‘The Puppetman’ Review – A Prime Example Of Shudder Horror

Shudder horror has almost become a genre of its own, especially in a packed 2023. Their output varies, sure, but consistently they’re sporting new directors, interesting visions, and all-in-all pushing the genre in all directions. Occasionally to new heights, but most often simply providing a taste of intrigue without truly diving into something new. The Puppetman is one of many horror films to attempt to fuse the genre with a sort of detective, murder mystery type. This is no surprise, the concept is compelling without a doubt, but it’s rarely been nailed.

The latest to genuinely get it right was Michael Chaves’ Conjuring trilogy capper The Devil Made Me Do It. That film, though significantly larger than anything Shudder puts out, is a good modern standard for how to tell a story like that. Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice, released just two months ago, does something similar and does it well. It also happens to cap a trilogy; maybe solid horror whodunits are destined to round off fan-favorite trilogies. That’s beside the point, though.

The Puppetman doesn’t exactly follow that formula, nor does it execute the concept as well, but the final result is admirable nonetheless. The overall plot here, aside from the inevitable twists and turns, doesn’t do much beyond the premise. It’s squarely in-line, if you will. The modern murder mystery, horror or otherwise, is almost unavoidably derivative. Perhaps, especially in this case, doing less and satisfying is better than trying to do more and falling short. 

The film comes in at an incredibly brisk 96 minutes, and in an age of bloated franchise horror films, this standalone effort is a refreshing breeze. It’s a contained concept, too, one that shouldn’t tire upon rewatching and does enough with its ideas to warrant considerable thought. Right off the bat, it earns a higher stake than your average modern horror release.

Director Brandon Christensen, seasoned now with six credits to his name, has a solid hold on the genre by now. He’s not doing anything especially unique, but he doesn’t really need to, at least not yet. He takes advantage of the genre’s most effective tendencies and delivers on them where he needs to. Again, for the thinner-than-thin runtime, there’s plenty going on here.

The film has a strong, visceral overlay that sits like a fog over the entire thing. The violence was clearly a focus from all sides, and it’ll pay off if that sort of thing works for you. To an extent, interest in a film like this warrants that interest; the detective spin combined with horror nearly necessitates such an angle. The Puppetman makes no mild use of that. 

If it has any special claim, it’s to that. Tracing back to the source, a Shudder film is unmistakably so. Rarely do they ever not feel like a product; a decent product, often, but a product nonetheless. The Puppetman doesn’t try to change that, and how much that affects you, or how much you care, will likely determine your ultimate enjoyment.

Shudder subscribers will surely find enough to enjoy in this one, and horror hounds should, too. It’s easygoing, genre-bound horror with enough shock to satisfy those in search of it. Casual streamers, on the other hand, will likely be left wanting more; the film walks a fine line of decency that targets the masses. 

The Puppetman is currently available to stream on Shudder. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owv4PGJ6V0k]