‘Buddy’ Review Roundup: Critics Call New Horror Comedy Barney Gone Deadly as Rotten Tomatoes Score is Revealed

Horror has always found fertile ground in twisting childhood comfort into something menacing, whether it’s a killer doll or a haunted toy come to life. Few corners of that formula remain as unexplored as the wholesome world of children’s television, the kind of brightly colored, sing-along programming that generations of kids grew up trusting without question.

That gap is exactly what director Casper Kelly, known for his dark comedic sensibilities on projects like ‘Too Many Cooks’ and ‘V/H/S/Halloween,’ set out to fill with his latest film. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and getting picked up by Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, the project finally opened in theaters nationwide this week.

Now that ‘Buddy‘ has arrived, critics have made their verdict clear, and it’s overwhelmingly positive. The horror comedy currently holds an 87% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes across 86 reviews, alongside an 83% audience score built on more than 50 verified ratings.

‘Buddy’ centers on a group of amnesiac children trapped inside the episodic world of “It’s Buddy!,” a fictional children’s television show hosted by a bright orange, humanoid unicorn voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. When one child refuses to keep playing along, cracks begin forming in Buddy’s seemingly perfect world, sending the kids on a dangerous journey toward a place called Diamond City while a traumatized mother named Grace, played by Cristin Milioti, gets pulled into the nightmare from the real world.

Much of the film’s tone leans directly into comparisons with Barney & Friends, with Buddy’s excitable, hug-loving demeanor curdling into something far more violent once the story shifts gears. Critics have repeatedly pointed to that specific juxtaposition as the film’s biggest strength, praising how convincingly the movie recreates the aesthetic of genuine ’90s kids’ programming before subverting it entirely.

Speaking with ABC10 ahead of the release, Kelly discussed working with the film’s young cast, saying, “The star, Delaney Quinn, told me she had always dreamed of being a final girl in a horror movie, and she’s 10.” He added that the young performers turned out to be wonderful and professional throughout production, calling them much smarter than he was at that age.

Beyond Key and Milioti, the film features a stacked supporting cast that includes Patton Oswalt voicing a talking backpack named Strappy, along with Eric Bauza lending his voice to a variety of anthropomorphic objects populating Buddy’s clubhouse. Michael Shannon, Topher Grace, and Clint Howard round out the ensemble, adding further star power to a project that started as a Sundance curiosity.

Kelly has also been candid about the marketing strategy behind the film’s rollout, noting that the team deliberately chose short teasers over full trailers to avoid spoiling too much of the story ahead of release. That approach appears to be paying off, with reviews frequently praising just how unpredictable the film’s twists and tonal shifts turn out to be once audiences see it for themselves.

With its blend of practical effects, dark comedy, and genuine nostalgia for a very specific era of children’s entertainment, ‘Buddy’ has carved out a distinct niche within this year’s horror releases. Given the strength of its early reviews, it looks poised to become one of the more talked-about horror comedies of the year.

Part of that distinction comes from just how committed the film is to its central bit, recreating the look and feel of authentic ’90s kids’ programming down to the smallest details before letting the horror elements take over. That kind of full-throated commitment to a single, absurd premise has become something of a signature for Kelly’s work, and ‘Buddy’ appears to be his most ambitious execution of it yet.

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