IMDb RATING
5.9/10
9.7K
YOUR RATING
The Earth is invaded by stingray-shaped alien "slugs" that ride on people's backs and control their minds.The Earth is invaded by stingray-shaped alien "slugs" that ride on people's backs and control their minds.The Earth is invaded by stingray-shaped alien "slugs" that ride on people's backs and control their minds.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFor the seduction scene where Mary tries turn Sam back with one of her alien slugs, Julie Warner had to wear an apparatus that looked similar to her back with the creature's movements guided by a team of puppeteers and make up effects crew.
- GoofsWhen asked for the town's population, the figure is stated as 10,001. The population on the sign shown at the beginning is 10,079.
The town sign writer is not doing his job.
- Quotes
Niven: It's the kid from the spaceship. Get him off the car.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Scariest Movie Aliens (2015)
Featured review
Muppet Pastors
Unfortunate enough to share a name with a brand of dirt-cheap Charles Band movies (but completely disconnected from them) I always figured that The Puppet Masters would be just as schlocky. It ain't art, but it is decent, low-brow, brainless entertainment.
A bunch of alien manta-rays land in Iowa in a confusing opening sequence. The authorities arrive and discover that the locals are slowly being turned into mindless slaves to their alien hosts. Sound like the X-Files? It very much does play out like a 3-part episode with virtually the exact same character dynamic and interaction. The tagline for the movie is even 'Trust no one'.
It also feels like a John Carpenter movie in some respects (the presence of Keith David, who really ought to be in every movie, only adds to this). And while it's a fairly non-epic movie it does feature some nice anamorphic Panavision photography and a bunch of character actors to keep you entertained in-between the silly plot developments.
As well as feeling the X-Files it also comes across as an Invasion of the Body Snatchers rip-off, odd since co-star Donald Sutherland was in one of those movies. Four years later another very similar film called The Faculty also featured mind-controlling alien parasites, as well as the Brain Slugs from Futurama. But apparently it's taken from a novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein but with little in common, perhaps thanks to a zillion re-writes.
These kinds of movies often have some kind of political subtext, but Puppet Masters embraces its low-brow but clever silliness and ends up a guilty pleasure.
A bunch of alien manta-rays land in Iowa in a confusing opening sequence. The authorities arrive and discover that the locals are slowly being turned into mindless slaves to their alien hosts. Sound like the X-Files? It very much does play out like a 3-part episode with virtually the exact same character dynamic and interaction. The tagline for the movie is even 'Trust no one'.
It also feels like a John Carpenter movie in some respects (the presence of Keith David, who really ought to be in every movie, only adds to this). And while it's a fairly non-epic movie it does feature some nice anamorphic Panavision photography and a bunch of character actors to keep you entertained in-between the silly plot developments.
As well as feeling the X-Files it also comes across as an Invasion of the Body Snatchers rip-off, odd since co-star Donald Sutherland was in one of those movies. Four years later another very similar film called The Faculty also featured mind-controlling alien parasites, as well as the Brain Slugs from Futurama. But apparently it's taken from a novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein but with little in common, perhaps thanks to a zillion re-writes.
These kinds of movies often have some kind of political subtext, but Puppet Masters embraces its low-brow but clever silliness and ends up a guilty pleasure.
helpful•95
- CuriosityKilledShawn
- Oct 29, 2012
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Robert A. Heinlein's The Puppet Masters
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,647,042
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,069,057
- Oct 23, 1994
- Gross worldwide
- $8,647,042
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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