The "Curse of the Puppet Master" has a good premise that is undermined by unconvincing puppet violence and the usual weaknesses of low-budget films.<br /><br />The direction was good, moving the story along.<br /><br />The eye candy was limited to underwear/gym shorts scenes with the hero and with the bully, separately. There was a tasteful suggestion of a sex scene. The goriness was in line with expectations, not overstated.<br /><br />Unlike other reviewers, I found the action straightforward enough.<br /><br />SPOILERS<br /><br />The new Puppet Master, Dr. Magrew (George Peck) is experimenting to discover the methods the original Puppet Master, Andre Toulon, used to create semi-living puppets. Assistants, who first carve the 444 wooden pieces that go into a puppet, can be transformed by a lightening-like effect into the inner workings of a puppet. (The director used this idea later in his "Voodoo Academy.") The movie starts with Dr. Magrew disposing the results of a failed experiment and finding a new person, Robert "Tank" Winsley (Josh Green), to be the new carver. The problem is that Dr. Magrew's daughter, Jane (Emily Harrison), takes a romantic interest in Robert. Bully Joey Carp (Michael Guerin) wants his way with Jane and isn't too fond of Robert. Meanwhile, the police are wondering why Dr. Magrew's former carver has disappeared. The threads all move along to their conclusions.<br /><br />END OF SPOILERS<br /><br />I can't say how this movie compares to the others in the Puppet Master series, but on a stand-alone basis it was entertaining enough. The big thuds for me were the victims' inability to get away from attacking puppets and the leap of insight which allowed Jane to find some evidence of earlier activities. Lightening effects were too pervasive. Say, 4 out of 10.<br /><br />