Casper Kelly‘s Buddy has became one of the summer’s most talked-about movies. Like Kelly’s previous projects Too Many Cooks and Adult Swim Yule Log, Buddy delivered a wild and ambitious ride full of unpredictable twists and turns.
The premise was relatively simple: what if a kid’s TV show like Barney was actually a much more nightmarish experience? The movie was so effective at convincing its audience of its kids-show roots that some families mistakenly brought young children to the theater. Saban Films has confirmed today that Buddy will land on Digital on October 13 and hit Blu-ray and DVD on December 8.
The home video release will honor the ’90s in another exciting way, as there will be a limited-edition VHS release of Buddy via Witter Entertainment, which will be available for pre-sale on November 24.
Saban Films describes the movie, “Remember BUDDY—the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic children’s television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? 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.”
Buddy stars Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, with Topher Grace and Keegan-Michael Key.
This summer, Buddy, America’s favorite orange unicorn, emerged as the latest indie-horror box office success. The film was on a box-office tear, roaring past $26 million. This is the biggest opening of the year for a movie playing fewer than 1,800 screens, an impressive showing for an independent, non-franchise, R-rated horror film. But the record-breaking run doesn’t stop there.
Buddy continued to flex, charging past The Invite to become the highest grossing Sundance 2026 acquisition to date. With all this great success, Buddy now the highest grossing film in Saban Film’s history and the third-highest-grossing film ever for Roadside Attractions, surpassing Judy and trailing only to I Can Only Imagine and Manchester by the Sea.
Part of what made Buddy so effective is the ways in which Kelly managed to replicate the overall vibe of ’90s kids shows, as well as the visual aesthetic of analog horror. It would have been easy for the filmmaker to fully exaggerate all of these elements beyond the point of believability, though he instead found the perfect balance of using contemporary filmmaking techniques to replicate the overall feeling of watching a VHS tape you forgot existed. Buddy getting a VHS release feels like the perfect way to enjoy the experience.
Buddy hits Digital on October 13 and Blu-ray and DVD on December 8. The Buddy VHS will go live for pre-order on November 24.
Will you be adding the movie to your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
