Pinocchio's Revenge
A lawyer brings home a puppet that may be evil.
Pinocchio's Revenge is a 1996 American psychological horror film directed and written by Kevin S. Tenney, released directly to video by Trimark Pictures. The cast includes Rosalind Allen and Todd Allen. The story follows a lawyer who brings home a wooden puppet discovered buried with a boy allegedly killed by his father. Her eight-year-old daughter, Zoe, claims the doll as her own. A string of accidents follows, and the lawyer struggles to determine whether the doll is dangerous or her daughter’s mental health is deteriorating. The film is described as closer to Don Mancini’s original vision for *Child’s Play*.
The project was initially conceived as *Bad Pinocchio*, written under the title *The Pinocchio Syndrome*, filmed as *Pinocchio*, and finally released as *Pinocchio’s Revenge* on VHS and Laserdisc on September 23, 1997.
In the plot, Jennifer Garrick, a lawyer defending convicted child murderer Vincent Gotto, believes he is innocent. A colleague delivers a large Pinocchio puppet that Gotto had buried in his son’s grave, which Jennifer hopes to examine for clues. She takes it home, where her emotionally fragile daughter Zoe mistakes it for a birthday gift. Zoe bonds with the puppet and becomes increasingly unstable. After a bully is pushed in front of a bus, Zoe blames Pinocchio. Later, Jennifer’s boyfriend David is pushed down basement stairs but survives. During a therapy session, Zoe argues with the puppet while her psychiatrist and Jennifer watch via video feed, seeing only Zoe talking to herself. Zoe cuts the puppet’s strings, believing it will confess to David’s accident. The puppet then goes to the hospital, where someone unplugs David’s life support, killing him. Jennifer locks the puppet in her car trunk. That night, a babysitter is killed with a fireplace poker. Jennifer is attacked and sees Zoe holding the poker. Zoe claims she took it from Pinocchio. Jennifer then throws the puppet through a glass table, but finds Zoe lying in its place. The film ends with a catatonic Zoe committed to a facility, and Jennifer vowing to bring her home, to which the psychiatrist responds, “I hope not, for your sake, I hope not.”
The cast includes Rosalind Allen as Jennifer Garrick, Brittany Alyse Smith as Zoe Garrick, Aaron Lustig as Dr.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Kevin S. Tenney
- Producer
- Jeff Geoffray / Walter Josten
- Starring
- Rosalind Allen / Todd Allen / Aaron Lustig / Ron Canada / Candace McKenzie / Lewis Van Bergen / Larry Cedar / Brittany Alyse Smith
- Music
- Dennis Michael Tenney
- Cinematography
- Eric Anderson
- Editing
- Daniel Duncan
- Studio
- Trimark Pictures
- Distributor
- Trimark Pictures / Blue Rider Productions
- Released
- 7 October 1996
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film was conceptualized as Bad Pinocchio, written as The Pinocchio Syndrome, shot as Pinocchio, and released as Pinocchio's Revenge on VHS and Laserdisc on 23 September 1997. The story follows Jennifer Garrick, a lawyer defending convicted child murderer Vincent Gotto, who brings home a large Pinocchio-type puppet that had been buried in Gotto's son's grave. Her 8-year-old daughter Zoe mistakes it for a birthday gift and develops a relationship with the puppet, leading to accidents and deaths that Jennifer struggles to understand.
Reader's Guide
Pinocchio's Revenge is noted for being closer to Don Mancini's original intent for Child's Play, according to the source article. The film presents a psychological horror take on the classic puppet, with ambiguity about whether the doll is actually alive or a projection of the child's disturbed mind. Its legacy includes a 2026 production titled Pinocchio Unstrung, which reportedly features similarities such as a scene in which Pinocchio watches a woman in the shower and a hospital scene where he kills a patient. The film remains a direct-to-video entry in the killer toy subgenre.
Did You Know?
- The film was released on VHS and Laserdisc on 23 September 1997.
- The voice of Pinocchio was provided by Dick Beals.
- Verne Troyer served as the Pinocchio double.
- The film was conceptualized under the title Bad Pinocchio.
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