THE TOYBOX: This Vacation Goes South

When I hear a synopsis for a horror film with an idea that I haven’t heard of, I’m instantly intrigued. An RV terrorizing its inhabitants? Yes, that’s new. While it has comparable elements to films like Christine, it’s still somewhat original. This is the premise for The Toybox. Regrettably, there isn’t enough of that same enthrall once the film hits its stride, making this feature a tepid venture.

Things Don’t Go As Planned

After losing his wife, Charles (Greg Violand) decides its time for the family to get together. He purchases a shabby RV and fills it with his son Jay (Brian Nagel) and son Steve (Jeff Denton), his wife Jennifer (Denise Richards), and their young daughter Olivia (Malika Michelle).

There’s also the family dog Bentley, who, I’ll spoil this because if you’re like me and you hate to see the animals bite it, runs away before the real carnage begins. He had the right idea.

The family is a bit estranged, and nobody seems entirely excited for the trip to see cave paintings, especially Jay, a stoner who seems salty about his kin. On their trip through the unknown desert, basically feeding this supernatural recreational succubus exactly what it wants, they pass a vehicle on the side of the road. Inside are brother and sister, Samantha (Mischa Barton) and Mark (Matt Mercer), who they offer a lift.

Right from the beginning, after a credits sequence filled with disturbing images, it’s clear this film intends on taking this plot seriously. When a teenage boy bicycling by investigates the RV, the door creeps open. Of course he dies, but the manner in which he does, including the RV flickering its lights and bouncing around as if it was at a disco party, made me wonder if laughs were part of the bargain. It isn’t.

At only 95 minutes the pacing moves fairly swift. Small teases that something is wrong occur as they’re driving, and these minute blemishes are where the film succeeds. The radio doesn’t work, except to play the same creepy song. Someone almost gets their fingers chopped off as the window closes on its own. A knife stabbed into the wall shows a brief glimpse of blood, as if it’s alive.

The entire film, mostly within the RV or directly outside of it, feels stuffy, especially when the AC won’t work and the windows jam, with the hot desert squeezing the life out of them. If it doesn’t attack them directly, the heat and lack of water (it spoils the water and food) will.

After they make the turn for these mysterious paintings, they realize after a half hour that they’ve missed it. This is when the vehicle starts its rampage. Stranded, the group tries to figure a way out, not yet realizing entirely what’s wrong.

Too Many Holes To Keep Afloat

The Toybox, despite being a lower budget horror, looks great. Director Tom Nagel does a decent job of creating suspense, and stylizing the gore. What ends up killing the movie is the overextension of its intentions. The RV is possessed by a serial killer, Robert Gunthry (David Greathouse), who tortured and killed women before dying himself. Throughout the film some of the cast sees ghosts, or eerie videos on the television of events that have already happened, including some of the murderer himself.

Some of the cast seems up to the task, specifically Mischa Barton and Denise Richards. However, some of the others don’t put the same kind of emotion into the loss that occurs, with the exception of Steve, whose eventual breakdown is heartbreaking. The Toybox is bold in that department, notwithstanding from its desire to keep no character safe.

Jeff Denton wrote the screenplay, and the story has three other credits as well as Denton, Jeff Miller, Brian Nagel and Director Tom Nagel. The script has some discord in its telling, and specially lacks in viable dialogue. This is especially true when some of the roles, such as brothers Steve and Jay, have some sibling arguments. In general, a lot of the characters are one-dimensional, handing over the storytelling reigns primarily to the plot. The possessed recreational vehicle is a well chosen prop, looking just weathered and sinister enough.

As this group soon realizes, and Denise Richards eloquently puts, “Everything in this camper is going to die” unless they figure a way out. The supernatural element of the film becomes a bit generic, piggybacking off other movies that came before it. Despite its misgivings, though, there is still a reasonably entertaining and engrossing horror. The special effects are also admirable, with some of the expected deaths played out in a shocking fashion. It really comes down to expectations: what do you want out of a film like this? With so many recent films of the genre taking things up a notch, it leaves ones like The Toybox in the dust.

Conclusion: The Toybox

The Toybox rises above being completely predictable with some interesting cinematic choices, and the decision to be unapologetically gruesome. Despite these eerie areas and original ideas, its shortcomings restrain it from being a fresh entry. I may never look at RV’s the same way again.

What did you think? Was it a welcome addition to the genre, or were you disappointed? Let us know in the comments below!

The Toybox had its limited release in the US on September 14th, and will be released on DVD/Blu-ray and digital September 18th.