Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Puppetman’

10/17/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Alyson Gorske as Michal in ‘The Puppetman’. (Photo and Key Art Courtesy of Shudder.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Puppetman’. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One unfortunate truth about our lives that we are only now beginning to learn about… is that generational trauma is a very real thing that has impacted a great deal of us, and it is hard to recognize and hard to shake off. And we are only now beginning to learn about it, because we are only now looking into the human mind and psyche and we’re starting to recognize odd behaviors that we never thought much about. Specifically, how we tend to echo the abusive behaviors of our parents to an outright tee. Which is attributed to the fact that they were taught such behaviors by their own parents and so on, and so on. Which has in fact, created generational trauma that we pass on in a vicious cycle and well… it’s hard to detect because… we never knew it was there.

After all, we trust our parents implicitly and expect them to impart their wisdom upon us, and we mimic and mirror their behavior as part of that. But alas, some of it really isn’t healthy and it takes a dark moment for us to realize that, and some hard work to shake it. Which is no easy task. Since we have to recognize the root cause point of this behavior and unlearn years of behavior through therapy and guidance. But the end result is worth the work, because we will in fact, break decades of toxicity and give the next generation in our family a fresh start, free from those burdens. But sadly, this is something so difficult and so new, that not all will find their way and some will falter and it is important we recognize why that is the case so we can continue to learn how to fight this problem, and one such way we can do that… is through storytelling and it just so happens that a brand-new horror film on Shudder, ponders upon how we could falter in the fight to remove this, and why.

A feat that ‘The Puppetman’ accomplishes by introducing us to a woman named Michal who finds herself at quite the emotional crossroads when we meet her. Because she is a survivor of a harrowing past, one where she was locked away by her serial killer father, who happens to finally be facing his final days of justice on death row. And with his name being back in the news, she is forced to reflect upon her youth and her life, and well… that is no easy task. For there is a lot of trauma hidden in her soul over such matters, and despite her best efforts to resolve it all, it hangs heavy over her… as do some strange occurrences. For she is sleepwalking all of a sudden, and soon after that becomes a constant… her friends begin to die in a manner reminiscent of how her father claimed his victims. A move that will force Michal to face the past and the potential evil that is now driving two generations in her family to deal with horrors untold.

Which at first glance, is a story that appears be grounded deeply in supernatural elements and there’s merit to that. Since much of Michal’s quest to be free of the darkness hanging over her, involves a detailed investigation into an ancient spirit that has seemingly taken hold of her, courtesy of the work of her father and mother, who worshipped this being in their youth. Not to mention, this also allows for the horror elements in the story to come into play, since every time the power of this spirit is put on display, horrible things play out on screen. Which does bring forth some creative kills and some uncomfortable moments, kind that set up the incredible and poignant commentary in question. Because in between the gore and the scares, are a bevy of intimate moments with Michal. Who speaks often about the difficulties of facing the dark past that hangs over her, and how hard it is… to let go of it.

For it has given her strength and sustained her and driven her forward and that… explains why generational trauma is so hard to shake. Because it is indeed engrained in us, and it becomes all we know and to change and let go of it, is downright terrifying. Not to mention, some can find it empowering in a way. As though the anger and fury present from such traumas can in fact offer strength to a person in a time of need, and they will feed off of that, and let it, and the rush it provides, guide them, and Michal is definitely someone who falls into the latter here, since she uses that ‘power’ with abandon because of what it can accomplish for her. Which speaks to how there are some people who simply cannot let go of the darkness and will in fact embrace its comfortability. Which means they will require more support and more kindness to help them along if the world is indeed ready to make a push to really break this cycle of generational trauma.

For to do otherwise, and let it persist, will indeed result in horrors worse than the ones put on display here. Where children will continue to learn the worst about humanity and perhaps embrace it, and that is indeed a bleak message to leave the viewer with, but it is the right one for certain. For that is the point of this film, to offer caution and guidance so we can be better, and it truly does accomplish its mission in getting its message across in an impactful manner. For Michal’s journey here is indeed harrowing and tragic and ugly and this film deserves a round of applause for tackling a new concern in our world and in the realm of mental health in a no-holds barred manner. One that really does hammer home, the importance of finally dealing with this long-standing problem in our world. So, we can finally move forward and make stories such as these… nothing more than fictionalized accounts of distant memories.

Watch ‘The Puppetman’

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