Horror Movie Review: Pinocchio’s Revenge (1996)

Pinocchio’s Revenge is an odd film, in that it seems like little more than just another Child’s Play/Chucky low-effort horror rip-off, but actually delivers something more akin to a psychological thriller. Which makes it a better film, even with some glaring flaws.

Directed by Kevin S. Tenney, who also wrote the screenplay, Pinocchio’s Revenge introduces defence lawyer Jennifer Garrick (Rosalind Allen) who is attempting to save killer, Vincent Gotto (Lewis Van Bergen) from the death penalty by proving he was not responsible for murdering his son. It’s a tough task as not only has Gotto admitted to the crime, he was caught burying his dead son, alongside the boy’s favourite puppet.

That piece of evidence is given to Jennifer to study for any potential clues that could prove her client’s innocence, and she takes it home. Where her daughter Zoe (Brittany Alyse Smith) mistakes it for a birthday present, names it Pinocchio, and becomes very attached to it.

Of course, various dangerous incidents start to occur and people close to Jennifer and Zoe get hurt, which the child is quick to blame on the puppet. Naturally, no-one believes Zoe as she been struggling to deal with the many changes in her life and is constantly worried that her mother is going to abandon her.

It seems fairly obvious that Pinocchio is to blame, from a viewer expectation, especially for those familiar with Child’s Play. However, the film never actually shows that the puppet is alive, right up to the very end, leaving it unclear if it is the puppet or Zoe to blame for all the incidents that occurred.

It’s this aspect of the film that makes the story more engaging, even though it does make for a slower and less action-packed horror experience.

As Pinocchio’s Revenge tries hard to keep the viewer guessing, it means a lot of other aspects suffer. One such area is characters, not just dealing out familiar trope after familiar trope, but often enhancing aspects to the point of absurdity. Perhaps the worst character is Jennifer who is in complete denial about everything. Not just the antics of her daughter, but the cases she has to defend. She’s so obsessed with proving the innocence of a man who confessed to a killing, that she regularly palms her daughter off to a babysitter and boyfriend, David (Todd Allen). No wonder the kid feels like her mother is being taken away from her. Rosalind Allen is a perfectly fine actor, but her character is trash.

Brittany Alyse Smith is one of the standouts, proving to be a very competent child actor, and really delivering some meaty moments at the end. However, when it comes to secondary characters, there are some really wooden performances. Notably the kids at Zoe’s school, in particular, a bully character.

As for the actual wooden boy? The puppet looks fine, until it starts to move around. Here, it is mostly kept in the shadows, but even then, it’s quite clear that it’s an actor in a costume. The voice comes from Dick Beals, a cartoon voice actor, which does take some getting used too. Especially when he gets a bit ‘sweary’.

Perhaps the area that suffers the most in favour of the slower, psychological pace is the horror aspects of the film. Putting it simply, there isn’t much. Exemplified by a scene where a kid gets flattened by a school bus, and is pulled out from under it, perfectly fine aside from some dirt on her face. I’m not saying I wanted to see the kid splattered over the road, but a quick shot of some blood would have at least upped the stakes a bit more.

These are notable flaws, but I still find myself warm to Pinocchio’s Revenge. Mainly because I expected nothing more than a low-effort Child’s Play rip-off and got something different. That certainly makes it worth a watch.