• News

Shudder pulls the strings of “THE PUPPETMAN,” releases trailer and poster

It’s the latest from the director of STILL/BORN and SUPERHOST.

Shudder will give THE PUPPETMAN its exclusive streaming debut Friday, October 13 as part of its “FearFest” lineup; the movie will also be available on AMC+. Directed by Brandon Christensen from a script he wrote with Ryan Christensen and produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell, it stars Michael Paré, Caryn Richman and Alyson Gorske. The synopsis: “The Puppetman is a convicted killer on death row. He has always maintained his innocence, saying it was an evil force controlling his body as he slaughtered his victims. Now Michal, the killer’s daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her father’s claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. All hope rests on her shoulders to break The Puppetman’s curse.”

“THE PUPPETMAN harks back to films like FINAL DESTINATION where you take a group of friends and exploit them for horrifying deaths,” says Christensen. “We had a ton of fun developing these characters and then taking everything we know about them and turning it against themselves. While I’ve killed off characters before, it was nothing compared to the grotesque machinations that Shudder allowed us to do on THE PUPPETMAN.”

Read More

Get The Grim Reader.
Rue Morgue's free newsletter.
Editor's notes.
Cultural insight.
Curated horror across film, books, music, and art.
First looks.
Select previews.
No algorithms.
Join Free

Advertisement

In Print Since 1997

Issue 232

Rue Morgue #232 Halloween 2026

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #232 FEATURES How Weapons director Zach Cregger turned a lifelong obsession with Resident Evil into horror’s most anticipated reboot. Plus: A deep look at the Resident Evil video game franchise and its universe of novelizations, board and card games and more, and a look at Cregger’s long-awaited physical release of Barbarian, his…

Issue 231

Rue Morgue #231 Jul/Aug 2026

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #231 – Summer Slasher Issue FEATURES Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA guts the slasher formula from the inside out, turning it into a romance about the horror of becoming who you were always meant to be. Plus! GILLIAN ANDERSON and HANNAH EINBINDER unpack Schoenbrun’s radical dismemberment of…

Issue 230

Rue Morgue #230 May/Jun 2026 – RARE

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #230 FEATURES Filmmaker Curry Barker transforms a simple wish into a spiralling nightmare of love, possession, and bloodshed in his breakout feature OBSESSION. Plus: The story of Barker’s found-footage shocker MILK & SERIAL, which turned a micro-budget experiment into a viral horror breakout. Hollywood made it a monster. History tells a different…

Issue 229

Rue Morgue #229 Mar/Apr 2026

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #229! FEATURES A nerve-shredding found-footage thriller built around sound, UNDERTONE signals the arrival of a terrifying new voice in Canada’s booming independent horror scene. Plus! Meet the new breed of independent Canadian horror filmmakers behind DREAM EATER, SWEETNESS, HANGASHORE, THE LAND OF NOD and THE CURSE OF GHOST ISLAND. Part post-punk, part…