The idea of horror tapping into innocence is nothing new. We’ve seen it play out in movies like 1988’s Child’s Play with a killer doll. But what if you took that and married it with a hefty dose of Danny DeVito‘s cult classic, Death to Smoochy? Then you’d get Buddy. The upcoming movie has Keegan-Michael Key starring as the titular character in a film that will make you think twice about your children’s programming.
Buddy, directed by Casper Kelly, sees funny man Keegan-Michael Key step into the oversized shoes of a giant orange unicorn hosting a children’s show. But everything is far from sunshine and rainbows. In a 41-second teaser trailer, we get to see a glimpse of terror. It’s basically an episode of Barney and Friends that quickly turns into a hostile work environment. Extremely hostile.
Subverting expectations
Not unlike 2023’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, Kelly looks to capture horror through the lens of childhood memory. This isn’t his first time dabbling in this world. In 2014, he directed a short called Too Many Cooks for the Cartoon Network programming block Adult Swim. It’s an 11-minute love letter to the 1980s-style family sitcom. Upbeat music and family camera pans quickly descend into a story of madness, murder, and cannibalism. And it does it all while maintaining an iconic 1980s vibe and poppy jingle.
The cast features Key as the titular character, alongside Topher Grace, Michael Shannon, Cristin Milioti, Patton Oswalt, and Delaney Quinn. Kelly shares writing credits with Jamie King. Buddy will be distributed by Roadside Attractions.
The film was featured in this year’s Sundance Festival, with chief film critic David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter explaining that the movie “stretches its sketch-comedy idea to feature length by upping the gore and the demented detours but doesn’t go far enough to be as extreme or disturbing as it wants to be.” He adds that the “inspired voice work of Keegan-Michael Key” is the feature’s “biggest plus”.
Roadside Attractions’ Buddy, slashes into theaters August 28th. Don’t let the fuzzy orange unicorn fool you, Casper Kelly is prepared to subvert your expectations.
