When terrible legends come to life before our eyes... I've always loved scary teenage stories that get cold on the back. I remember how, as a child, we were all seriously frightened by the now cult series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, and now the dilogy “It” and the fantastic horror “Stranger Things” are at the top of popularity. In my opinion, shooting really interesting and at the same time creepy stories for teenagers is not as easy as it may seem, and nevertheless you can always find something interesting. Now on the screens released a fascinating fantastic thriller “Puppeter”, and he definitely deserves to be paid attention.
The plot takes place in the late 90s and introduces us to a teenager Sonya, who, along with her mother and younger sister Anya, moves from a big city to a remote village. The thing is that Anya suffers from asthma and she needs to be in the fresh air all the time. However, all this does not please the rebellious Sonya. The girl is used to the rhythm of her life, misses her friends and refuses to accept the fact that little depends on her opinion. It does not add joy to Sonia and the fact that in the new school she is bullied, but she behaves in places too boldly or even brazenly. It would seem that the situation just can not get worse, but soon in this story there is a place for the Puppet.
According to local legend, once in the region lived a guy with incredible talent. He created amazing dolls, but he could not find a common language with his peers. The guys laughed at him, joked about the appearance of the puppeteer and did not give him a single chance to become part of their company. Realizing that trying to find friends in the village is simply pointless, the Puppetman decided to follow his own special path, which eventually turned him into an ominous legend.
It would seem that this is just a children's horror story and nothing more, but when Sonya and Anya still looked into the house, they took back something terrible. In particular, Anya reacts strongly to this, which can not but disturb Sonya. She sees how her younger sister’s mood changes before her eyes and realizes that in some cases old legends are true and they can turn into something nightmarish.
The plot is based on a really intriguing village legend that can scare not only teenagers, but also a more mature audience. And this is the beauty of the film, which will find its viewer without any problems, because high-quality horror stories with meaning are always in price. It was very interesting for me to follow the development of the main character and how she gradually changes her attitude not only to her younger sister, but also to other moments to which she had previously been completely intolerant. As for me, the filmmakers paid a lot of attention to the development of the character of Sonya performed by the young star Polina Ryashko, and did everything right. After all, when you are worried about the heroine and you care about what happens to her, then the film definitely succeeded.
There are quite a few tense and atmospheric moments in the film, which not only make you look carefully at every dark corner, but also please with their spectacular style, which makes this story really special and memorable.
In particular, I want to praise the image of the Puppet Player, played by Nikita Elikarov, a ballet dancer from the Bolshoi Theatre troupe. He’s a really talented guy, his movements are both attention-grabbing and actually scary. And add to this spectacular makeup and get a unique character who literally takes possession of all the audience’s attention. Through his toys he attracts children and teenagers. As soon as they take the amazing dolls into their hands, they can no longer part with them, completely devoting themselves to communicating with artificial friends and this does not lead to anything good.
I was also glad that there was no unnecessary blood and other repulsive moments in the film. The bet here is made mainly on the atmosphere, which is gradually thickening, competent development of characters, as well as teenage adventures that will be interesting to both young people and those who are a little older. I judge only by my impressions and the people who watched the film with me.
“Puppeter” came out really interesting, frightening and memorable work that is able to please its viewer. The film is really worth the attention, and you will definitely not forget it for a long time. At least now I don't want to look into abandoned houses.
8 out of 10