Fantasia International Film Festival (FIFF) – Written and directed by Jesse Blanchard, a Canadian filmmaker and puppet master, Frank & Zed is a period piece horror whose cast is comprised of a plethora of puppets and their talented voice actors and puppeteers. Bravely bloody, gushingly gory, and dryly humorous, Frank & Zed is definitely not your mother’s marionette show, and it stands out among the already eclectic lineup of movies being featured as part of the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival. A project that represents 6 years of blood, sweat, and fears pouring from the team of Puppetcore Films, director Jesse Blanchard claims that this was made in a garage, however, its puppets nearly leap off of the screen, and its intricately detailed set design all work to create the darkly comedic world of Frank & Zed.

How gory was Frank & Zed, you may ask? Let’s just say that when I started Frank & Zed I was eating dinner, and within 15 minutes of getting into the film, I had decided to put my food away. Frank & Zed is the kind of puppet show that Eli Roth or Adam Green might enjoy, I’m sure, relishing in gash and slash horror and then haphazardly putting on a band-aid of comedy that is cute but doesn’t nearly stop the flow of blood and gore. In the words of Frank & Zed director, Jesse Blanchard, “… it’s a strange film and not meant for everyone,” which is probably true, but I for one loved its detailed lore, its humor in depicting death and life in the middle ages, and the story of monsters vs. villagers is just epically badass.

Frank & Zed is set in a village that is under a century’s old curse of an impending apocalypse that will be set into motion once the bloodline of their royal family runs out. Once the last king dies, the villagers take up ancient arms against a legendary monster named the Moroy by acquiring 5 pieces of weaponry in order to slay the monster, mighty weaponry bestowed upon them by the very demon that cursed their ancestors. After storming the castle that is said to be the home of the Moroy, the villagers instead find Frank & Zed, remnants of the monster slain so long ago, who take up arms against the villagers in a battle that may fulfill the apocalyptic prophecy.

At times I would forget I was watching a puppet film, though I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. The styling of the puppets was excellent, each with a distinct personality, look, and method of movement to allow them to seem almost real. Furthermore, the designs of Frank and Zed were particularly memorable, seemingly made from rubbery materials to give them their monster look and differentiate them from the cloth puppets. The final showdown was one epic battle that was just as heart-racing as any live-action movie, backed by excellent music featuring pounding drums, flurries of trumpets, and anxiety-inducing violins — and of course, loads of gore. The ending credits give a peek into the behind-the-scenes antics of the team, who looked to have tons of fun using their puppets, suit-mation, and other practical effects to bring this puppet-acted, period-piece horror-comedy to life.

The violence in the movie didn’t seem over the top, but there were definitely a lot of body parts flying off of both the living and the dead, as well as streams of gushing blood from the countless decapitations — this movie will truly be a treat for the gorehound gang. However, it is not all gory guts, as Frank & Zed, in my opinion, is a punch to the emotional gut as well, with a beautifully animated ending that offered a sort of epilogue to the battle. It almost like the finale of a classic fairytale film, only Frank & Zed is more like the original book version of fairytales before they get their G-rated makeovers.

The film will screen as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival, happening August 5-25.

7.25 out of 10