Buddy (2026) Review: When Childern Show Becomes a Brutal Slasher

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source: tv.lk21

Synopsis:

Buddy (2026) is a horror-thriller film directed by Casper Kelly (creator of Too Many Cooks Adult Swim). The film was released in US theaters on August 28, 2026, and has a runtime of 95-96 minutes with an R rating. It is distributed by Roadside Attractions & Saban Films. Made on a budget of $3 million, its box office reached $26-27 million, making it the highest-grossing film in Saban Films' history. So far, Rotten Tomatoes has given it 88% Certified Fresh (87-88% from critics), an 83% Audience Score, and IMDb: 7.6/10.

Inside the colorful world of a children's show titled "It's Buddy!", a group of children live with amnesia. They spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy, a bright orange unicorn with a purple heart on his chest, spread happiness. The problem begins when one child refuses to play by the rules. Buddy is not happy. Cracks begin to appear in his fake perfect world. The children realize that Buddy is a tyrant. When one child disappears, they rebel and Buddy rages, forcing them to go to Diamond City to seek help.

In the real world, a traumatized suburban mother named Grace experiences hallucinations about an orange unicorn. One day, Grace is sucked into Buddy's world and becomes part of the show. Strangely, however, Grace does not become fully amnesiac like the other children. It is there that Grace discovers a shocking truth about Buddy and the children inside it. The film is also described as a comedy slasher or American horror comedy that turns wholesome nostalgia into a brutal nightmare.

The film received fairly positive reviews. Its main strength is the super-accurate 90s children's show aesthetic that is twisted into gaslighting, manipulation, and gore that becomes increasingly brutal. Many say it is a satire about children's TV culture that forces people to be happy all the time. Critical quotes include "Hilarious and unsettling" (Slate), "An absurd delight" (Bloody Disgusting), "Exquisitely designed and executed" (Variety).

However, there is criticism that makes its score imperfect. The initial concept is very strong while still inside the children's show clubhouse, but once the children escape into the woods and shift to the B-plot in the real world (Grace's world), the film loses momentum. Many say the middle pacing is slow and the world-building feels unfinished. Grace's character is indeed good, but her story is called a "complete whiff," trying to create an emotional core that never connects, with dialogue that becomes stiff and predictable. The shift from the fantasy world to reality feels jarring and cringey. Then Buddy himself is not scary enough. Initially set up like a psychopath who can change mood in a second, but then he becomes too vague and too "palatable." Critics say he is afraid to be truly mean. The kills are also said to be not gory enough and not inventive enough for an R-rated slasher.

This film stars: Keegan-Michael Key, Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace and more.

In my opinion:

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I like it and I admit this is a new idea in the world of horror because it uses a figure that is considered friendly to children like Teletubbies or Barney. It turns out, Buddy, a cute and friendly figure, is a ruthless killer monster who does not hesitate to kill small children. Cool, right? Hey kids, don't watch this movie or you will be traumatized and will never ask your parents to play Barney again. However, from this great idea, there are some holes that unfortunately prevent my excitement from reaching its climax.

Well, imagine like a Barney show, they sing, do positive things, solve problems together, and essentially do fun things. Then Buddy becomes a terrifying figure for children and adults because he is actually brutal, sadistic, and intimidating. The children in his show, if they do not agree with Buddy, will certainly die. Then a question arises in my head, what is it? Yes, the origin of all this. Starting from Buddy's origin and how those children could enter that scary show. Of those 2 things, only one is answered, which is how the children could enter the show. But what remains unanswered until the end is the origin of Buddy himself. Even in my opinion, Buddy does not die at the end of the film, so please watch it and draw your own conclusion.

Visually, it is not very impressive, because although this is a horror film, it is made as if it were a children's show. Even the children who are victims here always sing in any condition. I mean, only the murder scenes are quite sadistic but there are no terrifying visuals here. If you look closely, Buddy's true form looks like a black SkullGreymon in costume form. However, this film is not bad in terms of audio and cinematography. So I can say this is a film with a good story idea but not very mature and poorly executed.

So if you like experimental horror like a Midnight Movie, you will like this film. But if your expectation is a brutal gore slasher or deep lore like Black Mirror, it will feel underwhelming.

For me this one is 7/10.

Knowledge Center:

Figure 1: The Creepy Kids Show Effect — When Familiar Childhood Media Turns Uncanny. Left side shows the Happy Aesthetic of 90s kids TV: warm natural lighting, vivid colors, genuine smile, and playful props. Right side shows the Uncanny Shift: cold shadows, glitch effects, forced unnatural smile, and decayed props. This phenomenon is explained by the Uncanny Valley Effect through three triggers: Cognitive Dissonance (Familiar + Wrong = Unease), Exaggerated Expressions (forced smile triggers fear response), and Corrupted Nostalgia (comfort turned unsettling).

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Do you know The Creepy Kids Show Effect? This is a psychological phenomenon explaining why a super cheerful children's show can turn into horror just by being shifted a little. The film Buddy uses this formula perfectly.

Our brain loves the pattern of children's shows consisting of oversaturated colors like yellow, pink, or bright blue that are forced to be happy. Forced Happiness where characters must smile 100% of the time, songs that are repeated over and over, and you are not allowed to be sad. And the last one is the Giant Mascot, a costume with big eyes that do not blink.

When one element is changed, such as a smile that lasts 2 seconds too long, the lighting becomes cold, or the song is slightly off-key, the brain immediately gives a danger alarm. That is the Uncanny Valley. Something that is 99% familiar + 1% wrong = a deep sense of discomfort. Why is this relatable to Buddy? Buddy is an orange mascot who is initially 100% wholesome, but when he insists that all children must be happy and not allowed to refuse, he changes from an entertainer to a dictator. That is what gives adult viewers chills, we remember being forced to "come on, smile!" when we were little.

The conclusion is that we are afraid not because of the monster, but because something that used to make us comfortable is now forcing us to stay comfortable.