Director – Karl Holt (Negative Image, The Pandemic Anthology)
Starring – Karl Holt, Claire Cartwright (Souljacker, The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead), and George Collie
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 3/5
I love goofy horror movies to the point it’s almost an obsession. I am always on the lookout for weird horror movies that give us unconventional stories or murderous inanimate objects. When I was looking at the MVD release guide for May and June I saw that they were handling the release of the Epic Picture Group’s newest film Benny Loves You.
A killer stuffed animal film is exactly what I needed in my life so I reached out to them for a copy to review. They were kind enough to send one my way. Thanks MVD for allowing myself the opportunity to check it out!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Jack (Holt) who is in his mid-30s and lives at home with his parents. He works for a toy company and is overlooked for a promotion because he doesn’t dress professionally. Things take a turn for the worst when his parents both accidentally die on his birthday and he gets demoted at work. A new female employee offers a small spark to his life when they begin hanging out together but as bills pile up he risks losing his family home. As a last ditch effort he attempts to grown up. He boxes up all his old toys and belongings to throw out when something strange happens. His stuffed teddy Benny comes to life and starts killing people…especially those he loves. **Spoiler Alert**
All the posters and artwork I’ve seen for Benny Loves You paints a pretty wild and fun horror comedy that I could see myself watching over and over again. The film is actually pretty entertaining but nowhere near as wild as the posters and trailer makes it out to be. I enjoyed it but there is so many other films I could watch over this one.
The acting in this one is solid enough. The characters become more entertaining as the film progresses but their performances in the first half of the film or so is pretty stiff. It’s almost as if the cast starts to open up the further into filming they go. With that being said, I actually enjoyed the characters that we do get. A few of them are memorable but others really do help with the story.
The story for this one is not as funny or as out there as I was hoping for. There was a few instances where I found myself laughing but I was more focused on the story and what would happen next. The film has a nice progression and is split up by moments of chaotic bloodshed that kept the viewer glued to the screen. My biggest complaint about the film, besides the lack of humor, was how much time was spent on painting Jack as a loser. The movie could have 30 minutes trimmed off of it and the point would still stand.
Finally, this film has some of the most impressive deaths I’ve seen this year…easily. Some of the kills fit the theme of the film with killer toys while others are just brutal and bloody. Most of the kills rely on practical effects, which looks great, while others use some visual effects. The visual effects don’t look bad but they are very noticeable when compared to the practical effects. Overall, Benny Loves You is a fun watch especially if you are into little creature horror comedies like Bad Milo. It wasn’t as funny as I had hoped but it made up for it with the death scenes. I highly recommend it.
