In the world of internet subculture, the name Casper Kelly carries a specific kind of weight. He is the mastermind behind the viral Adult Swim short "Too Many Cooks," a piece of media that proved he could dismantle the tropes of television history with surgical, surreal precision. With his 2026 feature film debut, "Buddy," produced by the likes of BoulderLight Pictures and Low Spark Films, Kelly takes those fascinations to a much larger and bloodier stage. Premiering in the prestigious Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026, the movie immediately signaled itself as a project that refuses to play by the standard rules of horror or comedy.
Set against the neon and flannel backdrop of 1999, the story centers on a group of children trapped in a literal 22-minute loop. They are the stars of "It’s Buddy!", a once-beloved children’s program hosted by a humanoid unicorn with a purple heart on his chest. However, this is no Barney-esque wonderland. The children are amnesiac, living through a cycle of manufactured joy controlled by Buddy, a host who is less a mentor and more a tyrannical deity. When one of their friends vanishes, the remaining kids begin to question their brightly colored prison, leading to a perilous trek toward the fabled Diamond City. "Buddy" matters because it captures the specific "uncanny valley" of our childhood memories, exposing the rot beneath the saturated colors of Saturday morning television.
Story and Screenplay: A Decapitated Sitcom Narrative
The screenplay, co-written by Casper Kelly and Jamie King, is a fascinating experiment in structural repetition and decay. By utilizing the 22-minute episodic format of a standard 90s television show as its foundational rhythm, the film creates a sense of claustrophobia that is nearly palpable. The narrative quality is defined by its unpredictability; just when you think you have pinned down the internal logic of Buddy’s clubhouse, the script pulls the rug out from under you with a burst of surreal violence or a shift in the reality of the set. This approach makes the first two acts of the film feel incredibly fresh, as we watch the children slowly realize that their "friend" Buddy is actually their captor.
However, the screenplay does encounter some turbulence when it attempts to ground the madness in a secondary storyline. There is a subplot involving a mother named Grace, played by Cristin Milioti, who is desperately searching for her missing child. While Milioti is always a compelling presence, her story introduces a level of heavy, grounded drama that frequently clashes with the absurdist, neon-drenched horror of the TV world. The transition between a mother’s genuine grief and a puppet-unicorn’s rage-filled outbursts creates a rhythmic unevenness. While Kelly’s script is brimming with originality and sharp-witted parody of 90s media, it occasionally loses momentum when it wanders away from the clubhouse to focus on the real world’s somber consequences.
Acting and Characters: Key to the Chaos
The undisputed anchor of "Buddy" is Keegan-Michael Key, who provides the voice for the titular unicorn. It is a performance of pure, unhinged genius. Key manages to balance the "public face" of a children’s host—full of false cheer and exaggerated enunciation—with a hidden, simmering rage that eventually boils over into terrifying territory. He makes Buddy feel like a living, breathing entity rather than just a guy in a suit or a digital creation. The physical performance by Sergey Zhuravsky is equally important, as his movements perfectly capture the slightly stiff, artificial body language of a costumed mascot.
The child actors are tasked with the difficult job of portraying amnesiacs who are slowly regaining their humanity, and they succeed across the board. Delaney Quinn, as Freddy, serves as the emotional core of the group, providing a sense of stakes that keeps the movie from drifting too far into pure abstraction. The supporting voice cast is a "who’s who" of character actors, with Michael Shannon lending a bizarrely intense energy to Charlie the Train and Patton Oswalt playing a talking backpack. These performances add layers of texture to the "It's Buddy!" world, making every corner of the clubhouse feel populated by something slightly wrong and deeply memorable.
Direction and Technical Aspects: A Technicolor Nightmare
Casper Kelly’s directorial vision is remarkably confident for a first-time feature filmmaker. He has a keen eye for the aesthetic of late 90s media, from the specific grain of the film to the overly bright, plasticized production design of the clubhouse. The cinematography by Greg Myklebust highlights the contrast between the safe, saturated colors of the television world and the dark, grimy reality lurking behind the plywood sets. Kelly uses visual storytelling to show the world literally falling apart at the seams; as the children rebel, the clubhouse begins to reveal its true, horrifying nature.
The production design is a highlight of the technical team. The "It's Buddy!" set is a masterpiece of nostalgia-fueled dread, looking exactly like the shows we grew up with but feeling fundamentally "off." The editing is sharp, particularly during the sequences where the film mimics the jumpy, frantic energy of a children's show intro. While some of the green-screen work and surrealist transitions might feel low-budget to those used to high-gloss studio horror, it feels entirely intentional here, adding to the "do-it-yourself" madness of the 1999 television landscape. It is clear that Kelly knows exactly how to manipulate the medium to evoke a sense of unease.
Trailer Buddy (2026)
Music and Atmosphere: The Sound of Fractured Childhood
The audio landscape of "Buddy" is just as crucial as its visual style. The film opens with upbeat, catchy jingles that are designed to get stuck in your head, mimicking the infectious theme songs of the 90s. However, as the horror takes hold, these songs are warped and distorted, turning into dissonant, terrifying drones. This shift in the score perfectly mirrors the psychological state of the children as their reality begins to fracture. The sound design also emphasizes the "fakeness" of the world, with canned laughter and cartoonish sound effects occurring at inappropriate, chilling moments.
The atmosphere is one of sustained, technicolor dread. Kelly manages to evoke the same feeling as a nightmare you might have had after falling asleep in front of the TV as a kid. The mood is simultaneously hilarious and deeply upsetting, a difficult balance to maintain for 95 minutes. The audio plays a massive role in this, using silence just as effectively as the chaotic music to highlight the isolation of the children. It is an immersive experience that uses every tool at its disposal to ensure the audience feels as trapped and confused as the characters on screen.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Unparalleled Originality: The film is a breath of fresh air in a genre often bogged down by sequels and remakes, offering a concept that is truly unique.
- Keegan-Michael Key's Performance: His voice work is a career highlight, delivering a villain that is both funny and legitimately frightening.
- 90s Aesthetic Mastery: The attention to detail in the production design and cinematography perfectly captures the "uncanny" feeling of late 90s children's television.
- Surrealist Horror Sequences: The moments where the TV world breaks down into violent, unpredictable chaos are some of the most memorable in recent horror cinema.
- Strong Ensemble: Both the child actors and the veteran voice cast commit fully to the absurd material, making the world feel real.
Weaknesses:
- Tonal Clashes: The shift between the high-concept TV world and the grounded, dramatic subplot involving the mother can feel jarring and disconnected.
- Pacing Slumps: The middle section of the film stumbles slightly as it struggles to maintain the momentum of its opening acts.
- Niche Appeal: The film’s heavy reliance on surrealism and specific 90s nostalgia may leave some viewers feeling more confused than entertained.
- Subplot Abruptness: The search for the missing daughter feels a bit like it belongs in a different movie, which may frustrate those fully invested in the "It’s Buddy!" madness.
Final Verdict: A Bold and Bloody Sundance Original
Rating: 4/5 stars
"Buddy" is a film that demands to be seen by anyone who values ambition and eccentricity in their cinema. Casper Kelly has taken the promise of his early short-form work and expanded it into a feature that is as visually striking as it is narratively daring. While it is not a perfect film—the dramatic subplots don't quite mesh with the psychedelic horror—its flaws are those of a filmmaker reaching for something truly new rather than playing it safe. It is a work of pure, unfiltered imagination that manages to turn the innocent memories of our youth into a visceral and hilarious nightmare.
This movie is a must-watch for fans of surrealist horror, 90s nostalgia buffs, and anyone who appreciates a good "descent into madness" story. If you enjoyed the bizarre humor of Adult Swim or the stylistic swings of films like "Mandy" or "The Greasy Strangler," you will find a lot to love here. On the other hand, viewers who prefer traditional, linear horror movies or those who are sensitive to tonal inconsistency might find the experience more irritating than rewarding. Ultimately, "Buddy" is a true Sundance original that proves Casper Kelly is a major voice in the world of genre filmmaking. It is a loud, messy, and brilliant ride that will linger in your mind like a catchy theme song that refuses to go away.
Recommendation: This is a perfect late-night watch with a group of friends who share a dark sense of humor. Don't go in expecting a standard slasher; instead, prepare yourself for a kaleidoscopic trip through the darkest corners of a TV playhouse.
 Movie Review: A Surrealist Fever Dream that Turns 90s Childhood Nostalgia into a Violent, Gory, and Deeply Hilarious Nightmare){kind=link}
0 Comments