New Clip for ‘Buddy’ Shows the Demented Unicorn Horror Comedy in Full Force

Children’s television has always had a slightly unsettling side lurking just beneath its cheerful surface, and horror filmmakers have spent decades mining that discomfort for genuinely unsettling material. Few recent attempts have leaned into that unease quite as inventively as this year’s breakout Sundance horror comedy.

“Buddy” premiered in the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival back in January before reaching theaters on August 28 through Roadside Attractions and Saban Films. Directed by Casper Kelly and co-written with Jamie King, the film reimagines the aesthetic of shows like “Barney” and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” as the backdrop for a genuinely brutal survival horror story.

Fandango has now released a new clip from the film, giving audiences their first proper look at the terrified reactions of the young cast as their once-cheerful surroundings begin to unravel. The clip captures exactly the tone critics have praised throughout the film, a jarring collision between saccharine children’s programming and genuine dread.

The film follows a group of children trapped inside a surreal, 1990s-style children’s television series called “It’s Buddy!” hosted by a bright orange, anthropomorphic unicorn with magical powers. What begins as an innocent world of songs, dance parties and simple life lessons quickly spirals into something far darker once one of the children, Josh, refuses to participate in a group dance and inexplicably disappears from the show entirely.

According to the film’s plot details, Josh’s disappearance sets off a chain of increasingly disturbing events, as Freddy, played by Delaney Quinn, eventually discovers his bloodstained book hidden in the trash. From there, the film escalates into full-blown horror territory, with Buddy transforming into an increasingly violent and demonic presence whenever the children fail to comply with the show’s cheerful rules.

The cast includes Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt and Clint Howard, alongside young actors Delaney Quinn, Caleb Williams and Tristan Borders playing the trio of children fighting to survive and escape Buddy’s twisted world. Patton Oswalt and Eric Bauza also lend their voices to a collection of sentient objects populating the show’s set, including a talking backpack named Strappy and various other unsettling inanimate characters.

“Buddy” currently holds strong reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising how effectively the film weaponizes the cheerful conventions of children’s entertainment into what one review described as an inventive, hilarious and creepy descent into pop culture madness. Another reviewer highlighted the film’s practical effects and handmade production quality as a major strength, noting how refreshing that tactile, physical approach felt compared to more digitally reliant horror releases.

Audience reactions have echoed that praise, with several viewers comparing the character of Buddy to a twisted, evil version of Barney the Dinosaur, complete with a corrupted version of the character’s signature laugh and cadence. That blend of nostalgia and horror appears to be central to why the film has resonated so strongly with genre fans since its wider release.

Despite its colorful, childlike aesthetic, “Buddy” has earned a reputation for genuinely brutal violence once the story’s horror elements fully kick in. Buddy himself is capable of lethal force against the children and adults trapped within the show, including graphically dispatching cast members who fail to follow the rules of his increasingly unstable world.

That willingness to fully commit to its horror premise, rather than softening the violence for the sake of its cutesy visual style, has become one of the film’s most talked-about qualities among genre critics and fans. With “Buddy” continuing to build buzz following its theatrical release, this new clip offers just a small taste of the unsettling tonal whiplash that’s defined much of the film’s critical reception so far.

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