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‘Buddy’ is Totally Bonkers, But it Will Never Eclipse My Favorite “I Hate Barney” Thriller
The film Buddy, a horror comedy about a murderous unicorn on a Barney-style children's show, has become an unexpected box office success, earning more in its second week than its first. A Polygon critic argues that despite its promising premise, the film fails to deliver on either the humour or scares it sets up, and finds it far more satisfying to revisit Death to Smoochy, Danny DeVito's 2002 dark comedy that tackled similar territory with sharper writing and performances.
Buddy took $5.3 million on its opening weekend of 28 August and a further $5.7 million over Labor Day weekend, a strong result for a film made on a budget of just $3 million, though modest compared with earlier horror hit Obsession. The film follows children on a Barney & Friends-style show who discover their unicorn mascot, Buddy (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), is a killer. By contrast, Death to Smoochy, starring Robin Williams and Edward Norton and directed by DeVito, flopped commercially in 2002, taking only $8 million against a $50 million budget, but has since built a devoted cult following praised for its pitch-black humour and strong cast, including Catherine Keener, Jon Stewart and Harvey Fierstein.
In short
- Horror film Buddy earned more in week two than its opening weekend
- Critic says Buddy underdelivers on both comedy and scares
- Prefers 2002 cult flop Death to Smoochy as a sharper satire
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Buddy’s unexpected success suggests its low-budget horror-comedy premise is connecting with audiences, and its playful take on children’s television offers a distinct kind of entertainment. Its box-office performance gives it a case as a crowd-pleasing film in its own right, even if one critic found its humour and scares uneven.
The case against
The critic’s preference for Death to Smoochy rests on its sharper writing, performances and pitch-black humour, which they find more satisfying than Buddy’s execution. Its failure at the box office does not rule out lasting artistic appeal: its cult following suggests it has endured for viewers who value its particular style of dark comedy.
Explained simply
Children’s television mascots are designed to be friendly characters who entertain and reassure young viewers. Buddy turns that familiar setup into horror comedy: children on a programme discover that their unicorn mascot is murderous.
The story also recalls Death to Smoochy, a 2002 dark comedy about the world of children’s television, starring Robin Williams and Edward Norton and directed by Danny DeVito. It performed poorly at the cinema but later gained a devoted following, with viewers praising its bleak humour and cast.
The comparison matters because both films use the contrast between a cheerful children’s show and darker adult themes. Their different fortunes also show how a film that struggles at the box office can find an audience over time.