After two films as fearsome slashers, killer doll Chucky may be the most famous, horror cinema is quite full of tiny terrors. Sure, when looked at through a realistic lens, one might wonder how beings so small can manage to kill grown adults. That said, a lot of horror falls apart when looked at through that lens, so it's probably best to just indulge in suspension of disbelief.
When it comes to diminutive dangers in horror, near the top of the list is the titular puppets from the Puppet Master franchise. The crown jewel of Charles Band's Full Moon Features, Puppet Master debuted in 1989, and has so far led to an astounding 13 follow-ups of varying stripes, including sequels, prequels, reboots, and spinoffs. Granted, quite a few of those aren't of the highest quality, to be charitable, but to lovers of b-movies and horror that doesn't take itself seriously, they're like comfort food.
While ostensibly villains, and clearly so in the first two Puppet Master films, many of the later sequels ascribe to them more benevolent motivations. The puppets never stop killing people, but the people they kill are sometimes quite deserving of their fate. This face turn for the puppets traces back to Puppet Master 3.
Puppet Master 3 Turned The Villains Into Heroes (& It Worked)
In Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge, released in 1991, the decidedly 1980s aesthetic of the first two movies is thrown out the window in favor of a surprisingly effective World War II-era period setting. Puppet Master 3 serves as the origin story for Andre Toulon's deadly puppets, or at least the first one, as various retcons have happened since. Whereas a resurrected Toulon was clearly evil in Puppet Master 2, his human self in Puppet Master 3 is a kind, decent man (Guy Rolfe), albeit one with the secret of animating puppets.
The puppets are revealed to be inhabited by the souls of Andre's deceased friends, killed by the Nazis, but sustained by their desire to keep fighting. At this point, the puppets are also entirely benevolent, putting on shows for children. It's made clear that the puppets only really do evil things when provoked, or when directed by a malevolent master. The puppets' full metamorphosis into heroes occurs after a sadistic Nazi commander named Major Kraus (an utterly detestable Richard Lynch) murders Andre's wife Elsa, and steals the formula used to bring the puppets to life.
After that, the puppets seek revenge, and they sure get it, bringing their wrath down upon the heads of Kraus and other Nazi scum. Watching the puppets take out Nazis is highly cathartic, especially coupled with the performances of Rolfe and Lynch. This leads to a common pick for best Puppet Master movie to date, and set the stage for every use of the puppets as heroes, or at least antiheroes, since.
