Pinocchio's Revenge (1996)

Director:

Kevin Tenney

Writer:

Kevin Tenney (writer)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Evil comes with strings attached

Plot:

Defense attorney Jennifer Garrick acquires a Pinocchio puppet from a condemned serial killer. Her pre-teen daughter...

Plot Keywords:

Pinocchio | Doll | Puppet | Birthday | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Candace McKenzie	...	Sophia
Lewis Van Bergen	...	Vincent Gotto
Ivan Gueron	...	Rookie Patrolman
Thomas Wagner	...	Homicide Detective
Janis Chow	...	Newscaster
Larry Cedar	...	District Attorney
Janet MacLachlan	...	Judge Allen
Rosalind Allen	...	Jennifer Garrick
Brittany Alyse Smith	...	Zoe Garrick
Ron Canada	...	Barry
Sarah Kaite Coughlan	...	School Teacher
Tara Hartman	...	Beth
Danielle Keaton	...	Beth's Friend (as Danielle Wiener)
Carianne Goldsmith	...	Beth's Friend
José Rey	...	Prison Guard

Also Known As:

Pinocchio (Europe) (video title)
The Pinocchio Syndrome (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | USA:R

Company:

Trimark Pictures

Soundtrack:

Something For Nothing

Watch the nose grow.

Innocent childhood stories always have a creepy underbelly to them and the iconic figure of Pinocchio gets the treatment in 'Pinocchio's Revenge'… don't ask want revenge has to do with anything. Hell, I went in expecting far worse from this b-grade cheapo, but strangely came away thinking it was mildly okay. Due mainly to director Kevin S. Tenney's sharp, polished and controlled handling with such typically simple material. You can call it a 'Child's Play (1988)' rip-off, but I thought it was a bit better than that. Sure there's some influences there (… who am I kidding there's plenty), but what sets it apart is the whole ambiguous nature of just who is doing the killings. Maybe this factor is to cover up the stringy plot-holes, but this psychological tease was moderately effective. It's not really played for fun thrills, because it's quite light on them despite some mean-spirited acts (and these come terribly late). When it did come to those moments they were telegraphed jolts and jump scares. Minor suspense with the build-up taking ages to get going and cementing itself. Cliché after cliché is used to maximum effect and everything is played with a straight face. Therefore the daftness of it sticks out even more and leaves the film feeling plain. The atmospherically theatrical music score likes to inform you how evil a scene is going to get with its cues. The puppet just didn't create the chills, because of its bulky and awkward appearance. Although did it make a lot of noise when it moved about and of course doesn't like other dolls… you know competition. The special effects is you standard display. Leading the way in the performances are welcomely earnest turns by Roslaind Allen and child actress Brittany Smith. They both pull there roles off very well. Popping out of nowhere is a leering shower scene with Candance McKenzie. A slightly amusing throwaway.