We learn a lot more about the puppets in this first Puppet Master sequel. For one thing, they can be destroyed; more importantly, though, we learn that it takes more than ancient Egyptian magic to keep them alive. They need a special fluid flowing through their little bodies, a fluid distilled from human brains (technically, animal brains will do in a pinch, but they are definitely less than ideal) -- and they need to replace that fluid every 50 years. And guess what? It's been 50 years since puppeteer Anton Toulon brought them to life.

That apparently makes for the ideal time for them to use the fluid they've created to reanimate Toulon himself (who, fortunately enough, is buried in a cemetery adjacent to the hotel). The puppet master's body, though, cannot be restored, which leads Toulon to dress up in bandages like the Invisible Man and pass himself off as a Mr. Chanee while he puts together his master plan of creating an eternal body for himself.

After some surprising developments concerning the survivors of the first movie, the puppets are back and have free rein across the entire, now-abandoned hotel in Bodega Bay. They're not alone for long, though, as a group of paranormal researchers turn up to investigate the location. The group is something of a cantankerous bunch, especially the brother of lead investigator Carolyn Bramwell (Elizabeth Maclellan), and a couple of the technicians have more than the investigation in mind. As luck would have it, Carolyn herself bears a remarkable resemblance to the late wife of Anton Toulon. As you would expect, that makes for a pretty significant plot point.

The puppets themselves waste little time harvesting important brain matter from the hotel's uninvited guests. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but the way to a man's pituitary gland (which I'm assuming to be the necessary ingredient for the life-giving fluid) is directly through his head. Torch, apparently one of Toulon's new puppets, is actually too deadly of a weapon because the precious liquid requires fresh, non-cooked ingredients.

My opinion of this film actually went down after watching the next two entries in the series. The treatment of both Toulon and his puppets just doesn't ring true to character, and the Puppet Master franchise as a whole pretty much proceeds as if the events in this movie never happened.

It's just not a good fit with the rest of the series.