Charles Band has a reputation. If you know Full Moon Features, you know exactly what I’m talking about: low budgets, high practical effects, and a sort of relentless, "we’ll do it anyway" attitude toward filmmaking. By the time Puppet Master X Axis Rising hit the shelves in 2012, the series was already nine films deep—depending on how you count the Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys crossover—and fans were starting to wonder if the well had finally run dry. It hadn't. Instead, it just got weirder.
The movie picks up exactly where Axis of Evil left off, which is a gutsy move for a direct-to-video sequel produced years later. We’re dropped right back into the middle of World War II, a setting that has become the definitive backdrop for the series’ modern era. It’s a strange, claustrophobic little film that tries to do a lot with very little money. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, well, it’s a Full Moon movie.
What Actually Happens in Puppet Master X Axis Rising
Let's get the plot straight because it’s a bit of a whirlwind. Danny Coogan, our protagonist who isn't exactly a master of puppets yet, is still trying to stop the Nazis from using Andre Toulon’s life-giving formula. The stakes are supposedly high, but because it’s a chamber piece, most of the "war" happens in a handful of rooms.
The main antagonist is Kommandant Moebius. He’s your classic, scenery-chewing Nazi villain who wants to create an army of "Kamikaze" puppets. This is where the movie earns its title. To counter the classic puppets like Blade, Pinhead, and Leech Woman, the Nazis develop their own squad: Blitzkrieg, Kamikaze, Weremacht, and Bombshell.
Honestly, the puppet designs are the reason anyone watches these. Bombshell is a standout for all the wrong reasons—it’s a puppet with a machine-gun chest. It’s peak Charles Band. The film spends a massive amount of time on the interplay between the human characters, specifically Danny and his girlfriend Beth, who are basically hiding out in a woodshop while the world burns outside.
Why the "Axis" Trilogy Split the Fanbase
The "Axis" era, starting with the ninth film and continuing through Puppet Master X Axis Rising, represented a shift in how Full Moon handled their legacy. Before this, the series jumped all over the timeline. We had the 1930s, the modern day, and even the "futuristic" setting of Ground Zero. By locking the series into a serialized World War II narrative, Band was trying to build a cohesive lore.
The problem? Budget.
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If you’re going to do a period-piece war movie, you need more than three sets and a dozen extras. You can feel the production straining under the weight of its ambitions. Director David DeCoteau, a Full Moon veteran, does what he can with the lighting and tight shots to hide the lack of scale, but the cracks show. Yet, there’s a certain charm to it. It feels like community theater with really cool, expensive toys.
The New Puppets vs. The Classics
The introduction of the Nazi puppets was a huge deal for collectors and lore nerds.
- Blitzkrieg: Basically a tank on treads with multiple arms. He’s the powerhouse of the German side.
- Weremacht: A werewolf-inspired soldier. He doesn’t get nearly enough screen time.
- Kamikaze: He’s got a bomb strapped to him. Pretty self-explanatory and very "Full Moon."
Watching these guys go toe-to-toe with Blade or Tunneler is why you’re here. The puppet fights in Puppet Master X Axis Rising use a mix of rod puppetry and some very, very basic CGI. The CGI is... rough. There's no other way to put it. When the movie sticks to the practical effects—the strings, the hand-operated movements—it retains that 1989 magic. When it tries to do digital blood or floating puppets, the immersion breaks instantly.
The Problem With Serialization
Most horror franchises are episodic. You can watch Friday the 13th Part VI without seeing Part V and you'll be fine. But Puppet Master X Axis Rising is the middle child of a trilogy. It starts in media res and ends on a cliffhanger that leads directly into Axis Termination.
This was a risky move for a niche series. If you didn't see the previous film, you're lost. If you don't have the third film ready to go, you're frustrated. It’s a 86-minute movie that feels like it’s mostly setup for the finale.
The acting is a mixed bag. Kip Canyon as Danny does his best to channel that "earnest 1940s hero" vibe, but the script often leaves him with nothing to do but look worried in a basement. The real star is Terumi Matthews as the German scientist Uschi. She brings a level of intensity that the movie probably didn't deserve, but it’s better for having her.
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Technical Stats and Trivia
If you’re a completionist, you’ve probably noticed the shifts in the series' visual style. This film was shot digitally, which gives it a much cleaner—and unfortunately cheaper—look than the original 35mm films from the early 90s.
- Director: David DeCoteau (returning to the franchise after years away).
- Runtime: Approximately 86 minutes.
- Release Date: October 2012.
- Format: Shot on high-definition video.
One interesting bit of trivia: this film was partially crowdfunded and marketed heavily through Full Moon’s "Streaming Service" early on. It was one of the first times Band really leaned into the direct-to-fan digital model, bypassing traditional distribution almost entirely.
Is It Actually Good?
"Good" is a relative term when you’re talking about the tenth installment of a franchise about killer dolls. If you compare it to the original 1989 Puppet Master, it fails on every level. The atmosphere isn't there, the score (while still using Richard Band’s iconic theme) feels repetitive, and the scares are non-existent.
However, if you view it as a piece of "cult schlock," it’s fascinating. It’s a testament to the fact that these characters—Blade, Pinhead, Jester—have such strong designs that they can carry a movie even when the script is thin. There is a weirdly satisfying feeling in seeing the Nazi puppets get their comeuppance. It’s cathartic, low-brow fun.
The film struggles with pacing. There is a lot of talking. A lot. For a movie called Puppet Master X Axis Rising, you’d expect the puppets to be on screen for 80% of the time. In reality, it’s closer to 20%. The rest is human drama that doesn't always land. But when the puppets do show up, the movie wakes up.
Correcting the Myths
People often say this movie was a "reboot." It wasn't. It’s a direct sequel to Axis of Evil. Others claim it was filmed in Europe to save money. Nope. Like most modern Full Moon productions, it was shot on relatively small stages in the US, mostly in California.
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Another common misconception is that this was intended to be the final film. It never was. Band always planned this as a three-part "Axis" arc. Whether that was a good idea narratively is up for debate, but the consistency of the vision—despite the low budget—is almost admirable.
How to Watch It Today
If you’re looking to dive into Puppet Master X Axis Rising, don't just jump in cold. You really need to see Axis of Evil first. If you don't, the opening scene won't make a lick of sense.
The best way to consume this is via the Full Moon Features streaming site or their Amazon channel. The Blu-ray is decent, but don't expect a 4K remaster to save the digital grain. It is what it is: a gritty, cheap, imaginative piece of independent horror history.
To get the most out of the experience, focus on the puppet work. Ignore the stiff dialogue and the repetitive sets. Look at the craftsmanship of the new Nazi puppets. Look at how they tried to innovate the "kill scenes" with no money. That's where the heart of the movie lives.
Your Puppet Master Watchlist
- Start with the 1989 Original: To understand why people care about these dolls.
- Watch Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge: Widely considered the best in the series and sets up the Nazi-hating backstory.
- The Axis Trilogy: Watch Axis of Evil, then Axis Rising, and finish with Axis Termination.
Watching them in this order helps you track the evolution (or devolution, depending on who you ask) of the series' special effects and storytelling. It gives you a perspective on how an independent studio survives for thirty years on a single idea.
Once you finish Puppet Master X Axis Rising, the next logical step is to track down the "Making of" featurettes. Charles Band is a master of marketing, and his "Videozone" segments often provide more entertainment than the movies themselves, showing exactly how they built the Weremacht puppet or how they rigged the explosions on the Blitzkrieg tank.