benny loves you movie review

‘Benny Loves You’ Review: Killer-Toy Horror Comedy Feels Like a Knockoff

Unlike the toy of its title, the film never quite comes to life.

By Michael Nordine

Michael Nordine

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Whether it be actual toys or movies about them coming to life and killing people, they don’t make ’em like they used to. While the “Child’s Play” and “Puppet Master” franchises aren’t exactly rife with masterpieces, their pleasures are less guilty than those afforded by the genre’s latest installment: “ Benny Loves You ,” an English horror comedy liable to make audiences laugh far more than it scares them. Mostly, though, it just borders on boring. Aside from the murderous Benny himself, the film doesn’t add much to its gory genre.

The film centers on Jack (writer-director Karl Holt , wearing many hats), who also narrates. A 35-year-old pushover still living at home and struggling to advance in his career as a toy designer, he initially feels like an attempt to recapture the cheeky relatability of Simon Pegg’s “Shaun of the Dead” everyman. But as with his eponymous creation (the talking toy’s cheerful catchphrase gives the film its title), Jack comes across as an imitator, more Mega Bloks than Lego. Everyone in his life seems to be in league against him, as though conspiring against his happiness. This makes him easier to root for, if only by contrast, though it doesn’t make him any less bland.

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“Benny Loves You” has a sardonic sense of humor that sometimes lands and sometimes doesn’t, as when the first victim’s mother googles “is it legal to smack my kid?” upon hearing the little girl scream in terror for the umpteenth time during the prologue. Less amusing is Jack, who ultimately plays second fiddle to the stuffed childhood bestie he throws away in the midst of preparing his house for sale following his parents’ accidental (and over-the-top violent) deaths — a mistake with deadly consequences for just about everyone in Jack’s life.

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Compared to the human characters, Benny is genuinely entertaining, in large part because he isn’t an evil murderer so much as a mischievous troublemaker whose violent acts are a result of his unconditional love for Jack. Asked why he decapitated the loan officer tasked with repossessing their house, Benny responds (what else?) “Benny loves you!” Told to sit down and drop his knife, he replies with a simple “okey dokey!” It’s when the film embraces that playful, anarchic spirit that it finally — if briefly — comes into its own.

A joyful montage interspersing Jack’s development of a Skare Bears line of toys (led by such characters as Dead Fred, Redneck Rex and Mother T’Razor) with his and Benny’s bizarrely charming home life is the movie’s high point, not least because the violence finally feels secondary to the characters. The tension between Benny’s murderous antics and sweet personality isn’t exactly new, but it does make him more three-dimensional than most of his human counterparts. It’s ironic, given the title, but perhaps the biggest problem with “Benny Loves You” is that it doesn’t feature enough Benny.

Much like that playful plush, however, the film can’t change its nature. “Benny Loves You” is ultimately more interested in blood and guts than it is in heart and soul, with a high gore quotient but no flesh-and-blood characters worth remembering (or mourning). The practical effects that bring Benny to life are far and away the film’s most impressive achievement, especially since most other technical elements betray its modest budget, and are in line with the fable-like warning to anyone with a similarly beloved childhood toy: “Whatever you do, under any circumstances, don’t throw him out — or the next time you curl up to sleep, he might just come back for a cuddle.”

While it’s easy enough to imagine “Benny Loves You” performing well as a midnight movie at genre festivals (and it’s been doing the circuit since late 2019), the film’s tongue-in-check charms are less fun viewed alone at home. Whether any sequels follow — à la “Child’s Play” and other genre forebears — is impossible to predict, but one thing is certain: Benny himself is memorable even if his movie is not.

Reviewed online, Denver, April 30, 2021. Running time: 94 MIN.

• Production: (U.K.) A Dread release of a Raven Banner/Darkline Entertainment production.
• Crew: Director, writer, editor: Karl Holt. Camera: John Bowe, Karl Holt.
• With: Karl Holt, Jennifer Healy, Bella Munday, George Collie, James Parsons, Lydia Hourihan, Greg Page, Catriona Mcdonald, Greg Barnett, David Wayman, Anthony Styles, Darren Benedict, Claire Cartwright, Logan Murray.

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Benny Loves You (Review)

Don’t throw him out.

by Blacktooth Jun 9, 2021, 12:31 pm 0 Comments

Director – Karl Holt (Negative Image, The Pandemic Anthology) Starring – Karl Holt, Claire Cartwright (Souljacker, The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead), and George Collie Release Date – 2019 Rating – 3/5

I love goofy horror movies to the point it’s almost an obsession. I am always on the lookout for weird horror movies that give us unconventional stories or murderous inanimate objects. When I was looking at the MVD release guide for May and June I saw that they were handling the release of the Epic Picture Group’s newest film Benny Loves You.

A killer stuffed animal film is exactly what I needed in my life so I reached out to them for a copy to review. They were kind enough to send one my way. Thanks MVD for allowing myself the opportunity to check it out!

**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Jack (Holt) who is in his mid-30s and lives at home with his parents. He works for a toy company and is overlooked for a promotion because he doesn’t dress professionally. Things take a turn for the worst when his parents both accidentally die on his birthday and he gets demoted at work. A new female employee offers a small spark to his life when they begin hanging out together but as bills pile up he risks losing his family home. As a last ditch effort he attempts to grown up. He boxes up all his old toys and belongings to throw out when something strange happens. His stuffed teddy Benny comes to life and starts killing people…especially those he loves. **Spoiler Alert**

All the posters and artwork I’ve seen for Benny Loves You paints a pretty wild and fun horror comedy that I could see myself watching over and over again. The film is actually pretty entertaining but nowhere near as wild as the posters and trailer makes it out to be. I enjoyed it but there is so many other films I could watch over this one.

The acting in this one is solid enough. The characters become more entertaining as the film progresses but their performances in the first half of the film or so is pretty stiff. It’s almost as if the cast starts to open up the further into filming they go. With that being said, I actually enjoyed the characters that we do get. A few of them are memorable but others really do help with the story.

The story for this one is not as funny or as out there as I was hoping for. There was a few instances where I found myself laughing but I was more focused on the story and what would happen next. The film has a nice progression and is split up by moments of chaotic bloodshed that kept the viewer glued to the screen. My biggest complaint about the film, besides the lack of humor, was how much time was spent on painting Jack as a loser. The movie could have 30 minutes trimmed off of it and the point would still stand.

Finally, this film has some of the most impressive deaths I’ve seen this year…easily. Some of the kills fit the theme of the film with killer toys while others are just brutal and bloody. Most of the kills rely on practical effects, which looks great, while others use some visual effects. The visual effects don’t look bad but they are very noticeable when compared to the practical effects. Overall, Benny Loves You is a fun watch especially if you are into little creature horror comedies like Bad Milo. It wasn’t as funny as I had hoped but it made up for it with the death scenes. I highly recommend it.

(Staff Writer) Lover of all things horror and metal. Also likes boobs and booze.

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British director Karl Holt sets the bar high for his first feature film about a killer toy. While the subject matter is nothing new, Holt delivers a horror-comedy with a surprising amount of heart. Benny, the titular murderous stuffed animal, keeps comedic pace with Chucky while differentiating himself with child-like innocence. In the vein of other British horror-comedies like Shaun of the Dead , Benny Loves You has the potential to generate a cult following thanks to its lovable antagonist and substantial gore.

After a take it or leave it opening scene, Benny Loves You picks up on Jack (Karl Holt), a middle-aged toy designer that's struggling to advance in his career and personal life. He still lives with his parents -- his bedroom a time capsule of his childhood -- only leaving to fight the good battle at work where his archrival, Richard, continuously one-ups him. The unexpected death of his parents prompts Jack to get his life together, starting with the disposal of his many toys. However, Benny doesn't like that and, through some unexplained magic, the stuffed animal springs to life. While Jack initially embraces his newly animated best friend, it doesn't last long. Not only is Benny overly protective of his owner, but he has a dangerous appetite for murder.

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From his first scene -- a goofy stuffed animal massacre -- Benny arguably steals the spotlight. Much of his humor is the result of his limited voice box vocabulary. When Jack demands to know why Benny killed his loan officer, the toy responds, "Benny loves you." From then on, each kill is punctuated with an enthusiastic "ta-da!" Jack's pleas for Benny to stop killing are met with the simple response of "okey-dokey," which, of course, Benny reneges on later. When Benny is on the screen, the film shines.

However, when Benny appears, gory kill sequences aren't usually far behind. While less experienced audiences might bulk at the blood and guts, it's sure to delight veterans of the genre. From squirting lemon in eyes to a gnarly vacuum scene, each kill sequence is innovative and not just a replica of the slasher films that came before it. There's no doubt Benny Loves You has a gore focus, but the kill sequences are well balanced by B movie charm that keeps them rooted in the comedic realm.

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Despite Benny Loves You 's gore, the film is not without heart. While the laugh-out-loud moments are prevalent, Holt seeks to tell a deeper story of love and jealousy. Jack and Benny's relationship remains at the center of the storyline. One of the film's highlights is a light-hearted montage of Jack developing Skare Bears -- a serial killer-inspired toyline. Jack decides to use Benny's blood lust as inspiration for his work, and Benny is more than happy to act as his model. While the sequence is brief, it paints an emotional connection between Jack and Benny that the audience can get behind. As a result, when things inevitably turn bad, viewers are rooting for Jack -- and Benny.

Aside from the plot, Benny Loves You is well acted and well thought out. It's clear Holt -- the writer, director, producer and star -- made the film with love. Even details one thinks are forgotten come back later with a neat tie-up. The cinematography is nothing special, but Benny offers nice contrast as a bright pop of red in the film's otherwise grayish overtones. Overall, as essentially a one-person project, the feature is an impressive debut from Holt.

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There's no doubt Benny Loves You will fair well among horror fans. Benny's cute but sinister nature set him apart from similar films like Child's Play and Puppet Master. Holt is clearly a horror fan that is well acquainted with the genre. As such, his film delivers everything audiences expect while adding its own original flair. Beyond the blood, the film is a surprisingly emotional story about a love triangle of sorts; In this case, it just involves two humans and a toy. While Benny Loves You isn't groundbreaking in the subgenre, it's compelling. The film is cult following material thanks to its lovable antagonist.

Directed and written by Karl Holt and starring Karl Holt, Claire Cartwright and George Collie, Benny Loves You drops in select theaters May 7 and VOD May 11.

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'Benny Loves You' Review: Plushy punishment wins out

Karl holt's 'benny loves you' brings friends to the end even closer together through bloody murder..

What to Watch Verdict

'Benny Loves You' introduces a new horror icon in the making but struggles at times to nail comedic stylings that push zaniness over the edge.

🔪 Benny comes to life.

🔪 Impossibly fun at its strongest.

🔪 Stays whimsical and macabre throughout.

🔪 Humor is hit and miss.

🔪 When Benny's out of focus, momentum halts.

🔪 Very much dependant on your comedy appreciation.

Somewhere between Bad Milo! , Ted and Dolls exists Benny Loves You . It’s never as impressively puppetted as Bad Milo! (although not far off), as raucous as Ted , or as outlandishly midnight-macabre as Dolls , but all mentioned titles can be flagged as influences. Karl Holt stresses the comedy in his plushy best-friend nightmare, which becomes the film's saving grace and letdown in equal portions. It’s astounding to see how many hats Holt wears when bringing Benny to life (writer, director, star, cinematographer, probably caterer). Still, seams show more than thrice based on budgetary hurdles alone. It’s a marvelously rowdy concept that shines when full-throttle—coming from a lover of killer plaything cinema—but uneven humor will divide audiences who aren’t inebriated to the point of appropriate looseness.

Everyone’s midlife crisis hits differently, but Jack’s (Karl Holt) takes the cake. At the age of thirty-five, his parents perish in an unfortunate surprise birthday party accident, leaving Jack the home of his dreams. Unfortunately, Jack’s position at Toy Box is threatened by co-worker Richard (George Collie), and housing payments become scarce. Jack decides to overhaul his life and retire his childish ways, but there’s one presence from his adolescence that won’t stay in storage—a stuffed teddy in a vest named Benny, who springs to life in an attempt to aid his “best friend” via increasingly gruesome means.

The nod to Bad Milo! should indicate Benny’s signature expression of affection. Jack’s spine is cooked spaghetti and belly yellow, so Benny begins slicing through his buddy’s problems with a kitchen knife. It’s rarely horrific given Benny’s huggable exterior and squeaky repetitions of “Benny loves you,” which spotlights Holt’s sense of gleefulness over any semblance of a scare. When Benny and Jack spend an afternoon modeling Jack’s newest marketable creation—horror inspired Skare Bears—energies run high as Benny dresses in nunsploitation veils or pops out of a coffin like Dracula, which is sensationally sweet. When Holt spends an exhausting Saturday night situational gag fixated on a pug’s murder—using a rubbery, ultra-fake replicant—it’s easy to lose focus because of the excruciatingly bonkers-but-boorish material deflates faster than a thousand-times punctured bouncy castle.

It’s an at-odds balance between Benny’s murder spree, Jack’s courting of office crush Dawn (Claire Cartwright), and Jack’s eventual evolution into a more mature adult that hinders what should be Benny’s breakout slash-travaganza. When Benny’s the focal point—jiggle-hopping around, stuffing beheaded dolls with canned spaghetti like intestines, or reenacting horror movie stills (shadow behind laundry sheet)—expect tremendous amounts of imaginatively anthropomorphic fun to applaud. When heavy narrative lifting diverts to outside world-building (i.e., an introduction with another neglected toy out for revenge) or onto lesser bumbling police gags, Benny Loves You stumbles backward. Holt so proficiently personalizes Benny and painstakingly details his bounce-about strut or protective bodyguard instincts, it’s hard not to miss Benny’s antics when weaker attempts at workplace “drama” or romantic stakes are treated with the same bizarre unbelievability.

I write this review as a conflicted critic because half of Benny Loves You is softer than cotton filling, and yet there’s oodles of Benny’s grim jubilation worth endless not-so-serious howls. Benny is a killing machine with mannerisms that evoke Gir from Invader Zim , while the bloodiness of severed fingers and vacuumed intestines splatter gore like paintings that might hang in Patrick Bateman’s apartment. It’s unavoidably indie, but Benny’s standalone mobility and spritely charms drill into your heart whether he’s torturing a real estate agent, cowering behind a pillow thanks to Universal Monsters, or fighting reprogrammed disco robots with sawblade hands. Between Holt’s animated effects and his supportive performance as jaded, in-a-pickle Jack, Benny becomes a memorable horror killer with a heart stitched of golden fabric. What you’re here for plays aces, from friendship montages set to Lego Movie soundtrack beats to samurai inspirations and slow-motion superhero landings.

There’s even a scene where discarded Benny sits on a lopsided seesaw under gloomy rain clouds, cast aside by his soulmate, and you realize there’s magic propelling this oddball feel-good slaughterfest—empathy comes easy. Holt doesn’t force us to care for Benny; these feelings bubble naturally.

Benny Loves You is a testament to outlaw filmmaking as Karl Holt passionately creates something saccharine, ceremoniously silly, and zany to the max—albeit hit or miss as scenes pass. It’s the inevitable gamble of leaning on comedy that’s considerably more niche atop a British sensibility (biscuit banter and whatnot). What Benny Loves You accomplishes given such obvious restraints makes Holt’s name one to watch, but the film’s ambition is also a victim of its own circumstance. Any gimmick narrative that sells its gimmick this magnificently earns appropriate recommendations—I just wish there were more to love outside Benny’s happy-time rampage, sealing his placement as the genre’s cutest executioner since Milo crawled out of Ken Marino’s colon.

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Matt Donato is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic who stays up too late typing words for What To Watch, IGN, Paste, Bloody Disgusting, Fangoria and countless other publications. He is a member of Critics Choice and co-hosts a weekly livestream with Perri Nemiroff called the Merri Hour. You probably shouldn't feed him after midnight, just to be safe.

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BENNY LOVES YOU: A Childhood Toy Kills In This Diverting Feature Debut

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In Karl Holt ’s feature debut, Benny Loves You, a pleasing fusion of black comedy and slasher horror offers up a bloody, homespun nightmare that is outwardly familiar but wonderfully absurd, taking inspiration from Child’s Play , Small Soldiers , and even Toy Story in that there is a toy revolution of sorts that unfolds in Benny Loves You . 

Jack is a 35-year-old manchild who may be employed as a toy designer but he neglects any ambition. He lives with his parents at his picturesque childhood home, but he’ll soon be left to fend for himself when his parents accidentally die on his birthday. Fast-forward ten months and Jack is forced to confront adulthood. Jack’s job as a toy designer is on the brink and debt collectors are looking to repossess his childhood home. Initially, Jack is motivated to transition into adulthood, packing away his childhood belongings and determined to make a change. However, one look at Benny, his stuffed childhood toy given by his mother to keep the imaginary demons at bay, and Jack can’t help but feel nostalgic. In an effort to throw Benny out, the true nature of the lifeless teddy bear is revealed. As it turns out, Benny is alive, and more frighteningly, Benny is a dangerously jealous toy who’s possessive of Jack, lashing out in violence against those who wronged Jack and those who were getting too close to him. 

A Man-Child Keeps A Childhood Connection Alive, But At What Cost?

Already the director and writer, Karl Holt takes on the lead role of Jack, a directionless manchild who remains an approachable, albeit slightly annoyed protagonist. After a tragedy befalls on Jack’s birthday which leaves him parentless, Jack’s troubled psyche and isolation are handled blithely but still depicted with a certain degree of solemnity. Jack’s in a bad place, but he’s determined to change his man-child ways. Regrettably, when Jack finds Benny, the cute stuffed toy sworn to protect him, Jack is shocked to learn that Benny is alive. 

As Jack reluctantly allows Benny to live in the same house as him, Jack discovers that Benny harbors murderous cravings, which are triggered by the friends and enemies who circle Jack’s life. While Jack does not condone Benny’s deadly urge and does what he can to suppress it, he is not above burying Benny’s victims in his backyard and preserving his oddball friendship with Benny. 

Benny Loves You is an inventive and kooky debut feature that is tonally chaotic, exercising horror and comedy at the most unexpected moments. The friendship between Benny and Jack is interestingly conflicted. For a man-child like Jack, he is lonely and socially inept, understandably seeking comfort in a childhood toy that was promised to provide protection and indubitable devotion. But with Benny comes a prolific body count, and Jack is forced to bury bodies and clean up blood quite regularly. Surely Jack is not doing the righteous thing by covering for Benny, and Jack’s harebrained actions beg the question of how far he will go to keep the childhood connection, Benny, alive and well. 

A Grisly & Comical Creepy Doll Picture

The gore gets progressively more fringe and explicit as Benny evolves as a killer. Even so, Benny remains an adorable varmint while he mercilessly murders anyone who is threatening Jack and their friendship. However, the kills become more gruesome to the point that some viewers will be turned off by the inflated violence. At one point, Benny throws an ax at a pug and drags the deceased dog on a leash throughout the house, and the fate of that little dog only gets more brutal. At another point, another vengeful toy uses a vacuum to clean out the insides of another toy designer. Suffice it to say, the violence escalates. And the story, which mostly takes place in Jack’s childhood home, expands, incorporating more vindictive toys that come to life. 

Beyond the relationship of Jack and Benny, Jack has an enjoyably dysfunctional relationship with Dawn ( Claire Cartwright ). It just so happens that Dawn had her own experiences with a malefic toy, and that leads to the introduction of more nefarious toys looking to revolt. As more toys enter the picture, the more hectic, bloated, and meandering the film becomes. While it has always been toy versus human throughout the movie, there’s a laughable fight between two toys. While the CGI is nothing elaborate, it is still fairly reasonable and delightfully ridiculous that the second-rate CGI adds to the enjoyment. 

Conclusion:  Benny Loves You

Have you seen  Benny Loves You ? If not, are you interested in seeing it now? Let us know in the comments.

Benny Loves You will be released on May 7, 2021 by Epic Pictures. 

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Benny Loves You (2019)

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Benny Loves You

Benny Loves You Movie Review

Written by Sean M. Sanford

Released by DREAD

Written and directed by Karl Holt 2019, 94 minutes, Not Rated Released on May 7th, 2021

Starring: Karl Holt as Jack Claire Cartwright as Dawn George Collie as Richard

Jack and Benny have a complicated relationship. One that reeks of trials, tribulations, murder, and plush…oh yeah, Benny’s a stuffed toy, so there’s that. And like most stuffed toys, Benny doesn’t like to be neglected. Unlike most stuffed toys, Benny’ll shank a fool.

Meet Jack (played by writer/director Karl Holt), a gentleman in his mid-30s who hosts a slew of issues that have run him askance since childhood. Jack lives with his parents, in his old bedroom, and is entrenched in his childhood toys. Jack’s stagnation funnels even to his profession, where he works at a toy company helping create prototypes for the next league of playthings. And also where he gets severely dicked around by his alleged superiors.

Ever since he was small child, Jack has had Benny, a cherished stuffed eccentric who would guard Jack from all of life’s ghosts and monsters. Thing is though, Benny has also guarded Jack from a social life and your classic structure of adulthood. Which has festered in quiet desperation within the cobwebs of his psyche.

Until tragedy strikes, and he’s urged to reassess his life’s droll confines.

Now he has been faced with the hard-lined truth that he might be too damn old for his toys, placing Benny in a mausoleum beside all that Jack deems better resting in peace – in the depths of his closet. As I already alluded to, Benny ain’t having that shit. He responds by coming alive and ruthlessly slaughtering those who he feels are too close to Jack. Soundtracking the mayhem are his own assurances that “Benny loves you,” amongst other misleadingly friendly quips.

Benny Loves You does a great job of illustrating the ways that life can sometimes provide just enough assumed desires to inspire stagnation. When Jack was a boy he felt it necessary to believe that Benny would solve any and all of his problems, making it painfully clear that Benny was all Jack would ever need in a companion. I can see how such a relationship would be tempting. Can you imagine? A friend who seems so perfect when you’re a child that you feel like you’re done looking for any other friends? I mean, I’m lucky I never met a life-sized Raphael when I was a kid. I’m talking about the Ninja Turtle of course, not the Renaissance painter. Or, I dunno, maybe a merging of the two… Point is, if said Renaissance Avenging Reptile started killing anyone who tried to get close to me, well I feel I might be forced to severely reconsider our relationship. Especially if I was a grownup.

The movie does a wonderful job exhibiting the transition into a delayed adulthood. Karl Holt brings the perfect strain of comedy to such a daycare-macabre. He and the rest of the cast provide a unique tinge to the comedy-horror trope, in that as omnipresent as the humor is, it also brings an even more unsettling hue to the darkness, which gives each of the characters a sort of charming desperation.

The film also takes on the idea that Jack might not be alone with his brand of Benny-ism. Toys in general come to represent a figment of childhood, but even more so, something to hold at arm’s length. And also, something to be sure to not pair with sharp objects. As some wisps of youth have a tendency to slit your damn throat.

Oh, don’t act like you’re surprised.

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[Movie Review] BENNY LOVES YOU

• May 7, 2021
• J.M. Brannyk

BENNY LOVES YOU is a horror-comedy movie starring, written, directed, edited, and partly filmed by Karl Holt . He probably also did the catering, foley, set design, locations, additional voices – just kidding, but he definitely has a huge and heavy hand in this killer doll flick.

BENNY LOVES YOU is about Jack, a loser (said several times throughout the film, so I’m not taking a cheap shot) who works in toy design, and is as much of a man-child as Puppet Master 4 ’s Rick Meyers. During a series of freak accidents, he is orphaned at age thirty-five and inherits the large home of his parents. Unable to keep up with the bills, he realizes that he needs to grow up and shoot for the big promotion at work. Trying to get his life in order, he listens to a series of self-help tapes, where he’s instructed to let go of the past. Taking the advice, he decides to throw out his old stuffed-animal friend, Benny.

However, as true as the title is, Benny does indeed love Jack and will stop at nothing to get back into his life…Even kill.

I love killer doll movies. I love the concept. I love the message (be nice to your things or they can kill you). I love the creep factor of them. However, BENNY LOVES YOU never fully lands with the horror or the comedy that it’s striving for.

The comedic style is spaghetti-throwing, with an edge of absurdism, but never really reaching the unsettling nature of the absurd. There were only two jokes that I felt landed solidly and the rest were more trope-y, gross-out, or flat. Tonally, it is a mess because it doesn’t have the wit to carry any solid jokes or the over-the-top bizarreness to really shine as a screwball or camp. It leans in all different directions, without fully committing to any of them.

Oh, and dead dog and mutilation alert – big time. Like, Something About Mary hijinks…but with a dead dog.

The effects are…fine. The horror was…adequate. I could tell that Holt was trying and had some fun ideas, but maybe the funding wasn’t there or the writing just didn’t extend itself. I enjoyed the vacuum scene, but there were other scenes that I felt relied too heavily on tropes or half-baked homages (although I did appreciate the Halloween laundry homage, they straight-up ripped Talky Tina from The Twilight Zone ).

The Benny design itself is fun and creative, but the voice is highly influenced by Elmo toys and never fully wavered into, say, demonic Speak-and-Spell territory that it probably should have. Benny is cute, but never fully actualized into an object to fear, like, say with Child’s Play .

His motions are floppy and jerky, but more in a laissez-faire kind of way (think Willy’s Wonderland ), so you never really felt engaged with his actions. He just isn’t scary and we never get a complete sense of his character. For example, he is terrified of horror movies, but then gleefully revels in his bloodlust and carnage. I thought that this, as being his only weakness, would play a major part in his development or downfall…But nope. Not even explained. A killer doll who gets scared of shitty B-horror movies…

And one last point before I say some nice stuff. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – let’s put the man-child character to rest. He’s outlived his purpose. He’s old and smelly now. And if he is used, please have an actual arc instead of “gets sex, so he’s cured”. It’s gross and weird. Stop it, film industry. It’s embarrassing.

So, the good points. Claire Cartwright as Dawn is incredible. Her character is one of the best that I’ve seen for the “random love interest of man-child” trope. She brings life and humor to this otherwise lackluster character. She’s fierce and funny. Beautiful and charming. Really, just a breath of fresh air in BENNY LOVES YOU .

Also, I rag hard on this movie, but the concept was great. There were moments that really landed well and were so, so close to being very engaging and enjoyable. The third act was very reminiscent of older films with the boobytraps and killer dolls fighting each other. In fact, that all three characters had their own ‘personal demons’ dolls was interesting and entertaining (although Dawn’s doll really needed a little extra to stand out).

However, at the end of the day, BENNY LOVES YOU is just a mashup of the “But why?” meme and the answer being, “For the glory of Satan” meme. There’s no true substance to pull it all together and make it cohesive. There are no true answers or questions, no pure moments that elevate this film into what it’s trying so hard to be; it’s just a furry little dude flopping around with a knife.

BENNY LOVES YOU is now in select theaters and will be available On-Demand on May 11th and on Blu-ray on June 8th.

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‘Benny Loves You’ Review: Killer-Toy Horror Comedy Feels Like a Knockoff

Whether it be actual toys or movies about them coming to life and killing people, they don’t make ’em like they used to. While the “Child’s Play” and “Puppet Master” franchises aren’t exactly rife with masterpieces, their pleasures are less guilty than those afforded by the genre’s latest installment: “ Benny Loves You ,” an English horror comedy liable to make audiences laugh far more than it scares them. Mostly, though, it just borders on boring. Aside from the murderous Benny himself, the film doesn’t add much to its gory genre.

The film centers on Jack (writer-director Karl Holt , wearing many hats), who also narrates. A 35-year-old pushover still living at home and struggling to advance in his career as a toy designer, he initially feels like an attempt to recapture the cheeky relatability of Simon Pegg’s “Shaun of the Dead” everyman. But as with his eponymous creation (the talking toy’s cheerful catchphrase gives the film its title), Jack comes across as an imitator, more Mega Bloks than Lego. Everyone in his life seems to be in league against him, as though conspiring against his happiness. This makes him easier to root for, if only by contrast, though it doesn’t make him any less bland.

“Benny Loves You” has a sardonic sense of humor that sometimes lands and sometimes doesn’t, as when the first victim’s mother googles “is it legal to smack my kid?” upon hearing the little girl scream in terror for the umpteenth time during the prologue. Less amusing is Jack, who ultimately plays second fiddle to the stuffed childhood bestie he throws away in the midst of preparing his house for sale following his parents’ accidental (and over-the-top violent) deaths — a mistake with deadly consequences for just about everyone in Jack’s life.

Compared to the human characters, Benny is genuinely entertaining, in large part because he isn’t an evil murderer so much as a mischievous troublemaker whose violent acts are a result of his unconditional love for Jack. Asked why he decapitated the loan officer tasked with repossessing their house, Benny responds (what else?) “Benny loves you!” Told to sit down and drop his knife, he replies with a simple “okey dokey!” It’s when the film embraces that playful, anarchic spirit that it finally — if briefly — comes into its own.

A joyful montage interspersing Jack’s development of a Skare Bears line of toys (led by such characters as Dead Fred, Redneck Rex and Mother T’Razor) with his and Benny’s bizarrely charming home life is the movie’s high point, not least because the violence finally feels secondary to the characters. The tension between Benny’s murderous antics and sweet personality isn’t exactly new, but it does make him more three-dimensional than most of his human counterparts. It’s ironic, given the title, but perhaps the biggest problem with “Benny Loves You” is that it doesn’t feature enough Benny.

Much like that playful plush, however, the film can’t change its nature. “Benny Loves You” is ultimately more interested in blood and guts than it is in heart and soul, with a high gore quotient but no flesh-and-blood characters worth remembering (or mourning). The practical effects that bring Benny to life are far and away the film’s most impressive achievement, especially since most other technical elements betray its modest budget, and are in line with the fable-like warning to anyone with a similarly beloved childhood toy: “Whatever you do, under any circumstances, don’t throw him out — or the next time you curl up to sleep, he might just come back for a cuddle.”

While it’s easy enough to imagine “Benny Loves You” performing well as a midnight movie at genre festivals (and it’s been doing the circuit since late 2019), the film’s tongue-in-check charms are less fun viewed alone at home. Whether any sequels follow — à la “Child’s Play” and other genre forebears — is impossible to predict, but one thing is certain: Benny himself is memorable even if his movie is not.

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Benny loves you review – toy story: murderous millennial edition.

Anyone who’s read Straight Outta Kanto’s previous reviews will know that I like my budgets low and my horror, comedy. That being said, when going in to what one knows in advance is a low budget horror comedy, it’s always a gamble of “Will I enjoy laughing at this ‘cos it’s so bad?” or “Will I enjoy laughing at this ‘cos it’s actually a bloody good film?” Mercifully, the 2019 UK horror comedy Benny Loves You falls into the latter category.

As a Master of Disbelief Suspension I have in my time been able to wholly indulge in cinema with some truly bonkers concepts. “Benny Loves You” is an absolute 90 minute riot of teddy bear fuelled blood (or in some cases, spaghetti hoops) spattered madness that really puts the Laughter in Slaughter. Dig if you can the picture (deliberate Prince reference, watch the movie to see why!) of poor ageing millennial Jack Hunt. Still lives at home with dear old mum and dad; passed over time and again for promotion at his job; might still be a virgin; no friends – unless a vast collection of horror and nerd memorabilia scattered around his childhood bedroom can be classed as “friends.” (For my own sake, I hope they can be!) Jack, is a loner. Nay! Jack, is a loser!

After a series of bizarre, freak incidents on his 40th birthday, (“I’m 35!”) the universe is telling Jack that the time has come to put childish things away and become… a man. However, not all childish things are quite so willing to be locked down in a musty basement and forgotten. As the tag line says “Hell Hath No Fury Like a Teddy Bear Scorned.” “Benny Loves You” is a concept that has been explored in movies such as Toy Story, Child’s Play and noughties Korean horror “The Doll Master”. It taps in to the universal questions we all ask in youth: “Do my toys play by themselves when I’m not there? What happens if my toys came to life in front of me? Do toys have feelings? If I throw my teddy bear away will he transcend into a sentient malevolent being and one day return on a murderous revenge fuelled rampage mercilessly butchering all those near and dear to me?”

While sweet, Satanic, discarded stuffie Benny is indeed the adorable star of the show, I must give a standing ‘O’ to the cast for their top-notch portrayals of some uproariously obnoxious characters. (Richard, as in, Risharde, was a particular favourite of mine. As in, favourite I would like to punch. You will too, I assure you.)

The script is well paced with cut-glass sharp dialogue and interactions. (Fun fact, the movie was written and directed by Karl Holt who always plays the loner, I mean lead, Jack!).

Phenomenal use of slick horror movie style cinematography to add absurd drama to banal moments. This film was evidently made by a crew of retro horror fanatics. I loved keeping an eye out for all the different 70s and 80s movie references, it added an authenticity to the world of Benny. Excellent use of montages for both pathos as well as comedic effect, you will be bawling your eyes out during this and not just with laughter – although brace yourself for that.

It’s not all tender moments and hilarious ninja teddy montages though. The gore FX and creature animation are brilliant. I love smugly trying to de-construct “how did they do that!?” when watching movies like this and I’m still stumped on how they got the toys to do their thing. I was peering for fish wire and puppet strings the whole time to no avail! The make up effects for one of the deaths towards the end was so gross it actually made me throw up a little in my mouth too. (That’s a good thing, I assure you.)

I know hardened movie snobs scorn horror-comedies, but I defy them to scorn this one. If they do chances are Benny will come after them for a… “cuddle.” So, lights off, microwave popcorn on and make some room on the sofa for Benny! Hug your teddies extra tight tonight, too.

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REVIEW: ‘Benny Loves You’ is Exactly Why Horror & Comedy Belong Together

Horror and comedy are two sides of the same coin. They both tap into empathetic chords to make you have visceral reactions to images, lines, and the like.  Benny Loves You  is a horror-comedy that is exactly why two genres meld so perfectly. The film is produced, written, and directed by Karl Holt and also stars him as our lead Jack. Tapping into the toy horror stories of the 80s and 90s, Benny Loves You  is focused on Jack, a toy designer who’s comfortable lifestyle comes to an end after the freak and accidental death of his parents force him to sell his family home. Set on improving his life

After the accidental death of his parents, Jack’s comfortable lifestyle comes to an end and he must sell his family home. Desperate to improve his life, Jack throws out his childhood belongings including his beloved stuffed bear Benny. But tossing out the childhood security plushie has disastrous consequences for Benny and anyone who he hates or even likes. Rather than be taken by the garbage man, Benny comes to life with a murderous appetite.

Benny Loves You  is a hilariously simplistic movie. Benny is there to protect Jack from realtors trying to sell his house, bad bosses, and apparently any pet that crosses his path. The bloody hijinx that begins is one that is extremely absurd and somehow works? Like okay, sure anyone should be able to punt Benny and apparently his victims forget how door handles work, but it’s the ridiculousness of the film, the storytelling, and the visuals that just really works. It all feels effortlessly funny – using both physical gags like creative murders, mistaken moments, and copious amounts of blood with some stellar one-liners,  Benny Loves You  is a riot.

With all the campy aesthetic of  Puppet Master and a whole bunch of hilariously inventive kills, Benny is adorable and murderous in a great way. Though, pet-owners, there are quite a few moment where Benny becomes the devil and turns his murderous sites to some cuddly friends.

That said, the best part of the film is Holt as Jack. His humor fluctuates between dark and dry to physical in a way that balances against hyper physically comedic moments. Additionally, his back and forth with every character is hilariously  timed. Especially, when Dawn ( Claire Cartwright ), Jack’s love interest with he own dolly horror story comes into play.

With Dawn,  Benny Loves You  shows that Benny is more the rule for a tossed toy rather than an anomaly, though we can assume Benny is the only one who has ridden on top of a care and taken a workplace cafeteria hostage.  Dawn is the swift kick that Jack needs to put Benny in his place and doesn’t put up with any of the mess that’s going on around her.

Overall,  Benny Loves You  is a solid horror comedy that shows just why the two genres work perfectly together. It’s fun, hilarious, and filled with b-horror gore that just works. Murderous toys and a whole bunch of love sets  Benny Loves You  up to be a great watch.

Benny Loves You  is On Demand May 11, 2021.

Benny Loves You

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Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles.

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Cast Anthony Styles , Bella Munday , Catroina MacDonald , Claire Cartwright , Daren Benedict , David Wayment , George Collie , Gerg Barnett , Greg Page , James Parsons , Jennifer Healy , Karl Holt , Logan Murray , Lydia Hourihan Director Karl Holt Producers John Bowe , Karl Holt Writer Karl Holt

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Movie Review: Benny Loves You (2019)

Synopsis: After his parents die in a fluke accident on his 35th birthday, Jack struggles to keep the bank from foreclosing on their home and is close to losing his job at a toy company. Determined to get his life in order, he throws out all his childhood toys, including his favorite bear, Benny. Benny comes to life and begins killing both those who wronged Jack and those he believes Jack loves more than him.

Who's in it? The movie stars Karl Holt , Claire Cartwright , James Parsons , Anthony Styles and David Wayman.

Review: I came across this movie earlier today and since my first choice ended up being in a language I didn't understand, I decided to give it a try. I'll give it this much, it was definitely unique.

I think the thing I liked most about this film was Benny (unlike a lot of toys from other films) was limited to some very generic toy-like responses, something that made the character a lot less predictable than he would have been had he been capable of having a normal conversation and explaining his motivations. It also gave him a surprisingly creepy vibe because it was a bit like a child who had a basic (violent) response to everything and didn't seem to have an ability to have higher reasoning, something that made it seem a lot more dangerous than most horror movie killers.

I also loved the twist involving who Benny was stalking. At first, I thought it would be one of those movies that had the killer doll only acting the way it did because it was protecting its owner. Having Benny (voiced by Holt) also trying to kill those who expressed any sort of affection toward Jack (Holt), like his girlfriend, Dawn (Cartwright), out of jealousy was a nice touch.

Another thing that kept this interesting was the question about how Jack would find a way out of the situation. The police were already suspicious of him, and Benny did a good job committing the murders without witnesses, making Jack the most obvious suspect. Jack choosing to bury bodies in his backyard wasn't going to help him either.

The movie does have a bit of a slow pace at times. Plus, I wasn't a big fan of Benny's obsession with killing pets (I hate movies that do that with no motivation). However, I did think the ending was somewhat unexpected and worked with the rest of the film, something that isn't always the case with films in this genre.

Final Opinion: It's a weird movie and a bit gory but was definitely entertaining. At minimum, I'd recommend it if you can't find anything else.

My Grade: B

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Benny Loves You Reviews

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• Horror, Comedy
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After losing his parents due to a fatal accident, Jack decides to throw out all his childhood possessions as he makes plans to sell off his family home. This triggers Benny, his once-beloved plushie, to come to life as a homicidal knife-wielding maniac.

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Movie Review - Benny Loves You

I should love this movie.

It’s got some great kills, gruesome practical effects, so-bad-it’s-good CG and some clever writing that wears its influences on its sleeve.

So why do I not adore Benny Loves You? Let’s cover that after the synopsis.

After tragically losing his parents on his birthday, Jack is trying to pull his life together, but nothing seems to go right. He loses his girlfriend because she thinks he’s a loser. He’s in the running for a promotion at work but is also just as likely to get fired. Feeling he needs to start from scratch, he bins up all his old possessions, hoping to start anew. His favorite childhood bear, Benny, didn’t get the memo though. Mysteriously coming to life, Benny goes on a murderous rampage, killing anyone that either threatens Jack or manages to take Jack’s attention away from him. With a new romance blossoming and the police at his heels, can Jack keep Benny’s bloodlust under wraps? Or will he be trapped in a cycle of death with his old furry pal?

The opening of the film really sets the stage for everything we’re going to see over the next 94 minutes. Here we see a spoiled brat of a child and her suffering mother, the kid screaming for the birthday presents she knows she’s getting the next day, her actual birthday…but of course, she wants them now. Seeking the path of most quiet, mom breaks down and gives them to her. And, just like any child, the old toy, her favorite bear that repeats “You’re Special!” gets tossed into the closet. As we see the bear come to life, it doesn’t take long to gather he’s not exactly thrilled about this change to the status quo and, setting the audience up for the mayhem to come, makes short work of the girl, carving her eyes out and writing “You’re Special” in blood on the wall.

Like I said, this sets the stage for the audience in both the good and the bad. The good in that the kill is pretty unnerving, the girl’s eyeless gaze directly into the camera shows off the skill of the practical effects. The writing shines here as well, as the bear plays with the child’s fear at first, not only ratcheting up the tension between her and her unwanted plaything, but also between the girl and her mother. Also, let’s face it, we want to see this brat die. Horribly. This is where we dip into the bad. While the writing is clever, it also doesn’t give us anyone to cheer for. I’ll expand on this later as we get into the main story. We don’t like the girl because she’s a screaming little shit. Can’t say there’s a lot of sympathy for the mom either, who caves in every time there’s a shrill scream. Even when mom finally does snap and have enough courage to slap the little monster (the child not the bear), it almost feels like too little too late. Lastly, given the horrific nature of the kill…well, it’s hard to side with the teddy too.

This brings us to Jack, a 35-year-old toy designer that’s still living at home with his parents. While I’m not necessarily thrilled about the use of this fact to be shorthand in this story for “this guy’s a real loser”, between that, his shallow and superficial girlfriend and his own loathing of her, right off the bat we’re not really given a reason to like Jack. And he’s our protagonist. Even worse, over the next 10 minutes, we’re introduced to more people we like even less: his boss, his main competition for the upcoming promotion (Richard) and the obnoxious banker looking for foreclose on his parents’ house. Look, I get that in a horror movie, especially a slasher, you want to set up not only the fodder, but also reasons that the audience will want to see them get their just desserts. But for between the first third and first half of the film, everyone just kind of…sucks. Including Jack. ESPECIALLY Jack as he’s portrayed as a sullen man-child with nearly zero in the way of redeeming qualities or at least something that would cause the audience to rally around behind him. Some redemption comes in the form of Dawn, a co-worker that ends up protecting Jack at work and also shows a romantic interest…but introducing what is quite possibly your only likeable character well after the killings have started seems like rewarding the audience’s good faith too late.

Now, what about Benny? Well, you’ll certainly never look at an Elmo toy the same way again, that’s for sure…as he was clearly the inspiration for Benny. And the CG bringing our killer to life is bad enough to ensure that you’re never going to NOT know he’s totally bits and polygons, yet it somehow works. It adds a goofy look to this now-living toy that reminds the audience that we are indeed in the middle of a horror-comedy and not other assorted dolls-come-to-life-to-kill films that play things straight. The problem is that this goofiness isn’t utilized to draw the audience into cheering for the killer. Instead, Benny is played as a non-stop killing machine not only ‘protecting’ Jack but also making his life a living hell…with some kills actually working against Jack instead of for him. By the time we reach the film’s climax, yes, we are cheering for Benny’s seeming demise but it’s not because we have anyone in particular to rally to. Nay, we’re just annoyed with the little shit.

It is worth mentioning that in the back half of the film, the writers show their hand with regard to their influences with some straight up direct Aliens quotes and some domicile defense that would make Kevin McAllister proud. As I reflect on the film, I cannot help but wonder though…were these references really clever writing or had I reached a point where I was desperate to find something…anything…to redeem this movie.

Speaking of redemption, the practical effects and the kills they support are indeed top notch. As I said earlier, the first kill shows us the standard and the film doesn’t falter at any point in this department. There is a bit of a dip when it comes to the severed head of the banker, but that felt more like an overuse of a prop that might not have been designed for all it had to go through and how long it had to go through it. Otherwise, the impalement was good, the forking worked out and I’m not gonna lie, the vacuum cleaner kill toward the end of the film made me a little nauseous, especially seeing the intestines getting sucked out of the victim and into the HEPA filter.

Benny Loves You should have worked. The only thing that it’s missing is a worthy protagonist…someone the audience likes and can rally around. Hell, we don’t even have to start off liking him so long as he has a well-defined character arc. But he doesn’t. By the time I even shared a sentiment with him, when he finally has enough of Benny and his murderous ways, it wasn’t that I was having a sympathetic moment with Jack…we simply agreed that yes, Benny had rounded the corner to an irredeemably annoying character. You don’t have to like someone to agree with them…and that was certainly the case here. I hate to keep taking a shit on this movie, because the core concept is a good one, the gore was extremely well done and, I mean, there was Dawn…so, you know, at least one good character. But Benny Loves You provides a very important screenwriting lesson, especially for horror films…be they straight-laced or comedies…if you don’t have a protagonist that your audience can like and sympathize with, your movie has no heart. And, like many of the corpses Benny piled up, this film is missing a heart. Unfortunately, that means I have to brand Benny Loves You with an Angry Cat rating.

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The perceptive dramedy “I Used to Be Funny” features a mic-drop performance by Rachel Sennott as a rising stand-up comedian derailed by a vague, internet-viral crime. What happened to Sam (Sennott) is no laughing matter. But she and her fellow comics crack oblique jokes about it, anyway. Making her first feature, the writer-director Ally Pankiw lets most zingers land. Comedy is just how these strivers communicate — it’s how they break awkwardness, bond, fight, forgive and heal.

Pankiw warms up the audience with Sam’s roommates Paige and Philip (Sabrina Jalees and Caleb Hearon, both terrific) poking fun at a 14-year-old runaway, Brooke (Olga Petsa), last seen smashing in their front door. “She’s probably loving the missing person posters,” Paige drolls. “They used a selfie, she looks great.”

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I Used to Be Funny Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. In theaters.