‘Buddy’ Trailer Reveals Cristin Milioti’s Terrifying Descent Into a Killer Kids’ Show
Nostalgia has become one of Hollywood’s favorite weapons, and horror filmmakers keep finding new ways to twist beloved childhood staples into something far more sinister. From killer teddy bears to demonic dolls, the genre thrives on making audiences afraid of the things that once comforted them. Director Casper Kelly, best known for the viral 2014 short “Too Many Cooks,” which morphed from a sitcom parody into something haunting and undefinable, is now bringing that same unsettling energy to a full length feature.
That feature is ‘Buddy,’ and its newly released trailer has fans buzzing across social media. Roadside Attractions shared the trailer for the horror thriller centered on a psychopathic humanoid unicorn, and the footage confirms the film is every bit as strange as its premise suggests.
The official synopsis describes ‘It’s Buddy!,’ a classic children’s television show where a group of kids spend their days singing, dancing, and helping the bright orange unicorn spread happiness, until one child refuses to play along and cracks begin to appear in the seemingly perfect world. Set in 1999, the story follows a group of amnesiac children trapped inside that episodic show, hosted by the tyrannical Buddy, while a traumatized suburban mother named Grace gets pulled into his nightmare in the real world.
Cristin Milioti leads the cast as Grace, with Keegan-Michael Key voicing Buddy the Unicorn, Delaney Quinn as Freddy, Topher Grace as Ben, and Michael Shannon playing both Charlie the Train and a ventriloquist doll named Willie. Patton Oswalt and Clint Howard round out the supporting cast, and the film has already been compared to a twisted riff on the ‘Barney’ formula.
The response from critics has been overwhelmingly positive so far. ‘Buddy’ debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and has earned an 84 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers calling it hilarious, suspenseful, weird, unsettling, and unhinged. Key’s vocal performance as Buddy has drawn particular praise from critics covering the premiere.
Kelly has been vocal about wanting the film to reach the biggest screens possible. Speaking about the distribution deal with Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, the director called the theatrical experience deeply personal to him, saying he made ‘Buddy’ to be experienced in a theater and is thrilled audiences will finally get that chance everywhere, a sentiment he shared in comments reported by Bloody Disgusting.
Production on the film stretched across several months, with filming taking place in the Northeast Ohio locations of Brooklyn, Solon, and Burton before the movie made its way to Sundance and eventually landed a wide theatrical release. The upcoming horror thriller is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 28, 2026.
Between the killer kids’ show setup, the stacked ensemble cast, and the strong festival buzz, ‘Buddy’ looks poised to become one of the more unusual horror releases of the year. Are you ready to let this twisted unicorn into your nightmares this August?
