Pucking Fuppet

George, a struggling comedian, discovers a puppet with a mind of its own, who helps his career skyrocket— but not everything is as it seems with his new comedy partner.

  • Murphy Diddle
    Director
    American Video Rental
  • Murphy Diddle
    Writer
    American Video Rental
  • Murphy Diddle
    Producer
    American Video Rental
  • Tiger Ladaa
    Key Cast
    "George"
  • Patrick McCray
    Key Cast
    "Club Owner"
  • Zach Mitchell
    Key Cast
    "Puppet (voice)"
  • Juliana Moffat
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Horror
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    1,300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Webb School of Knoxville (I am currently a student there and a fair amount of Webb faculty assisted with the production)
  • Highlands Horrorfest
    Jonesborough, TN
    United States
    October 10, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Tennessee Film Nights
    Johnson City, TN
    United States
    March 24, 2026
    Official Selection
  • Southern Oasis Film Festival
    Sevierville, TN
    United States
    April 11, 2026
    Best Student Director
Director Biography - Murphy Diddle

Murphy Diddle (born August 31, 2007) is a young filmmaker based out of Knoxville, TN. A graduate of the Tennessee Governor's School For The Arts, his student film from the program, American Video Rental (2024), won the Audience Award for National Shorts at the 2024 Indie Memphis Youth Film Festival.

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Director Statement

This film is fueled solely by my love and compassion for the art of filmmaking. Quite literally. I put together this film without any assistance from any teacher, professor, etc.-- it was brought together solely by my creative vision and the help I recieved wherever I could get it, whether it be borrowing equipment from my school or local production companies, bringing in friends and family members for extras, or filming a solid portion of the film at my house. It may not be technically impressive, and there are definitely some flaws in the writing and direction-- but what I can say about it is that it is, in the most honest sense, a labor of love.