Buddy is a delightfully subversive horror comedy with an antagonist tailor-made for Spirit Halloween products.
The quirky and inventive Buddy is *mostly* excellent stuff
Bdude is a great horror film because its subtextual qualities are practically endless. You can play the movie in several ways and they all work. Is this a magical realism allegory for surviving an abusive stepfather? A not-so-subtle metaphor for consumer marketing aimed at children? A parable about growing up in a sectarian religion? They can all be applied to Boyfriendbut even if you want to interpret it as just a movie about Barney the dinosaur who becomes a psychopath, you will still have a hell of a time watching it.
Boyfriend isn’t exactly a “new” idea. Indeed, we had a very good film about a children’s television host seeking revenge, Mr. Crocketonly a few years ago. What Boyfriend done differently, however, it’s telling your story Above all through the brilliant conceit of a series of diagetic TV episodes merged…with the overall story becoming darker and darker as the film progresses.
You may be wondering how this movie gets dark. Well, it’s not exactly Necromantic Or A Serbian filmbut it nevertheless delves into troubling territory. This is a film about children in peril and as such there is going to be obvious moments of discomfort and distress. It’s not a Terrifying 3 bloodbath style, but in many ways it is a a lot more uncomfortable and disturbing film without all the spilled blood and exploding guts of kindergartners.
The material is entirely appropriate given that director Casper Kelly began writing cartoons like CatDog And Stroker and hoop. There is one very obvious thing Swimming for adults the mood of the film, but fortunately it never becomes Also ironic or absurdly comical for its own sake. Once the film takes this hard turns into full-on horror, it never really backtracks or releases the tension. It doesn’t take you long to feel something doesn’t fit, and once the gonzo set pieces start it’s just total chaos until the end credits.
You could think the person who wrote the Cheddar Goblin sequence in Mandy Light and fluffy material would be suitable, but that is not the case at all. Kelly, who directed the “Fun Size” sequence in the last V/H/S payment, the guard enough serious in Boyfriendalthough I suppose there is only a limited quantity callous horror you can get away with a guy wearing a wacky unicorn costume. It takes a while for the main character to Really I feel threatening, but when Boyfriend becomes murderous, he REALLY paints the scene red.
Much of the film is driven by its throwback aesthetic (right down to the grainy images in the film itself) and you could worry that he’s trying to rely on visual appeal alone. Fortunately, there is more substance than Boyfriend than one might expect. The performances of the children’s cast are actually Really good and the entire cast…despite being trapped in garish, outlandish costumes…also do a commendable job carrying their parts of the story. The allusions to a certain PBS prehistoric talking dinosaur are almost inevitable, but the film makes quite a few callbacks and nods to things like Pee Wee’s Playhouse And Shining Time StationAlso. It is sort a love of all the children’s staples of the late 80s and early 90s; it is obviously the work of someone who knows that a bit of a particular silo in the entertainment industry too good.
It’s a strange film in the sense that most of its biggest names – Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt, etc. – only appear in the form of voice acting roles. Which is not at all harmful for the film… especially when CLINT HOWARD appears unexpectedly for no apparent reason. Surprisingly, the best overall performance in the entire film belongs to Delaney Quinn, who does an outstanding job as the actress pursued by Boyfriend – that is, until she turned the tables on him. It’s a hell of a performance and I have the impression that we’re going to hear path more on her in the years to come.
I would say that about 80 percent of Boyfriend is absolutely fantastic. Then we have this 15 minute issue in the middle of the movie that is one of the most inexplicably unnecessary and plot-derailing twists and turns that I saw in any film this year. For some reason we move away from the TV show in a movie gimmick halfway through the picture for one weird and unnecessary sequence where Cristin Milioti calls a suspected paranormal investigator while Topher Grace lifelessly goes through the motions in the background. I understand the story This is why the film is going through such an identity crisis at this particular point in the story, but man, does this take a huge amount of steam out of the film – which, so far, has been a smash hit.
The movie do bounces back once it returns to its analog roots and the third act is very satisfying (for a lot of different reasons.) It’s funny, it’s scary, it’s fascinating and it makes you feel way more disgusted than you are by the puppet dismemberments. Never I thought a movie could do that in a million years. It’s not a complete and consistent success as a film, but it is for most. Sorry, Topher – kinda like Spider-Man 3every time you’re on screen, the movie slows down to almost unwatchable stop.
It’s a film that seems like a pretty far-fetched gimmick, but in its execution it’s an unexpected surprise. success in many ways. We all thought it would work as a horror comedy, or as some sort of meta-genre commentary, but I didn’t think it would excel as a straight-up movie. non-comedy horror movie as well. It’s a film that cuts a lot closer to the first two Child’s play movies than it is Five Nights at Freddy’s movies and I think we can Already feel the franchise potential brewing.
Boyfriend is the best kind of sleepy horror hit. You go in with uncertain expectations and the film, overall, never ceases to surprise you at every turn. This may not be the case as good like something like Infinite Buffet Or Camp Miasma Or Is Godbut I have a hard time imagining this film not make my possible top ten horror films of ’26. It’s an exciting, roaring good time…and that aforementioned 15-minute slump gives you a lot time to go to the bathroom or stock up on popcorn and Pepsi before the movie airs. awesome Again.
GIVE A WATCH IF YOU LIKE: Any of the Chucky movies, Aqua Teen Hunger Forceother people had a worse childhood than you
DIRECTOR: Casper Kelly
WRITER(S): Casper Kelly, Jamie King
WITH : Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Delaney Quinn
STUDIO: BoulderLight images, low spark films
DISTRIBUTER: Roadside Attractions, Saban Films
RUNNING DURATION: 96 minutes
LANGUAGE: English
RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2026
