At the end of World War II, the Nazis are conducting experiments to revive the dead. In their field of vision falls the puppet theater of André Toulon, which seems to have discovered a terrible secret…

4k movies reviews
The third film takes us to the end of World War II, specifically telling us about the origins of many of André Toulon’s puppets, without forgetting the well-founded version of the puppet master’s revenge. Toulon is genuinely pitied here and his actions seem quite reasonable. He shouldn’t have murdered his wife, set fire to the shop where he gave performances to the audience, or treated the puppets carelessly. Everything was taken from him, and they hunted him down in the hope of obtaining the liquid that brings inanimate objects to life. All Toulon has left are his little friends, ready to give their lives for their master.

On the run, Toulon wishes to take revenge on his enemies with excessive cruelty and ingenuity. It must be said that the blood and brutality of the film is all right. Moreover, I would say that it is much bloodier than the first part and is somewhere on the same level with the sequel, though, if we take into account the inventiveness and originality of the murders, the third part takes the lead here too. The final murder of the Major impresses a lot, as do many of the violent scenes. The puppets here do not want to sit still at all. They drill somebody, or put leeches in his mouth, or shoot the general with a gun… In general there is a lot to look at.

I was also pleased with a rather serious plot of the film. Well put puppet horrors on the theme of the Second World War I do not remember more. Despite the small budget and the year of the movie the atmosphere of hunger, poverty, crisis is present, typical for any war events of the 40’s. The film is shot in gray tones, with old cars constantly passing by, shabby buildings and basements flashing by. It certainly adds to the gloomy atmosphere and a certain residue of sadness remains in the soul, as in addition to the dramatic setting in the film there is pity for the main character, who is here André Toulon himself. Why was he treated like that? The man lived a peaceful life, did not touch anyone, entertained the children with his shows, and suddenly, it all flew away like a pleasant dream. Elsa who loved him, the performances were replaced by wandering in basements, running away, hunger, and a constant sense of danger. But Toulon quickly adapted to these new circumstances and showed everyone what he was capable of. Personally, I think his actions are legitimate and respect him for such a hard and persistent path, where you risk your life for the sake of the goal.

As for the acting, it’s better here than in previous installments. All the actors are bright and memorable. They play quite believably and well evoke a sense of disgust or sympathy in a good way. The General and the Major look like complete scum here and so they should be, according to the film’s script. The actors do their best to be hated as human beings, but Toulon, on the contrary, evokes sympathy and empathy.

Of course, the film is above average, but it is less scary than its predecessors. The Toulon puppets act as positive characters, avenging their master, so there is much less sense of fear and suspense. The moment with the arson in the second part made me worry a lot, but here, perhaps, only the initial murders, like the scene in the car and that’s all.

I don’t see any minuses, although there are much better films with animate puppets. Okay, though. You can give the film a high mark for its serious dramatic plot, successful war atmosphere and quite competent direction. Though it will hardly be able to scare as a horror, but in terms of an interesting plot it is very strong. Of the whole ‘Lord of the Dolls’ franchise, in my opinion only the second and third parts are worth watching. The rest were very average and passable films. Best part.

Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (79.3 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD MA 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles
English, English SDH.