Fans of filmmaker Casper Kelly, the demented mind behind both Adult Swim Yule Log films and the 2014 viral sensation Too Many Cooks, are in for a real treat with Buddy (2026). At first glance, the horror comedy seems like a straightforward take on, “What if Barney the dinosaur were a sadistic monster?” It’s a concept that can be both immediately intriguing and also alienating to horror fans — depending on how much the Poohniverse movies have made you sick of children’s icons being turned into slasher villains. However, Buddy boasts a sharp level of clever originality. It’s more than just another comedic slasher; it’s a surrealist nightmare that thrives on the unspoken dread and anxieties of our childhoods.
The film kicks off as an episode of “It’s Buddy!”, a spoof of Barney & Friends, shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio with a late ’90s aesthetic. We follow a group of kids who hang out in a playhouse filled with colorful, talking objects. There’s Mr. Mailbox, Couchy, and Trashy (all voiced by the great Eric Bauza). Then, we have Betty Bunny, a humanoid pink rabbit with overalls, portrayed by puppet artist Cedwan Hooks in a suit and voiced by Jimmica Collins. There are also human side characters, such as Mailman Miles (Bennie Taylor) and Nurse Nancy (Phuong Kubacki).
Last but not least is the TV show’s titular mascot, Buddy, a bright-orange anthropomorphic unicorn, portrayed by actor Sergey Zhuravsky in a large, fuzzy suit and voiced by comedian Keegan-Michael Key.
The Illusion Starts to Break
Initially, everything seems perfect in Buddy’s world. The lively playhouse offers the children all kinds of harmless shenanigans, and each one comes with a valuable lesson that Buddy can help teach the kids watching at home. These range from the importance of sharing, cleaning, and even facing your fears. All the kids in the show have to do is say Buddy’s name to summon him, as we see a small plush version of the character magically come to life. The illusion of safety and ever-loving friendship in children’s television quickly fades away when one of the kids defies Buddy’s invitation to his dance party. In “It’s Buddy!”, no one can say no. To defy authority means death… by unicorn.
Once one kid goes missing, the others start to question whether Buddy is really their friend. The film’s entire first act is a riotous experiment in format, where writer-director Casper Kelly fully commits to playing out consecutive episodes of “It’s Buddy!”, each capped off by rolling credits in which the children sing a song while giving the malevolent unicorn an increasingly creepy group hug. The more time we spend watching the TV show, the more the kids become aware of their broken reality. How did they get here, and why can’t they leave? Most of all, why does Buddy get more aggressive and hostile when he can’t get his group hug at the end of each episode?
Cristin Milioti’s Screen Time is a Bit Short But Sweet
Casper Kelly and co-writer Jamie King‘s screenplay reels the audience in immediately. We are simply stuck in this rainbow-bright fever dream with the children. The fantastic Delaney Quinn (If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You) is at the forefront as Freddy, the first to grow suspicious of Buddy’s actions. With the help of her talking backpack, Strappy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), she convinces everyone else to break beyond the white picket fence surrounding the playhouse, leading the kids to a whimsical wasteland. It’s quite impressive how long the movie commits to the bit of a children’s TV show, but something richer is obviously needed to justify the feature-length runtime. This is where Emmy-winner Cristin Milioti (The Penguin) steps in.
As the axe-wielding Buddy chases the children across a depressing fantasy land, we meet Grace (Milioti) and her husband Ben (Topher Grace) in the real world. A mother of two boys, Grace is starting to display signs of amnesia, just like the kids in the show. This draws viewers down a rabbit hole, with two interconnected plotlines: one set in a terrifying nightmare featuring a killer unicorn and the other in reality. As great as Milioti is, her narrative is rooted in conventional horror — the classic “wife loses her mind while being undermined by her dismissive husband” story. This familiarity severely slows the film’s pacing, leaving the audience impatiently waiting to return to Buddy’s far more interesting hellscape.
Casper Kelly’s Surreal Humor Elevates Buddy From Other Horror Films
When Cristin Milioti’s character does finally tie back into Buddy’s world, Casper Kelly finds no problem in bringing us to a bloody, mean-spirited finale. In addition to ramping up the candy-coated depravity, the script throws a few abstract curveballs towards the end, pulling the curtain back on Buddy’s TV show. Those familiar with Kelly’s work on Adult Swim, which includes co-creating Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell and contributing to Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies, will know to abandon all expectations. Kelly and Jamie King know better than to give us a neat explanation for their movie’s central premise. Instead, they go for a cruel gut-punch that leaves plenty open for our imaginations to fill.
The film’s young cast is so hilariously blunt and sincere that it keeps the mystery alive. They are the true leads, perfectly selling the horrors of disobedience. Though Milioti’s role is supportive, her performance adds something interesting to the overarching themes of memory. Using old shows like Barney & Friends, Blue’s Clues, and Pee-wee’s Playhouse as examples, revisiting them in adulthood often makes you realize how awkward and unintentionally comical they can be. In some instances, certain elements of these programs will lose their wholesome charm over the years and appear downright sinister to adults. Buddy uses that notion as the foundation for its terror, paving the way for intense scenarios with the kids that are equally funny and unsettling.
Keegan-Michael Key Steals the Show
If for no other reason, Buddy needs to be seen for Keegan-Michael Key’s laugh-out-loud voice performance as the titular unicorn mascot. Key was previously praised as the only actor from the cast of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie to give a unique voice performance as Toad. Here, he gets to stretch his vocal muscles by balancing a warm, affectionate tone (like Barney) with another that is totally unhinged and sadistic. When paired with the child actors, who all nail the script’s extremely dark humor to a tee, Buddy makes for a hysterical viewing experience. It’s hard to dwell on some minor hiccups when a niche horror movie like this clearly gets so much right.
With so many glowing costumes, eye-catching production design, and exciting puppetry on display, Casper Kelly’s Buddy feels like a true labor of love. Where its slow second act or surrealist ending may lose some viewers, others will find lots to chew on. It’s rare to see such a zany horror film ignore the easy route, opting instead for something potentially polarizing, even when it already has a hilarious hook. That alone deserves to be commended, but Kelly goes the extra mile and gets the last laugh in Buddy‘s final moments.
The movie starts as a perversion of children’s television, slowly stripping away every reason a kid would want to immerse themselves in a show like “It’s Buddy!” In the end, it reveals something truly scary that everybody fears in their youth: neglect.
★ ★ ★ 1/2
Buddy premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival!
Release Date: TBA.
Directed by Casper Kelly.
Written by Casper Kelly & Jamie King.
Produced by Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, & Tracy Rosenblum.
Executive Producers: Kevin Flanigan, Dexter Braff, Roberto Linck, Nathan McAuley, Emilio Schenker, Gideon Tadmor, Adam J. Wilde, Geoff Yaw, & Ryan J. Kelly.
Main Cast: Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt, Sergey Zhuravsky, & Johnathon Yurco.
Cinematographer: Zach Kuperstein.
Composer: Michael Yezerski.
Editor: Josh Ethier.
Production Companies: BoulderLight Pictures, Low Spark Films, Sipur Studios, & Substance.
Runtime: 95 minutes.
