The names Puppet Master and Charles Band are virtually synonymous. This, the flagship film of Full Moon Productions (or whatever Full Moon name it's going by now), has become a cult favorite and pretty much a must-see film for anyone calling himself/herself a true horror fan. Since its release in 1989, it has inspired nothing less than nine sequels (and counting).

Charles Band has made some pretty lousy movies over the years, but Puppet Master quickly dispels any lowered expectations of being nothing more than a cheap and cheesy little horror film. The puppet special effects are quite natural, the acting is surprisingly good, and I think the film retains a healthy sense of uncertainty about the nature of the deadly puppets on display here.

It all starts in 1939, with Andre Toulon and his puppets holed up in a hotel room in Bodega Bay, California. Having discovered the secret of eternal life in some Egyptian artifact, Toulon has used that knowledge to animate a small group of handmade puppets. These include Jester, whose head consists of three different parts that can spin around to produce the most dramatic of facial expressions; Blade, whose blade and hook appendages make him ideal for dangerous spy missions; Pinhead, a bulky he-puppet with a diminutive head; Tunneler, with a drill-like head; and Leech Woman, who specializes in vomiting up killer leeches. Just before a pair of Nazis arrive to snatch him and his secret knowledge, Toulon manages to hide the puppets inside a wall and then makes sure that his enemies will get nothing out of him when they arrive.

Fifty years later, a group of four psychics with a mysterious shared history learn that the fifth member of their little group has apparently discovered Toulon's secret; fearing that they've been double-crossed, they all make haste to the Bodega Bay hotel -- only to find that Neil Gallagher won't be talking because he just died. Before they can begin searching the hotel for the secret, though, the puppets find them.

These four psychics are an interesting bunch possessing very different skills. Dana (Irene Miracle) is a white witch who travels with a stuffed dog; Carissa is a psychometrist who can pick up on the past history of any object (especially if it involves hankypanky); Alex is an anthropology professor who has prophetic dreams; and Frank seems to just be a jerk with basic ESP talent. Added into the mix is Megan Gallagher (Robin Frates), Neil's young widow who seemingly knows nothing about her husband's work.

All of the characters' psychic powers prove quite ineffective against Toulon's puppets. Apart from their murder and mayhem skills, though, we learn very little about the puppets in this film. It's not even clear if they are good or evil -- but they do ultimately show signs of having a moral code that may override any controls being exerted upon them. One can also begin to sense the different personalities they possess and come to look upon them as true characters in the story.

This is not the best film in the Puppet Master series, but it definitely sets the stage for what will become quite an enduring (and seemingly never-ending) franchise of movies. Here is where the legend was born.