Battle Jox (1994)
Another take on Empire's Robot Jox, this time there would be giant dinosaur robots. I've seen poster art on a Videozone, but can't remember which one it was.
If anyone has the poster please send it to me.
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Boneyard (1999)
I saw the poster on eBay once, looked like a broken chain or something. Made me wonder if it was a Castle Freak sequel.
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Bride of the Head of the Family
Obvious sequel to Charles Band's Head of the Family, wanted to see it made but could not get an agreement from fellow Full Moon executives. I hear a teaser was promoted in the Videozone to Shrieker I think. Charles Band constantly talked about making it but he's sure taking his sweet time.
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Dollmaker (1990)
Info given to me that in the mid 90's David DeCoteau was slated to produce and/or direct a flick for Full Moon called DOLLMAKER. Obviously an attempt to recapture the magic of PUPPET MASTER'S franchisability, not much is known about it.
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Dracula Reborn
Much like Frankenstein Reborn and Werewolf Reborn, Full Moon's label Filmonsters! was creating new films based on classic monster characters. The plot was "The year is 1887, JONATHAN HARKER and his young brother ROBERT travel to the wolds of Transylvania on business. Upon their arrival, the two are greeted by the ancient Count Dracula who has a much darker hidden agenda. When Jonathan falls under the spell of the evil Count, Robert is the only one who can save him - and destroy the deadly vampire."
(emailed to me by a friend)
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FEAR.com (1999)
I'm told it was about a demonic website/computer game. Charles Band announced this back in 1999 in the Retro Puppet Master Videozone. I was also told a re-written script eventually was filmed and released as 2001's HorrorVision, which I have not seen outside clips from Full Moon's Aliens Gone Wild! DVD.
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The Gingerdead Man (2001)
With a screenplay by actor turned writer William Butler (Ghoulies 2, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), a killer’s remains mixed in with cookie dough becomes a murderous Pillsbury Dough Boy type CGI character. I still have yet to see the official version of the movie, but I’ve been told much of Butler’s original script was modified and even the killer cookie signs were changed, probably to avoid costly CGI.
(concept art for original design and the official version used in the movie)
An unreleased toy was made based on the original design.
(Full Moon Toys original Ginderdead Man)
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The Grim Rapper
Obviously another Alchemy/Big City Pictures Production more than likely about an African-American grim reaper, but it was never made. Probably because of CB killing off Alchemy/Big City. And their movies weren't all that good anyway, they included a little too much of the rap music and black stereotypes.
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Head of the Family 3
Charles Band getting over excited.
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Legion of Doom
This was going to be Charles Band's superhero team movie. He once stated that films like Mandroid and Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight were efforts to slowly build characters for a team movie. So it's entirely possible Dark Angel and Doctor Mordrid could have been on the team as well in this movie.
If anyone has the poster art please send it me.
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The Mummy Reborn (1999)
Another Filmonsters! production from Full Moon and Tempe Video. To be directed by J.R. Bookwalter (Witchouse 2: Blood Coven), the film was cancelled for reasons unknown to me. The plot involved "Arthur Grosvenor, 15-year-old son of the famous Egyptologist, Sir Robert Grosvenor, was by his father’s side at the discovery and opening of the tomb of Pharaoh Ah Hotep. When the Pharaoh’s mummy vanishes and the violators of the tomb begin to suffer mysterious and terrible deaths, Arthur must find a way to put the vengeful living mummy to rest."
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Puppet Master (The Kenneth J. Hall Script)
I had emailed good old Kenneth J. Hall about other films before, but recently he gave me a little inside info on this unproduced PUPPET MASTER film. He wrote me, "While there were similarities between my first draft and the final script, there were a great many changes made. There were two main reasons for this. First, despite the fact that Charles Band asked for all these puppets in the story, the budget simply couldn’t afford them. Both Six-Shooter and Cyclops were in there but later taken out and saved for sequels. There was a Blade puppet but it had multiple arms too, like Kali from THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. The Jester puppet was not in my script. Instead, there was one called Skull, who basically spied on people. His look was transposed onto Blade. The bigger changes were in the live characters and the action, which are far too many to go into here. The reason for this could be attributed to “creative differences,” but the reality is director David Schmoeller could get paid more if he did a major rewrite on it. An indication that he was solely interested in the money is the fact that he used a pseudonym as the screenwriter. The Writer’s Guild arbitrated the credits and gave “Joseph Collodi” (in reality the author of Pinocchio) the screenplay credit while Charlie and I got “story by.”"
David Schmoeller has commented before on the making of the official movie. On an interview with The Terror Trap he announced he had come up with puppets and the idea of Blade, and David Allen's finished prop used was made to be based on German actor Klaus Kinski, whom David had directed in the Empire thriller Crawlspace. That apparently was not an easy job with Kinski. He even mentions why he believes he was not involved in making any of the sequels, and his displeasure with Charles Band.
Kenneth also informed me he does indeed sell copies of the script for only $25. Sadly it has never been scanned or posted online. If you'd like to order a copy of his script, check his website for contact information.
Based on Ken's info, I would think these two images are based on his script, as it includes both Cyclops and a Six-Shooter type character for example.
(left image provided by http://www.ween.net/puppetmaster/)
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Puppet Master 9 (starring Gordon Currie)
A few years back, I forget which date, before 2003, some unknown studio I also forget, bragged on the message board of a former official Full Moon website about doing another entry starring Gordon Currie (of parts 4 and 5). I don't think the company had the rights so it obviously never came close. I remember they had a PM9 website too, since been taken down of course. What made me so disbelieving about this project was this was being titled as part 9 yet this was a couple years or so before Puppet Master: The Legacy, so no part 8 even existed at the time. I asked the person who was talking about it and he said Full Moon was in production of a part 8 (unless he was talking about PMvsDT when it was supposed to get made in 2001), so either that one never got made, or the guy was just lying. Maybe if he or she whatever reads this they can give me some straight answers, because right now I think this whole concept was just a fat lie.
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Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys (1993)
Little is known about this concept besides the famous teaser poster. Judging from the poster, the film most likely would’ve included both Torch and Mister Static, whom did not appear in the official version with Corey Feldman. The movie was another chapter in Full Moon’s crossover series, and was intended to be the fourth PUPPET MASTER film of the series, but was post-poned more than likely after the Sutekh storyline came along.
(PMvsDT teaser poster)
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Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys (2001)
I can’t be too sure if this had the same script as the first one, I assume not as this would’ve starred the notorious Traci Lords as a woman that purchases the puppets from eBay and stores them in the Toyland Warehouse with the toys. I have no idea who wrote the script, if one was written. I think at one point J.R. Bookwalter (The Dead Next Door) was to direct, but that may have just been a mistake.
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Puppet Master vs. Subspecies
I’m not sure about any truth here, Charles Band's lost attempt at pitting two small armies against each other. Anyone know anything about this one?
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Puppet Wars I: Curse of the Puppet Master (1995)
The infamous planned trilogy to follow Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter. I've read the script to the first film, and was set directly after the events of Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge. Set entirely on a train, Toulon and his puppets come across Nazi foes conducting rituals to raise Anubis, the Egyptian Sun God. Our heroes' only ally is a mysterious man with a small group of little beasts, beasts called Homunculus, ordered to eliminate the evil enemy. He too carries a powerful secret. The script leads up to the next film, and get this, Hitler has a cameo near the end.
(poster provided by http://www.jaywoelfel.com/puppetwars.html)
The screenplay for the first film was written by Jay Woelfel (directed Trancers 6), with modifications by Courtney Joyner (PuppetMaster 3, Trancers 3) and Benjamin Carr (Retro Puppet Master) on all three scripts. Filming was intended to take place in Romania, and Jay was hoping Dave DeCoteau would direct the first film. It's said at one point horror legend Christopher Lee (Horror of Dracula, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) was available to play the part of Andre Toulon but Guy Rolfe was signed to return after three films.
(Anubis on the left and Homuniculus on the right, images provided by http://www.jaywoelfel.com/puppetwars.html)
Special effects were prepared for the film and new puppets built. Jay said the idea was that each installment would introduce a new puppet character. Second unit footage was even shot in Romania of all the train exteriors. But it seems there was never enough money to make one film, much less three. The train footage ended up being recycled in Retro Puppet Master when young Toulon is trying to save Elsa, but those ideas were not based on anything from these films. More footage of the train interior and exterior I'm told was featured in the film Train of Life.
For more information, sketches and behind-the-scenes photos from this unproduced film, check Jay Woelfel's PUPPET WARS page.
If you would like to Download the screenplay for PUPPET WARS I: CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER, check Jay Woelfel's PUPPET WARS Production Notes, and go to the bottom of the page and click DOWNLOADABLE SCRIPT HERE. It's totally free, and a great script, and truly deserves to be made into a film.
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Puppet Wars II: Tomb/Vault of the Puppet Master (199?)
Written by Dave Parker, as the first film involved mummies, this next film was intended to revolve around vampires. Very little is known about the story or characters, but obviously it picks up where CURSE left off, with Toulon and his puppets escaping the train, and on the run from Nazi and supernatural forces.
Also, I'm not sure if they could decide on the title. Jay Woefel's website just says "TOMB OR VAULT."
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Puppet Wars III: Castle of the Puppet Master (199?)
Written by both Jay Woelfel and Dave Parker, with mummies and vampires done, this was supposed to be a Frankenstein type story. I think the plot involved Toulon and the puppets finally arriving in America, and hiding in the Bodega Bay Inn, but I'm just guessing that. It would've set up for the opening scene of the original movie in which Toulon kills himself.
Believe it or not, CASTLE actually wasn't the title. The third film was left untitled, buy Jay Woelfel felt it should've been titled CASTLE. This being a reference to Hammer Horror Films of the 1950's, and a Castle of FRANKENSTEIN story of course.
I could be wrong, but I think this was the chapter to include BOMBSHELL, a new female puppet I don't recall her appearing in the CURSE script, so I assume it was one of the sequels. But I could be wrong, it's been a while since I last read it. As you can see in the photo before, props were actually made. From what I last heard, her breasts were supposed to explode, or shoot something, I forget which.
(image provided by http://www.jaywoelfel.com/puppetwars.html)
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Ragdoll (1995)
First announced in the Videozone for Puppet Master 5, the film was eventually made and released Urban style under the Alchemy label in 1999. It's unknown how much was changed from the script, but I assume they started again from scratch. More than likely this would've been written by Jay Woelfel and Dave Parker.
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Retro Puppet Master (The Matthew Jason Walsh Script)
I’ve read this was originally supposed to take place just after Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, with Toulon and the puppets on a train bound for someplace other than Germany and encountering a variety of Nazis and demonic foes. This script, by Matthew Jason Walsh, was thrown out by Kushner-Locke because it "would offend the German audience". It actually reminds me a little of the first PUPPET WARS script.
(image provided by http://www.ween.net/puppetmaster/)
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Seedpeople 2
Writer/Director Jay Woelfel (Demonicus) decided to co-write a sequel to a Full Moon film hoping to get their attention with behind-the-scenes inside man Dave Parker. According to Jay's official website he wrote a story called THE TREE OF SCREAMS and Dave thought they could adapt it to be SEEDPEOPLE 2. That they did, totally on spec, and submitted it. Full Moon loved the script but said, “Unfortunately SEEDPEOPLE is probably the only film we’ve ever made that we will never make a sequel to.” They attempted to write more sequels, including PUPPET WARS and RAGDOLL, but they too were never made.
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Shadow Over Innsmouth (1991)
Full Moon Entertainment's failed attempt to bring about the adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's story. See the Empire section for more info.
(Fangoria #91)
(Fangoria #106)
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Shrieker 2
Considered after the release of the original in which the creature this time would have three heads. This information was revealed in the Videozone to the first film, but I have no idea why it never started production.
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Subspecies 2 (the one set in San Francisco)
In the Videozone to Demonic Toys, there was a segment about Poster Art Creation, in which an artist was designing a poster for an upcoming SUBSPECIES movie, which was apparently going to be set in San Francisco, USA, rather than Romania like the first one. The poster featured the Subspecies carrying Radu's decapitated head with San Francisco buildings in the background. I have no idea why it never happened, perhaps writer/director Ted Nicolaou felt it was better and possibly cheaper to have Radu remain in his home land chasing Michelle forever.
If anyone has the official poster art please send it me.
(This image was sent to me by a friend. It's for the DVD box set and is close to the original poster, however the background has been changed.)
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