A Horrifying Misfire: "Buddy" Falls Flat with Misguided Concept
In a bizarre misstep, writer-director Casper Kelly has attempted to reimagine the beloved children's show Barney as a malevolent horror icon. The result is Buddy, an A24 film that promises much but delivers little.
At its core, Buddy is a deceptively simple concept: what if Barney wasn't just a cheerful, singing friend to kids, but a sinister force of nature? Kelly wants us to believe that Buddy's sunny disposition hides a dark secret – one that devolves into graphic violence and terror. While the setup has potential, it quickly wears off as the film relies on cheap thrills and unimpressive kills.
The problem lies in Kelly's inability to sustain an engaging narrative. The film meanders through an episodic structure, never quite finding its footing or delivering on the scares. Even when Buddy starts to wreak havoc, his actions are more sluggish than menacing, making it difficult to muster any real fear.
The human side of the story is equally underwhelming. Cristin Milioti's character, a frazzled parent trying to cope with her daughter's "death" in a twisted alternate reality, feels like a wasted opportunity. Her performance is hampered by a script that struggles to balance tone and atmosphere.
Perhaps the greatest crime of Buddy is its inability to take itself seriously. Kelly tries to force an emotional weight onto the film, but it's undermined by the constant presence of kitschy Nickelodeon tropes and slapdash production values. The result feels like a messy mashup of different styles, with none ever quite gelling.
In short, Buddy is not a horror icon waiting to happen – it's a misfire that fails to deliver on its promising premise. Even die-hard fans of the franchise would be hard-pressed to find anything to love here. As we head into the Sundance festival and the promise of breakout horror films, it's clear that Barney remains far more terrifying than this misguided attempt at psychological terror.
Buddy is currently screening at the Sundance film festival, with distribution being sought out by the A24 label.
In a bizarre misstep, writer-director Casper Kelly has attempted to reimagine the beloved children's show Barney as a malevolent horror icon. The result is Buddy, an A24 film that promises much but delivers little.
At its core, Buddy is a deceptively simple concept: what if Barney wasn't just a cheerful, singing friend to kids, but a sinister force of nature? Kelly wants us to believe that Buddy's sunny disposition hides a dark secret – one that devolves into graphic violence and terror. While the setup has potential, it quickly wears off as the film relies on cheap thrills and unimpressive kills.
The problem lies in Kelly's inability to sustain an engaging narrative. The film meanders through an episodic structure, never quite finding its footing or delivering on the scares. Even when Buddy starts to wreak havoc, his actions are more sluggish than menacing, making it difficult to muster any real fear.
The human side of the story is equally underwhelming. Cristin Milioti's character, a frazzled parent trying to cope with her daughter's "death" in a twisted alternate reality, feels like a wasted opportunity. Her performance is hampered by a script that struggles to balance tone and atmosphere.
Perhaps the greatest crime of Buddy is its inability to take itself seriously. Kelly tries to force an emotional weight onto the film, but it's undermined by the constant presence of kitschy Nickelodeon tropes and slapdash production values. The result feels like a messy mashup of different styles, with none ever quite gelling.
In short, Buddy is not a horror icon waiting to happen – it's a misfire that fails to deliver on its promising premise. Even die-hard fans of the franchise would be hard-pressed to find anything to love here. As we head into the Sundance festival and the promise of breakout horror films, it's clear that Barney remains far more terrifying than this misguided attempt at psychological terror.
Buddy is currently screening at the Sundance film festival, with distribution being sought out by the A24 label.
... I mean, what's wrong with Buddy? 
... wait, no, that's exactly the problem – it's too reliant on cheap thrills and kills! 
The horror thing just didn't work for me, but at the same time, I kinda loved how ridiculous it was? 
... like, it's so bad, it's good? 
... but then again, maybe that's just because I'm a sucker for cheesy nostalgia... 
... and Cristin Milioti's performance is actually pretty great! 
... ugh, my brain hurts trying to figure this out... 
... I mean, who thought reimagining a kids' show as a horror icon was a good idea? It's like trying to put diesel fuel in a Ferrari - it just doesn't work 
. The film relies too much on cheap thrills and lacks any real tension or scares. And don't even get me started on the script, it's like they're trying to cram too many ideas into one messy narrative 
. It's clear that A24 took a chance on something they thought would be edgy, but in the end, it's just a misfire 
.
And don't even get me started on how they totally phoned in the emotional bits - Cristin Milioti deserves so much better than this weak script. The whole thing just feels like a lazy cash-grab, and I'm not sure what's more sad, that they couldn't make it work or that people are actually gonna want to see it 
and I'm still trying to figure out what happened 
. The kills are super cheesy and Cristin Milioti is wasted in her role 
. I don't get why they thought this would be a horror movie 
. It just feels like they took some ideas, threw 'em together with some decent production values, and called it a day 
. A24 must've seen some crazy stuff in the Sundance submissions 
. It's like they took every creepy vibe and mashed them all together without thinking it through. And don't even get me started on Cristin Milioti's character – she deserves way better than this script 
. Maybe they can revisit the concept and actually nail it next time? 