[FrightFest 2026] FILM REVIEW: Buddy

Buddy - FrightFest UK Premiere Review

Director: Casper Kelly

Starring: Delaney Quinn, Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, Keegan Michael Key, Eric Bauza, Patton Oswalt

Written by: Casper Kelly, Jamie King

Produced by: Tyler Davidson, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Tracey Rosenblum, Drew Sykes

Cinematography by: Zach Kuperstein

Original Score by: Shawn Coleman, Michael Yezerski

Synopsis:

A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show.

Thoughts:

Even if you've never actually watched an episode of 'Barney & Friends', you're bound to know exactly what that show is all about. Casper Kelly borrows that idea and somehow creates a very effective and original satirical horror film that may be one of my favourites of the year so far.

It's the 90s and all the kids are watching "It's Buddy", a childrens television show featuring an orange unicorn called Buddy, who is everyone's best friend and through small tasks teaches the children on the show (and the audience) essential values about being a good person and what is important in life. With the help of song and imagination Buddy possesses the ability to deliver messages of hope and positivity that enriches the children's lives. Just like any fluffy giant animal mascot.

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That is until one fateful day when one of the kids decides not to take part in a dance. Despite Buddy's best efforts, Josh isn't interested in dancing and just wants to be left alone. This doesn't sit well with Buddy and something snaps inside him...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this and I was fully engaged from start to finish. Most of the film is set within the world of "It's Buddy", what looks like a classic children TV show set featuring a house, a garden, play areas etc. And all very colourful and sensory with side characters like a mailman and a nurse and talking objects including Mr. Mailbox, the Worry Well, Couchy, Trashy (all voiced by Eric Bauza) and Strappy voiced by Patton Oswalt.

We've probably all watched a version of this show growing up as kids which makes it all the more terrifying when it slowly turns from cutesy and innocent to nightmare fuel and when the kids featured on the show gradually become self- aware that they are trapped. It's a bit like 'The Matrix' in that sense. 'Barney and Friends' meets 'Late Night with the Devil' meets 'The Matrix'.

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The initial 25 minutes plays out like episodes of the television show complete with credits and everything. These kids aren't child actors playing a part for TV, they are literally THESE kids, if that makes sense. And then after Buddy turns into Art the Clown, the narrative switches back to reality as we follow Grace (Christin Milioti), Ben (Topher Grace) and their family in the real world. Something isn't right with Grace and she too is having an awakening of sorts.

The violence is quite shocking. Buddy literally murders children but it's done in a way that isn't gratuitous but performative. It's not super gory but it's still very effective. And there's plenty of humour too. A sequence involving Clint Howard and his puppet friend/lover is ridiculous but hilarious. I really enjoyed the kids and how they carried the story through their growing paranoia and fear. Delaney Quinn was genuinely fantastic. They all did a great job at acting as kids "performing". And Keegan Michael Key as the voice of Buddy was also stellar in delivering an eerily mischievous turned malevolent animal. There's some pacing issues when the story switches to the real world. It might be a bit jarring to some but honestly I was all in and Cristin Milioti and Topher Grace are just fabulous to watch.

'Buddy' might be one of the next break-out horror films. If the unique narrative doesn't put you off then you'll really appreciate the originality and creativity involved from the fresh, biting premise to the wonderfully simple yet inventive puppetry. It won't just hit a nostalgia nerve, it may very well cut right through it.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'Buddy' received its UK Premiere at FrightFest '26 on August 28th