Buddy: Barney-Inspired Horror

If you don't like Barney the blue dinosaur, then don’t watch him. Yes, he had a huge media presence in the 1990s, but so what? Why all the hate on Barney? However, at least one good thing came out of all that pointless negativity. This nasty unicorn and his sinister children’s TV show were clearly and unambiguously inspired by Barney. It is a strange and dangerous world, especially for Freddy and her fellow child “co-stars” in Casper Kelly’s Buddy, which opens this Friday in theaters.

At first, Freddy doesn’t realize anything is wrong—and she can’t remember life before Buddy’s “show.” However, she and Wade can’t help noticing Buddy is a little rough with their friend Josh, just because he doesn’t want to dance. The next thing they know, Josh is gone and Buddy’s story just doesn’t add up. Then, they witness Buddy murdering Nurse Nancy when she also starts asking questions.

This scenario slowly unfolds over the course of three full, completely bonkers “episodes.” Honestly, it is impressive to watch Kelly trusting his premise and the film’s gloriously unhinged style. It takes a good long while for the film to shift to the “real world,” but when it does, it is sort of a letdown.

Something is troubling Grace. She has a feeling of absence, even though neither her husband or their two kids notice anyone or anything missing. Nevertheless, she even calls in a psychic, who detects massive bad vibes. Soon thereafter, she sees unsettling flashes of mysterious kids’ show, featuring an ominous orange unicorn.

Buddy is a thoroughly evil film, in a subversively entertaining way. There is a twisted logic to it that makes it so compelling. Arguably, Kelly and co-screenwriter Jamie King take a minor misstep when they pull back late in the third act to give viewers a wider view of the cosmic shenanigans at work, but the sheer originality remains undeniable.

Indeed, Buddy is a truly twisted bogeyman, while Freddy is a genuinely compelling juvenile character. Thanks to Delaney Quinn’s sensitive performance, it is impossible to root against her. Similarly, Caleb Williams greatly helps Quinn to sell the bizarre world and its extreme peril, as the more defiant Wade. Plus, casting frequent animation voice-over performers Keegan-Michael Key and Patton Oswalt as Buddy and Strappy, Freddy’s talking backpack, were inspired choices. Both completely subvert the expectations their familiar voices summon.

Again, Kelly deserves credit for staying true to his darkly eccentric vision. It is easy to imagine how the film could have been watered down into a Teriffier rip-off, but instead, it is a truly nutty trip. Very highly recommended for horror fans and Barney haters, Buddy opens this Friday (8/28) in New York, at the AMC Empire.