Pinocchio: Unstrung

Rated: 6.3/10

Taking a breather from setting up October streams, I threw this on to see if the TCU made a decent movie. I like this; practical puppetry and Brake give this slasher enough charm to beat its budget limits.

The Director's Eye (What Worked):
• A practical animatronic Pinocchio makes his clunky movements unsettling.
• Brake brings grandfatherly warmth before flipping into obsessive madness.
• Englund’s Cricket lends a sinister psychosis guiding the puppet.

The Friction (What Didn't Click for Me):
• The tired bully subplot drags the pacing before the rampage begins.
• Forced universe cameos distract from the core basement dynamic.

The Verdict:
I like it. Watch for practical gore. Skip if forced cameos annoy you.

For an indie movie, the special effects were impressive, and I loved the behind the scenes footage during the credits. The cameos to set up the TCU are cool too (the doctor was Christopher Robin)! Unfortunately, the story fell short - why did Geppetto suddenly turn on the kids?

funky