‘Buddy’ a macabre slice of horror
Published 10:25 am Friday, September 11, 2026
This image shows Buddy (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) in a scene from “Buddy.”
(Courtesy Roadside Attractions)
With films like “Backrooms,” “Obsession” and “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” it has been a very good year for the horror genre. There have been some original and creative works by promising young filmmakers that have signified a renaissance of sort for the genre.
Now comes the latest entry, “Buddy.” Director and co-writer (along with Jamie King) Casper Kelly has crafted another wildly original bit of the macabre that is both hilarious and horrifying.
The film is set in the TV world of the title character — a Barney-like unicorn who teaches life lessons to four kids (including Hannah played by newcomer Delany Quinn). In addition to the kids, Buddy’s world includes several other characters and people — including a talking mailbox, a local nurse and a rabbit sidekick named Betty Bunny.
When one of the kids opts not to participate in the latest activity, he disappears, leaving Hannah to suspect that Buddy (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) is perhaps not the happy-go-lucky unicorn he seems to be.
Just as that mystery starts to unfold, “Buddy” jumps to the modern world — where a family’s matriarch named Grace (Cristin Milotti) starts to suspect something is not right. Grace enlists a psychic, leading the rest of the family to question her sanity. Just as Grace starts to wonder about her mental well-being too, the Buddy show appears on her TV and sucks her into his world.
The screenplay does a nice job of bringing these two stories together — although the initial transition does take a little time to get used to. Kelly creates a world that is a wonderfully bright and colorful parody of the 90’s children shows — a world that seems so safe on the surface, but obviously has something dark and sinister lurking underneath.
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Kelly lulls the audience in with plenty of humor only to have things evolve with deadly consequences rather quickly. It’s a tonal balance that is tricky to pull off, but Kelly manages to find the proper balance that keeps it on tracks.
Milotti is effective in her pivotal role, while Quinn really shines in her first major role — proving to be a strong protagonist.
“Buddy” is the kind of film that could have easily went south, but Kelly knows just when to get in and get out, creating a tight 96-minute film that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
It’s a film that works on multiple levels, with Kelly proving to have a keen eye behind the camera and a promising future in feature films.
In a year where horror has kind of led the way creatively, this is another strong entry in a booming franchise.
Grade: B
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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