I’m not exactly sure why, but there’s something about children’s entertainment and horror movies that just go so well together. I guess it’s the juxtaposition of innocence and evil, but we’ve seen it in tons of movies, from classics like Child’s Play to more recent offerings like Five Nights at Freddie’s. We can now add Buddy to that list, an upcoming horror movie centered around a fictional 1990s-style kids show starring a giant orange unicorn. Reviews are here, and they’ve got strong thoughts about what they’re calling Barney … but with murder.
Keegan-Michael Key stars as Buddy the Unicorn, and Cristin Milioti plays Grace, a mother whose child’s disappearance is related to the forgotten children’s show. Buddy was written and co-directed by Casper Kelly, who’s known for his dark, creepy sense of humor — particularly on his projects for Adult Swim and most recently V/H/S/Halloween. Christian Zilko of IndieWire rates the movie a B+, writing:
A nesting doll of media that begins with a meticulous recreation of a kids’ TV show that quickly turns bloody, the film proceeds to take audiences down a rabbit hole that transcends mediums and timelines as a group of cute kids try to figure out how to stop a giant orange unicorn from murdering them. It’s as twisty and stimulating as Kelly’s most complicated work, but it’s all wrapped in a premise that’s simple enough to reach beyond his core audience: What if Barney was a horror movie?
Monica Castillo of AV Club also gives it a B+, calling Buddy a “deranged horror delight.” Casper Kelly has created a “delightfully messed-up horror movie” about childhood that’s made for adults. Castillo’s Buddy review says:
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Kelly and co-writer Jamie King lean into the campiness of the talking furniture and songs lessons with deranged glee, using them to terrify the kids on the show as they solve a murder committed by their best friend Buddy. The filmmakers pepper Buddy with references to shows from several generations, reflecting a persistent evergreen nostalgia for the TV we fall in love with as children and perverting it all for squeamish punchlines and more poignant notes about how eventually, we grow up and start to question the world around us.
Although it’s been well over a decade since Barney & Friends last aired, the purple dinosaur seems to be making something of a comeback in recent years. In addition to the animated revival Barney’s World and the Peacock docuseries I Love You, You Hate Me, we’re also reportedly getting a live-action Barney movie from Daniel Kaluuya.
I guess the fact that Buddy’s orange unicorn is drawing so many Barney comparisons is proof that we really never got over that PBS classic. Owen Gleiberman of Variety says Casper Kelly’s spoof of it works, offering a handful of inspired touches, even if it overstays its welcome. He continues:
As a piece of satirical world-building, Buddy is exquisitely designed and executed. … Casper Kelly is a talent to watch. In Buddy, he’s essentially reviving an old joke and doing multiple variations on it. But he has a gleefully rich understanding of the inner insanity that can drive pop culture. Buddy is, at heart, a surrealist contradiction, a hate letter made with love.
Tom Jorgensen of IGN, meanwhile, gives Buddy a “Great” 8 out of 10, praising the performances in a movie that stands apart from other kids-programming-goes-wrong features in how it calls attention to the dangers of toxic positivity. Casper Kelly expertly subverts the “treacly sweetness of kids’ TV with lots of sticky blood,” Jorgensen writes, continuing:
Keegan-Michael Key does a good job supporting that tone through his bubbly-then-bearish performance, but Cristin Milioti and Delaney Quinn each steal the show as well-drawn characters who attack Buddy’s hold over them from different angles. Strong production design and original songs keep Buddy from feeling like it’s taking inspiration too liberally from any one source, and all that leaves Buddy standing on its own as a singular, satisfying horror-comedy.
However, not everyone’s a fan. David Rooney of THR says those audience members who are “willing to settle for some weird-ass but ultimately toothless subversiveness” might enjoy this movie, but Rooney thinks it’s unsatisfyingly fleshed out. The critic says:
Kelly’s sporadically amusing Buddy [is] a variation on a theme that stretches its sketch-comedy idea to feature length by upping the gore and the demented detours but doesn’t go far enough to be as extreme or disturbing as it wants to be. The movie’s biggest plus is the inspired voice work of Keegan-Michael Key as the title character, which might help it rustle up a small but appreciative stoner audience on streaming platforms.
Most critics seem accepting of Buddy as a dark satire of ‘90s-era Barney & Friends, with the flick drawing an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score. Whether you’re looking for a nostalgia kick or just another spooky twist on children’s entertainment, you can catch Buddy in theaters when it hits the 2026 movie release calendar on Friday, August 28.