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

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. 

In Benny Loves You, an Elmo-esque teddy bear named Benny is inexplicably summoned to protect its owner at any cost, leaving a trail of mangled bodies behind. The subject of a creepy doll coming to life to murder unsuspecting victims is not exactly novel territory. It is unavoidable that one would immediately think of the infamous Chucky doll from Child’s Play, but Benny — the light red, adorable stuffed toy that he is — is more animated and nonthreatening. Benny’s entire vocabulary is compiled of a few pre-recorded phrases (including “Okie Dokie,” which equates to an acknowledgment,  and “Benny loves you,” which is Benny’s plain-spoken way of disclosing his undying devotion to Jack). 

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?

Benny Loves You is a farcical and bloodthirsty venture that begins with a quirky set-up: A socially and professionally inert 35-year-old toy manufacturer who lives at home with his parents. Right from the get-go, the offbeat dialogue and swift editing closely resemble the infectiously brisk style of Edgar Wright, but Holt soon appreciates bouts of violence implemented by the blood-stained paws of a plushy. Those details alone make Benny Loves You unequivocally strange and brazenly vicious. 

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

While conceptually bleak, the film’s blankly comedic dialogue, while hit-or-miss, interacts well with the violence and gore. Two doltish cops, played by Anthony Styles and Darren Benedict, are an amusing addition to the film, helping amplify Jack’s fears of getting caught but also exposing his underlying desire to conserve his childhood connection by doing whatever he can to conceal or minimize Benny’s acts of brutality. 

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

Karl Holt‘s Benny Loves You is a madcap feature debut that toys with a man-child’s inability to let go of childhood. Benny, the charming little stuffed toy capable of murder, is easily memorable. The film itself is much less so, in large part due to the undisciplined final act that loses its way. Brimming with blood, gore, and deadpan wit (with visible references to other slasher films), Benny Loves You won’t be for everyone but it is admirably outrageous.

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. 

Watch Benny Loves You