A Barney-type children’s TV show host becomes a murderous monster in director Casper Kelly’s (Too Many Cooks, V/H/S/Halloween) Buddy, coming to theaters on August 28.
While you wait, Buddy has received its official rating from the MPA this week.
Buddy is rated R for “bloody violence, some drug content and language – all involving children.”
Watch the previously released teaser trailer down below.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Inside the colorful world of It’s Buddy!, a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.”
Cristin Milioti stars as Grace, a suburban mother inadvertently drawn into Buddy’s nightmare world, with Delaney Quinn as Freddy, a brave girl who begins to fight back against Buddy when he shows his true self. Keegan-Michael Key voices Buddy. The horror movie’s cast also includes Topher Grace, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt.
Casper Kelly co-wrote the movie with Jamie King (“Jessica Jones”).
“It’s an honor to be partnering with Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, two companies that have built reputations for championing bold films,” commented Kelly. “The theatrical experience means so much to me personally, and I made Buddy to be experienced in a theater. I’m thrilled that audiences will get the chance to see the movie in theaters everywhere.”
“Casper Kelly is one of the most wildly inventive and audacious filmmakers working today, and Buddy is a testament to his singular genius,” said Saban co-presidents Jonathan Saba and Shanan Becker. “He possesses a rare aptitude for taking the wholesome nostalgia of our childhoods and flipping it into a brilliantly unhinged, laugh-out-loud nightmare.”
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Casper Kelly drops viewers straight into the world of a kids’ show with a high-concept horror comedy that dials up the absurdities of kids’ television programming to a lethal degree. Those on board with an experimental structure and Kelly’s darkly playful sense of humor will find this raucous midnighter highly entertaining.”
