![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Buddy Takes Barney’s Premise to a Hilariously Bloody Conclusion
Aug. 28th, 2026 04:30 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
tordotcom_feedBuddy Takes Barney’s Premise to a Hilariously Bloody Conclusion
The latest in a bumper crop of meta horror movies that are actually fun to watch.
Published on August 28, 2026
Credit: Roadside Attractions
0
Share
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] h-[15px]">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
<p class='syndicationauthor'>Posted by Leah Schnelbach</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/">https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=856335">https://reactormag.com/?p=856335</a></p><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-horizontal">
<div class="container container-desktop">
<div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container">
<div class="post-hero-content">
<div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase">
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/movies-tv/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Movies & TV 0">
Movies & TV
</a>
</span>
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/buddy/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Buddy 1">
Buddy
</a>
</span>
</div>
<h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1"><em>Buddy</em> Takes <em>Barney</em>’s Premise to a Hilariously Bloody Conclusion</h2>
<div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">The latest in a bumper crop of meta horror movies that are actually fun to watch.</div>
<div class="post-hero-wrapper">
<div class="post-hero-inner">
<p class="post-hero-author text-xs font-aktiv uppercase font-medium [&_a]:link-hover">By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/leah-schnelbach/" title="Posts by Leah Schnelbach" class="author url fn" rel="author">Leah Schnelbach</a></p>
<span class="post-hero-symbol relative top-[-2px] hidden tablet:block">|</span>
<p class="text-xs uppercase post-hero-publish font-aktiv">
Published on August 28, 2026
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-hero-caption post-hero-caption-vertical [&_a]:link"><p>Credit: Roadside Attractions</p>
</div>
<div class="quick-access post-hero-quick-access mt-[17px] tablet:hidden">
<div class="flex gap-[30px] tablet:gap-6">
<a href="https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/#comments" class="flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase translate-x-[1px] translate-y-[1px]">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewBox="0 0 18 18" aria-label="comment" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-comment-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-comment-quick-access-">Comment</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero"
d="M6.3 18a.9.9 0 0 1-.9-.9v-2.7H1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 0 12.6V1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 1.8 0h14.4A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 18 1.8v10.8a1.8 1.8 0 0 1-1.8 1.8h-5.49l-3.33 3.339a.917.917 0 0 1-.63.261H6.3Z" />
<path stroke="#000"
d="M5.9 14.4v-.5H1.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3-1.3V1.8A1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.8.5h14.4a1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.3 1.3v10.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3 1.3h-5.698l-.146.147-3.324 3.333a.417.417 0 0 1-.282.12H6.3a.4.4 0 0 1-.4-.4v-2.7Z" />
</g>
</svg>
0
</a>
<details class="relative quick-access-details">
<summary class="quick-access-share flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewBox="0 0 22 22" aria-label="share" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-share-new-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-share-new-quick-access-">Share New</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="11" fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero"/>
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="10.5" stroke="#000"/>
<path fill="#FFF" d="M5.993 13.464c.675 0 1.323-.266 1.806-.743l4.11 2.396a2.639 2.639 0 0 0 .368 2.451 2.583 2.583 0 0 0 2.227 1.043 2.59 2.59 0 0 0 2.09-1.3 2.64 2.64 0 0 0 .08-2.477 2.58 2.58 0 0 0-4.292-.54L8.344 11.94c.28-.616.31-1.319.086-1.958l3.952-2.303a2.564 2.564 0 0 0 4.263-.537 2.623 2.623 0 0 0-.078-2.46 2.573 2.573 0 0 0-2.075-1.293 2.566 2.566 0 0 0-2.213 1.033 2.622 2.622 0 0 0-.37 2.433L7.96 9.158a2.573 2.573 0 0 0-4.316.603 2.632 2.632 0 0 0 .172 2.501 2.58 2.58 0 0 0 2.178 1.202Z"/>
<path fill="#000" d="M6.936 9.577c.322 0 .631.137.859.383.228.245.355.577.355.924 0 .347-.127.68-.355.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.859.383c-.322 0-.63-.138-.858-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.356-.925c0-.347.129-.679.356-.924.228-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm6.17-3.837c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.924 0 .347-.128.68-.356.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.924.227-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm0 7.883c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.925 0 .346-.128.679-.356.924a1.171 1.171 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.923.227-.245.536-.383.858-.384Zm-6.17-.681c.499 0 .978-.21 1.334-.586l3.036 1.888a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .272 1.93c.385.555 1.003.863 1.645.822.641-.04 1.221-.425 1.544-1.024a2.203 2.203 0 0 0 .059-1.952c-.286-.62-.841-1.044-1.48-1.13-.637-.085-1.272.18-1.69.705l-2.984-1.854c.207-.486.23-1.04.064-1.543l2.92-1.815c.415.522 1.046.784 1.68.7.633-.086 1.184-.507 1.468-1.123a2.188 2.188 0 0 0-.058-1.938c-.32-.595-.895-.977-1.532-1.018-.638-.041-1.251.264-1.635.813a2.179 2.179 0 0 0-.273 1.917L8.389 9.55c-.423-.534-1.07-.798-1.715-.702-.645.096-1.2.54-1.472 1.177a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .126 1.97c.352.59.958.948 1.61.947Z"/>
</g>
</svg>
Share
</summary>
<div class="quick-access-bubble">
<ul class="flex gap-6 text-black list-none">
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=<em>Buddy</em> Takes <em>Barney</em>’s Premise to a Hilariously Bloody Conclusion&url=https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/” target=”_blank” title=”Twitter”>
<svg class="w-[18px] h-[15px]" width="18" height="15" viewBox="0 0 18 15" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="twitter" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor"/>
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2"/>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/" target="_blank" title="Facebook">
<svg class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 12 22" width="100%" height="100%" display="block" transitionduration="normal" transitionproperty="none" transitiontimingfunction="ease-out" class="sc-AxjAm sc-AxmLO dkUflV"
aria-label="facebook" role="img" aria-hidden="true"
>
<path d="M11.558.004L8.677 0C5.44 0 3.349 2.125 3.349 5.416v2.496H.452A.45.45 0 000 8.36v3.618a.45.45 0 00.452.447h2.897v9.127A.45.45 0 003.8 22h3.778c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.448v-9.127h3.387c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.447l.003-3.618a.452.452 0 00-.456-.448h-3.39V5.795c0-1.017.245-1.534 1.582-1.534h1.941c.25 0 .452-.2.452-.447V.457a.45.45 0 00-.452-.448l.01-.005z" fill-rule="nonzero">
</path>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/&media=&description=<em>Buddy</em> Takes <em>Barney</em>’s Premise to a Hilariously Bloody Conclusion” target=”_blank” title=”Pinterest”>
<svg class="w-[18px] h-[18px]" width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="pinterest" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor"/>
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2"/>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://reactormag.com/feed/" target="_blank" title="RSS Feed">
<svg class="w-[17px] h-[17px]" width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="rss feed" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<g clip-path="url(#clip0_1051_121783)">
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor"/>
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2"/>
</g>
<defs>
<clipPath id="clip0_1051_121783">
<rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)"/>
</clipPath>
</defs>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</details>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-hero-media ">
<figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image">
<img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="740" height="502" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BUDDY-Still-740x502.png" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Buddy, an orange unicorn kid character with an axe and a bandaged face, not looking happy, in the movie BUDDY" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BUDDY-Still-740x502.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BUDDY-Still-1100x747.png 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BUDDY-Still-768x521.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BUDDY-Still-1536x1043.png 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BUDDY-Still.png 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure>
<div class="post-hero-caption post-hero-caption-horizontal [&_a]:link"><p>Credit: Roadside Attractions</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</post-hero>
<div class="wp-block-more-from-category">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My favorite thing in art is when someone creates a work that is completely itself. When someone has an idea and follows that idea wherever it needs to go.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whether it’s obsessively recreating dozens of Brillo boxes to make a point about art and commerce, or writing a novel that forces you to flip between the “main” text and the “ancillary” text until it becomes clear that the things happening in the “ancillary” text are the most important bits, or a short story that tells you about the end of the civilization as we know it through a series of PowerPoint slides, or a play that tells us about the end of civilization as we know it through people’s attempt to remember an episode of <em>The Simpsons</em>.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I like it when people commit to the bit.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the best bit commitments in recent memory was Casper Kelly’s “Too Many Cooks”, a longform surreal Adult Swim sketch that blew up after it was posted on Youtube in 2014. It went viral, partially I think because people watched it late at night, possibly in enhanced states of being, and freaked out, and partially because dorks like myself were so excited that someone had drilled down into the dark heart of television and come back with a nightmare. In case you don’t remember it: “Too Many Cooks” starts out as a fun, chirpy parody of ‘90s TGIF-style sitcoms, complete with the adorable Cook family (cartoonist Dad, stay-at-home Mom, Teen Daughter, Tween Son, Little Sister, Grandma, an Infant played by twin babies, a Random Hot Older Girl who appears in Little Sister’s room, and <em>A Second</em> <em>Infant</em> played by one baby) and the overbright color scheme, improbably huge house, and terrible oversaturated lighting that sitcom sets all had. Over 11 minutes, it highlights more and more characters (chefs, a puppet cat named “Smarf” who could speak, nosy neighbors leaning into the house with binoculars) as part of what was ostensibly an opening credits sequence, until it veers into horror by introducing a leering murderer with a machete who stalks the other characters. (The actor who played the murderer friended my beloved colleague Natalie Zutter on Facebook after she wrote about the sketch! Imagine the screaming in the office on that day!). Then it breaks into parodies of basically every TV genre you can imagine (cop show, kids’ military cartoon, <em>Dallas</em>-esque primetime soap, medical drama, sci-fi dystopia, etc. etc.) recasting the actors from the original show in new roles, all while the murderer continues to stalk, kill, and eat them, before it deconstructs itself completely.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s perfect.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1100" height="617" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Too-Many-Cooks-1100x617.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-856339" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Too-Many-Cooks-1100x617.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Too-Many-Cooks-740x415.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Too-Many-Cooks-768x431.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Too-Many-Cooks-1536x861.jpg 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Too-Many-Cooks-2048x1148.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Adult Swim</figcaption></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For <em>Buddy</em>, Casper Kelly and co-writer Jamie King have focused on one especially creepy genre: over-lit children’s edutainment. The DNA of <em>Dora The Explorer</em>, <em>Thomas the Tank Engine</em>, <em>Fred Rogers, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Care Bears</em>, and <em>Howdy Doody</em> all show up in one way or another—but the biggest touchstone is Barney The Dinosaur.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Because I am what I am, I’ve hated Barney for the majority of my time on Earth. I hated the look, the song, the lessons, the set design, the, again, <em>migraine-inducing lighting</em>. I hated the sappiness. I hated the lack of edge. As a Pittsburgher, my loyalty must lie with Fred Rogers, but that gets complicated for me because, I have to admit, Child Leah recoiled away from the goodness radiating from the man. (Not great, Child Leah!) My person was Levar Burton—the lessons were a little meta, refracted through whatever book was being read that week, and thus easier to swallow, and while the show was steeped in a beautiful morality, it felt <em>heavier</em> to me than Mr. Rogers’.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I should probably write about this eventually. But all that aside, Barney was a demon sent from hell. And <em>Buddy</em> understands that.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The movie drops us straight into Buddy’s world. A group of upbeat children are in a fenced-in yard, with a house, a talking mailbox, a treehouse, a wishing well, a nurse’s office, and a jungle gym. When they call out to “Oh, <em>Bud</em>dyyyy!”, the plush unicorn that always seems to be sitting nearby comes to life to teach the kids lessons like how to make chores fun, triumph over social anxiety, or process fear. But when one kid refuses to play along because he just wants to read his book, things get ominous.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the first third of the film, we’re trapped with the kids in the world of <em>Buddy</em>, a claustrophobic Purgatory that feels like the natural evolution of “Too Many Cooks”. It looks sickly, in that particular way that cheap TV often does, where the colors are too bright and everything looks flimsy to the point of uncanniness, like reality itself will fall over if you give a good enough push. Which is kind of what the movie’s about: At a certain point, another plot breaks in and the movie becomes a sort of picaresque adventure-horror. To one way of thinking, this disrupts the maddening tone that Kelly created in the beginning. To another, this adds a plot that allows the film to go in a new direction that’s slightly more conventional, but also more sustainable. I think both of these ways of thinking are correct. I still don’t know whether the shift was really the right choice for the film, but I also know that if it hadn’t shifted, I might have thrown up on myself in the theater.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But <em>Buddy</em> as it stands completely works for me. It’s funny and dark and really gory, and I think anyone whose brain lights up at the phrase “blood-soaked <em>Barney</em> episode” should see it in as full a theater as they can find. But I am still curious about the other film, the one that never let any other reality break in.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The cast is uniformly amazing. All of Buddy’s co-stars nail the exact mix of “cloying kids’ TV actor” and “person who’s trapped in a hell dimension”. Cristin Milioti joins the film as one of Buddy’s co-stars who becomes a central character, and continues being one of the best actors we have right now. Sergey Zhuravsky and Johnathon Yurco express both pathos and menace through different forms of Buddy’s awkward, lumbering body. And Keegan-Michael Key, who is Buddy’s voice, and, I guess we could say, his <em>soul</em>, shades beautifully between his jollity, his homicidal rage, and the panic that sets in as his reality falls apart—all while maintaining a nasal chirruping children’s character voice. His performance makes me giddy every time I think about it.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1100" height="820" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy--1100x820.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-856340" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy--1100x820.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy--740x551.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy--140x105.jpg 140w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy--768x572.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy--1536x1144.jpg 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Buddy-.jpg 1800w" sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Roadside Attractions</figcaption></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This film rises and falls with its kid actors, and they’re all <em>perfect</em>. Delaney Quinn plays Freddy Gardner, who becomes the ostensible leader of the group (with help from her plucky backpack, Strappy, voiced by Patton Oswalt). Caleb Williams plays Wade Lyons and Tristan Broders play Oliver Brownlee, her first co-stars who begin to notice that things aren’t all sunshine in the world of <em>Buddy</em>. Madison Skyy Polan plays Hannah Hartbeck, who joins the cast later and has to catch up <em>fast</em>, Tory Jacqui Malone plays an even later addition named Tyler, and Luke Speakman plays the rebellious reader, Josh. They all nail the specific “90s TV kid acting” at the beginning, with the right blend of snark, whine, belligerence, and vulnerability. As the horror kicks in all of that falls away, and they each give nuanced performances of young, frightened children in danger, trying to be brave but making the kinds of mistakes terrified kids would actually make, as the story follows each of its themes and plot points to their inevitable, horrific conclusions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This has been an incredible year for people reckoning with the horror they imprinted on in their own youths, and the things that were marketed to kids as wholesome: <em>The Bone Temple</em> with Teletubbies and Jimmy Savile, <em>Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma</em> with its reverence for Jason and <em>Sleepaway Camp</em> and <em>The X-Files</em> along with a lotta other stuff, <em>Backrooms</em> literally being about the detritus of the 90s, <em>Camp</em> with its mix of current and retro tech, and its dedication to a certain kind of late ‘90s early ‘00s goth/witch vibe, Even <em>Obsession</em> and <em>Widow’s Bay</em>—they tell modern stories, but they’re largely disconnected from social media and modern tech.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While I’ve loved or appreciated each of these works. I think <em>Buddy</em> might be the most pure <em>fun</em> I’ve had in a theater so far this year. It takes what could have been a one-joke premise, and turns that into a commentary on media and loneliness and gaslighting and how we use stories to give ourselves strength, but it doesn’t overdo any of it. There is room in <em>Buddy</em> for all the obvious winking TV references, and for a story about mothers and daughters giving each other courage. And Kelly and King give the jokey premise some depth without taking things so seriously that we lose sight of the pure joy of watching a sentient backpack go through an existential crisis. I love <em>Buddy</em>, and I’m pretty sure <em>Buddy </em>loves me.[end-mark]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/"><em>Buddy</em> Takes <em>Barney</em>’s Premise to a Hilariously Bloody Conclusion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/">https://reactormag.com/movie-review-buddy/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=856335">https://reactormag.com/?p=856335</a></p>
︎
