Twisted Horror Comedy On Streaming Breathes New Life Into Tired Trope
It goes without question that any horror fan is familiar with (or tired of) the “oh my god, my toy has come to life and is trying to kill me” trope. I for one felt like this formerly-inanimate-antagonist premise had been done to death until I checked out Karl Holt’s 2019 film, Benny Loves You. Playing out like a mix between Shaun of the Dead and Child’s Play, Benny Loves You is curious, cuddly, excessively violent, and, what’s more, has a wicked sense of humor that will have Chucky himself rooting for the titular toy, Benny, from the sidelines.
Inexplicable Reanimation
After a brutal opening sequence involving a little girl named Ashley (Bella Munday) getting executed by her old teddy bear, it’s implied that Benny isn’t the only sentient and sadistic toy in existence. But we quickly forget about Ashley – who was annoying by design so we don’t miss her – when the story shifts to our hero, Jack (portrayed by writer/director/producer Karl Holt).
Jack is a 35-year-old manchild in every sense of the stereotype you can think of in Benny Loves You. Living with his parents, sleeping in his childhood room with his Benny plushie by his side, and working as an underachieving toy designer, Jack doesn’t have much going for him outside of the unconditional love from his parents, who in my mind are at least somewhat responsible for their grown child’s current state of arrested development. After a freak birthday cake accident, both of Jack’s parents pass away, meaning that the mortgage is no longer getting paid, and that he will have to sell the house.
It’s Benny Time!
Meanwhile, Jack gets fired by his boss, Ron (James Parsons) for not coming up with any lucrative toy ideas, but he’s later re-hired on probation until he can prove himself as a worthy designer with the help of Dawn (Clair Cartwright), a tech consultant working for the toy company. Realizing that he needs to grow up or shut up, Jack strips his soon-to-be-sold house of all his childhood positions, including Benny. Jack quickly learns that he made the grave mistake that sets the rest of Benny Loves You in motion when his beloved childhood toy comes to life with murderous intent.
One-by-one, whoever enters Jack’s house gets brutally murdered when they stop by to visit in Benny Loves You. Consequently, cleaning up after Benny and evading the less-than-competent police on more than one occasion inspires Jack to design a toy based on Benny’s likeness and new personality, which is beneficial to his career. As Jack gets closer with Dawn, his emotions are held hostage by Benny, who’s willing to kill anybody Jack gives attention to other than himself.
It’s Not As Cliché As It Sounds
I know you’re probably thinking that Benny Loves You is just another watered down and poorly executed version of the Child’s Play franchise, similar to The Gingerdead Man or Ooga Booga. Shamelessly borrowing multiple pages from the sentient-murder-doll playbook, Benny Loves You holds its own because it plays out more like a comedy of errors than anything else. Jack is a talented designer, sure, but his awkwardness is exacerbated by the fact that he needs to cover up a grisly murder whenever somebody gets close to him, and often while his guests are minding their own business in the next room.
In fact, most of the comedy in Benny Loves You involves Jack haphazardly mopping up copious amounts of blood while peeking into the other room to make sure everything is okay.
And Benny, as adorable as he may seem at first, is one of the most brutal serial killers I’ve seen in the sub-genre by a longshot. Using whatever found object around the house he can get his hands on, Benny impales, slashes, and, on one occasion, uses a vacuum cleaner to suck the organs right out of his victims, all while giggling to himself and saying his signature catchphrase, “Benny loves you!”
Doesn’t Reinvent The Wheel
GFR SCORE
At the end of the day, Benny Loves You is yet another entry into the killer doll sub-genre. However, there’s nothing wrong with a derivative plot device as long as it’s done well, which is why I prefer antagonists like Benny over the Annabelle doll found in the Conjuring universe. Benny Loves You takes a tired trope, and uses its own self-awareness to drive its humor home. If you look closely enough, you may even see a few subtle jabs at Stephen King’s “The Monkey” in a couple of scenes.
While some of the violence may make you cringe, you’ll find yourself laughing at the most inappropriate moments because the stop-motion animation is so deliberately over-the-top that you can’t help but fall in love with Benny.
If you want to stay on Benny’s good side by showing him your unwavering affection, you can stream Benny Loves You for free on Tubi.
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