powerful magician, living secretly among humans, protects humanity against countless magical incursions from beyond and from evil magic users bent on our destruction.

Hey, Doc? ABBA called, they want their blue pantsuit back.

Genre icon Jeffrey Coombs stars as the titular character and, delivering a charming, intelligent performance that anchors the movie. Opposite is Brian Thompson’s Kabal, who makes for a fearsome foe. Mordrid gets a useless love interest in the form of Yvette Nipar, but the movie as a whole would have been better had her character not gotten in the way of the magical fisticuffs. While Mordrid’s special effects haven’t aged well, there are a few standouts. A final reel showdown in a museum features one great set piece moment: a battle between the animated skeletal remains of a T-Rex and a Mammoth.

What puts Doctor Mordrid over the top is just how unpretentious the whole thing is. Everybody is doing a good job, having fun and taking the whole thing just seriously enough to get the audience to willingly follow along with a smile on its face. Hell, if it wasn’t for a bit of nudity I’d highly recommend you show Mordrid to your kids. Aw, who am I kidding! If you’re any sort of cool parent you won’t let that stop you from sharing this awesome little B-movie with your kids. So what if they get their first taste of boobies? What’s the worst thing that could happen?

I refuse to take responsibility for this.

No.9 Meridian: Kiss of the Beast

Since we’re on the topic of breasts, let’s talk about Meridian. Another Charles Band-directed feature, Meridian makes great use of some gorgeous (and affordable) European locations, a Full Moon Pictures trademark, and equally great use of some gorgeous chesticular locations belonging to erstwhile Twin Peaks actress Sherilyn Fenn and Full Moon torch bearer (and personal childhood crush) Charlie Spradling.

Homina… homina… homina…

Band goes for a dreamy, almost Harlequin romance novel quality here. Two nubile art students travel to Italy to visit the castle one of the pair has just inherited. There’s a curse, a traveling troupe of sideshow freaks, and a beastly werewolf-like creature of the night wandering the grounds. Kiss Of The Beast is Beauty And The Beast by way of Seduction Cinema: it’s wonderfully shot, the beautiful Italian locations belie the movie’s tiny budget, and there’s enough nudity to carry you through the occasional Twilight-y “he loves, he loves me not” angst scene.

Oh, Romeo, Romeo… HEY, BOOBIES!

Look, Meridian is no great shake as a date movie, but there’s just enough meaningful staring into each other’s eyes to get chicks interested and more than enough bared skin to keep your werewolf howling at the moon. It’s well-made, the story is surprisingly sad, and if you’re willing to go along with it, you won’t regret the ride.

No.8 Subspecies 1-2-3-4

Full Moon Pictures had many unique talents working on its movies, but if you had to remember one name from Full Moon’s early stable of directors, it should be Ted Nicolaou, the man behind the hidden gem that is the Subspecies series.

While any discussion involving vampire movies will invariably feature such classic characters as Dracula and Count Orlok, true fans of the genre will always bring up actor Anders Hove’s truly out-of-this-world creepy take on Radu, the main antagonist of the Subspecies films. Unlike a certain sparkly, girly vampire whose ass you can see kicked 10 times over in a previous list, Radu isn’t pretty, he’s not suave, he drinks blood with reckless abandon, and doesn’t much care about the fact that he’s incapable of hiding his inhumanity.

Unless he’s hiding out at a Cher concert.

Lumping all four movies together might be a bit of cheat, but it really is one complete story told in four parts. Shot in Romania, Nicolaou manages to bring a distinct sense of realism to the proceedings. Nicolaou squeezes every drop of drama out of his budgets, stringing together a truly epic tale of betrayal, bloodshed and horror.

The standout performance is, of course, Anders Hove. His Radu is all haunched over walk, raspy voiced, and snake oil salesman charm — and viewers will miss the times when he’s not on screen. Denice Duff plays Michelle, the subject of Radu’s lust, for three out of the four movies, replacing original actress Laura Mae Tate, who opted out of the sequels.

“I can’t wait for Twilight to come out so I can ditch you for Edward…”

All four Subspecies movies are now out in a collector’s edition DVD. I highly recommend you check them out. They stand as stark proof that storytelling and imagination often trumps massive budgets.

No.7 Trancers

As much as I love Full Moon Pictures, even a hardcore fan must admit that the studio never saw an idea it couldn’t wait to “pay homage to.” For instance, Trancers homages the living shit out of James Cameron’s Terminator movies.

Essentially film noir shot through a science fiction lens, Trancers stars cement-faced Tim Thomerson as Jack Deth (because Dick Hardsteel, John Johnson, and Bigpenis McGonnakillya were already taken), a time-traveling cop sent to modern day (well, 1985) Los Angeles to prevent a serial killer from assassinating the ancestors of several important future people and shag a pre-fame Helen Hunt. Not necessarily in that order.

Her plastic surgeon deserves an Oscar.

I may sound harsh on Trancers, but you always hurt the ones you love. Directed once again by the man himself, Charles Band, Trancers is one of the unquestionable gems in the B-movie kingdom. Despite being filmed nearly 27 years ago, the story, acting and that certain je ne sait quoi that distinguishes bottom-of-the-barrel direct-to-video trash from the jewels still manages to entertain. I dare any B-movie fan to watch this trailer without smiling from ear to ear.

Trancers (1985) Trailer

No.6 Shadowzone

Probably a more obscure choice than some of the other movies on this list, Shadowzone still holds a special place in many Full Moon Pictures’ fans’ hearts.

SOLD!

It’s got monsters. It’s got boobs. What more does a kid need to get through life? OK, fine, monsters, boobs, and oxygen. Shadowzone is one of the many “underground complex gets overtaken by alien influence” movies that crowded video store shelves in the early ’90s. Get this: an experiment in sleep therapy accidently opens a portal to a parallel universe and… dun dun dun… something comes through to our side!

For such a clichéd movie, Shadowzone has a great cast, including Oscar winner Louise Fletcher and perennial genre favorite James Hong. Maureen Flaherty provides the ample nudity seen above. Judging from her filmography, her only clothed appearance might have been in an episode of Doogie Howser. I’m guessing. Maybe it was a “very special” episode of Howser where Doogie loses his virginity to a street whore. Wait, I think I’m mixing my real life and fiction again…

Find out which Full Moon Pictures movie ranks Number 1 after the jump…

It’s also a direct sequel to Axis of Evil, as Danny Coogan returns once again with the help of his puppets (Blade, Pinhead, and, new recruit, Ninja) to save his girlfriend, Beth, who has been kidnapped by Klaus. Along the way, Coogan must defeat new 12-inch Nazi puppets that have been injected with a serum (such as Blitzkrieg, Bombshell, Weremacht) and one Japanese puppet, Kamikaze.

Puppet Master X: Axis Rising can now be pre-ordered online, and will be available on October 9, 2012, for the Blu-ray/DVD via Full Moon Direct.

There’s no name quite as synonymous with the direct-to-video boom of the late ’80s/early ’90s as Full Moon Entertainment. If you’re a child of my generation, there’s a good chance you share my memories of running for the horror section of your local video store every week just hoping to see that familiar cloudy, blue moon logo somewhere on a VHS tape’s box art. (VHS tapes are what old timers like your faithful reviewer used to watch movies on. We also used to play something called the NES, collect Pongs, dance the Charleston, and our cell phones were so big they had their own area codes. It was a different time…)

Cave drawings found of a typical ’90s child.

A Brief Full Moon History

The creative minds behind the studio weren’t inexperienced rookies, having already produced many B-movie classics under the Empire Pictures umbrella since the very early ’80s. Just mention Trancers, Ghoulies, Zone Troopers or Re-Animator to any B-movie aficionado and watch their smile widen.

Or you could mention Troll and watch them start frothing at the mouth like a pit-bull overdosing on Alka Seltzer…

By the end of the decade, Empire Pictures was in dire financial trouble and company founder Charles Band needed a new platform from which to launch his movies. Partnering with Paramount, Band created Full Moon Entertainment in 1989. The Full Moon brand name really took root in the subconscious of video store dwellers with the same year’s release of what would become the studio’s flagship series: Puppet Master.

A Puppet Master Golden Era

The Puppet Master franchise would re-invent itself several times over the years. The eventual popularity of Andre Toulon’s creations would push the studio into making them slightly more heroic but the series’ first few entries cast them as pure antagonists. Kicking the story off in 1939 at one of Full Moon’s most iconic locales, the seaside Bodega Bay Inn, the titular puppet master himself, Andre Toulon, takes his own life to escape the clutches of pursuing Nazi spies. In his initial appearance, Toulon is played by the late, great veteran character actor William Hickey. Even if you don’t know the name, you’ve no doubt seen him in a thousand different movies.

“I won an Oscar, you know?”

Later entries would recast the Toulon role with the more affable Guy Rolfe. It would have been interesting to see what take Hickey would have had on the character if the actor stayed with the series beyond his initial cameo. Fast forward to then-modern times and a collection of psychics begin having strange visions surrounding a deceased colleague of theirs, visions that lead them to gather at the aforementioned Bodega Bay Inn. If you’re only familiar with later movies in the Puppet Master series, part 1 might seem a little odd in tone compared to its brethren. While most Puppet Master movies dabble in magic, alchemy, and alternate histories, the heavy use of psychic powers in this entry feels a bit out of step with the rest of the franchise.

Continue reading the Puppet Master review after the jump…

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

[rating:4]

Year Released:

12 October 1989

Director:

David Schmoeller

Cast/Crew

Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, Jimmie F. Skaggs, Robin Frates, Matt Roe, Kathryn O’Reilly, Barbara Crampton, and Irene Miracle

Genre

Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Official URL:

Full Moon Direct

I blame Charlie Spradling’s boobs.

Full Moon Entertainment is coming back in a big way, which is good news for horror aficionados everywhere. We’ve already covered the launch of Fullmoonhorror.com and Yell! Magazine as even been privy to the innermost thoughts of the man himself, Full Moon founder and all around totally awesome individual Charles Band, in our exclusive interview. We here at Yell! are big fans of Full Moon, your faithful reviewer would never have successfully navigated the landmines of puberty without assistance from Mrs. Spradling. Plus, the dominance of Full Moon (and its predecessor Empire Pictures) of the direct-to-video market meant that I finally had something other than American Ninja or The Beastmaster to rent over and over again.

Subspecies, Trancers and countless other ghoulish delights will forever hold a special place near the cockles of my heart. And I’m not just saying that because I enjoy using the word cockle. Though somewhere Beavis and Butthead are laughing their asses off. Despite my affection for many of Full Moon’s offerings, the Puppet Master franchise is the cream of the crop. The flagship series for the studio since its inception, Full Moon is paving for the way for the next installment in minuscule phantasmagoria: Puppet Master: Axis Rising. A direct sequel to the previous entry, Axis Of Evil, Rising is aiming for a Fall release. Axis Rising will feature old favorites such as Jester, Pinhead, Tunneler, Leech Woman and everybody’s favorite series poster boy, Blade!

I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.

Axis Rising picks up where 1991’s Toulon’s Revenge left off. Considered by many, including yours truly, as the best in the series, I’m wildly excited to see the continuation of a storyline rife with possibilities. To generate enthusiasm for their movie, Fullmoondirect.com is offering fans the chance to be part of the moviemaking experience. Check out our previous feature for all the information regarding how YOU can become a part of the making of Axis Rising!

Want more Full Moon goodness? Don’t forget out to check out our exclusive Top Ten List of the best Full Moon movies ever made! It’s a good time to be a fan! I feel like a kid again! Where’s my box of old VHS tapes? I feel a Puppet Master marathon coming on… Charlie Spradling here I come!

Ok. That sounded better in my head…

Puppet Master X: Axis Rising Directed by Charles Band

Fans should hurry on over to fullmoondirect.com and get their grabby, quite possibly Vaseline covered hands on a 500$ Mega gift card to instantly obtain a SECOND 500$ gift card for absolutely nothing! That’s a thousand dollars’ worth of purchasing power to spend on Full Moon movies, toys, replicas, Zippos, shotglasses, posters and much, much more!

But wait, there’s more!

Completion of this stellar offer instantly qualifies you for a Executive Producer credit on Axis Rising! Think of the nookie you’ll enjoy from your over the moon lover once her name appears during the credits of Full Moon’s upcoming release!

What the hell are you still doing here!? Go on over to fullmoondirect.com and participate in this once in a lifetime offer!

THIS I COMMAND!

Puppet Master X: Axis Rising