I'm not usually into independent films. I'm very much a mainstream fan where big budgets mean big explosions, high-paid actors and great special effects. I will go so far as to say that I usually outright avoid movies that have that little laurel symbol on them that means it was submitted to an independent film festival of some sort. I know, I know, there are movie critics the world over yelling for my head and claiming that I don't know what I'm talking about, but damn it, that's just not my style.

That being said, I enjoyed The Puppet Monster Massacre a lot, and it is a pure-D independent film, but I don't hold that against it. It's a small production team on a low budget with a bunch of puppets and a green screen to place a background on. It's cheesy, it's campy, it's a spoof and damn it, it has puppets in it doing some crazy stuff.

The setup is pretty contrived, and its meant to be so considering the fact that it is a spoof of horror films and actually makes a point of likening its setup to that of House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price. Four teenagers, and one tag-along, are invited to stay at an old house for the night. Whomever can stay in the place all night gets an equal share of 1 million dollars. Of course, these five characters aren't just randomly chosen. The mansion's owner, Dr. Wolfgang Wagner, seems to have a connection to each of his guests, and he plans a bit of revenge for something that happened in the past.

The mad doctor's plan involves a monster he has bred and released upon the world, and with each death it inflicts, the creature grows bigger and stronger. The question is, can Charlie and his long time crush Gwen survive the night? Of course, the other characters like the geeky Raimi, the rocker Iggy and his girlfriend and tag-along Mona are good for the overall plot, but anyone who is even slightly familiar with the haunted house genre knows they are nothing but puppet monster fodder.

The Puppet Monster Massacre doesn't pull any punches. If the movie had a rating, it would easily fall into the R range. Blood is all over the place, and sometimes in such an amount as to be comical, and there is even nudity... puppet nudity, mind you, but nudity nonetheless. As you might have guessed, even though this film features puppets, it is not for kids.

The DVD also comes with a few special features including a pair of commentary tracks and two alternate monster designs. Given the three that were mocked up, I much preferred the one actually used in the film.

The Puppet Monster Massacre is for those who like horror movies, enjoy spoofs of that genre and either like, or really hate, puppets. After all, they are killed in a wide variety of ways that should please anyone who doesn't enjoy the felt-covered dolls.