Macabre…ish Horror Review: Robert And The Toymaker

 

Robert and the Toymaker, 2017/ 1 hr 24 min

 

 

It’s 1941 in Germany and the nazis are in pursuit of a man who is in possession of a book. The possession of that book is considered a matter of national security by the gestapo. They terrorize a small family, The Mullers, and search their residence for the man who has this book that they are told can bring to life, inanimate objects. They find nothing and leave.

 

But the man, Benjamin Hoffman (Rik Grayson), is there and out of the kindness of the homeowners, Christophe (Francesco Tribuzio) and Brigitte (Ali Rodney), he is given shelter for a few days. He assures them he is not a criminal and won’t tell them about the book, so they aren’t forced to lie.

 

Later, the nazis return and confront Christophe while his wife hides their guest, the nazis want to search the house again and talk about what they’re seeking. A man who has stolen important documents and they suspect he will sell them to an enemy. They also threaten Christophe by insinuating what they do to people who harbor fugitives. And this time the nazis bring a Colonel (Erick Hayden) who is essentially a human lie detector. He acts polite but it is a menacing, threatening approximation, really.

 

Everyone in the house is executed except the daughter, Esther (Harriet Rees), who manages to escape. She flees to the nearest village with the book, to the shop of an old toymaker. The nazis immediately brand her a fugitive and warn anyone giving her shelter will be considered an enemy of the fuhrer.

 

But almost as soon as Esther arrives at the toymaker’s house, she succumbs to injuries she sustained when the nazis who killed her parents shot at her, as she fled. The toymaker quietly buries her in his garden but he keeps the book that Esther had with her. The toymaker’s name is Amos (Lee Bane).

 

Amos uses the book and animates his first doll, Robert. The next day, Amos return to the toy store, in a good mood and he tells his shopkeep, Abigail (Claire Carreno), the entire story, including about Esther. But because Robert doesn’t move on command, Abigail becomes concerned about Amos’ health.

 

Meanwhile, the nazis have offered a reward for the return of the book since harassment is not working, the offer is 20,000 Deutschmarks.

 

That night at the shop, Abigail is attacked by Robert but she’s saved by Amos, who scolds Robert. Then he tells her he did not create Robert but bought him after he was found in the arms of a murdered child in the park. Amos simply remodeled his face and reinforced his limbs. Amos thinks Robert is the way he is because of a parts issue. Well Abigail is thoroughly freaked out and quits the same day.

 

But the toymaker will not be deterred, he has plans to animate a lot more dolls. And Abigail goes straight to the authorities to tell the tale and claim the reward. For all her trouble, instead of getting the reward, she’s compared to a rat and murdered. The order is given to retrieve the book and toymaker, alive. So of course the nazis beat him up and proceed to burn the toy store to the ground and it would have worked if not for the, now sentient, toys.

 

And the toymaker, Amos Blackwood, wakes up in a cell, tied to a chair. And the nazi interrogating him is the Colonel who introduces himself as God. And he menaces the old man with a selection of tools, nearby. Amos is beaten until he gives in, not just the book but the story as to how he came to possess it. Meanwhile, the nazis in Amos’ shop are currently losing the battle against the dolls.

 

Hours later, just as Amos is about to be executed, the toys came to the rescue! And that nazi’s end…painful.

 

Amos did succumb to his injuries but luckily, the dolls knew what to do. And in possession of the book, they do it.

 

 

 

This is number three in the franchise and is also a prequel. This one is also directed by the late Andrew Jones. The story is really good and cohesive, if you enjoy a good story, you might like this. And if you’re a fan of Puppetmaster (which I definitely am!) you’ll appreciate the clear concise storytelling that that franchise was missing, though there’s less ‘doll action’ in this franchise, there is more as the franchise progresses. So this 3rd movie has more than the first and second, and it’s more graphic.