Buddy (englische OV) // 40. Fantasy Filmfest // Deutschlandpremiere

Everyone loves Buddy. Or at least they have to, because whenever the orange unicorn gets angry, his brightly colored children’s show quickly descends into bloody chaos. In the artificially perfect studio world, styled after the 1980s and ’90s, children live alongside talking objects, singing, dancing, and learning valuable lessons about friendship and togetherness. But when Josh doesn’t feel like attending Buddy’s birthday party, the cheerful façade quickly begins to crack—and Josh receives a fatal blow from an axe. Episode by episode, the situation spirals further out of control, because there is no educationally sound solution to Buddy’s rage.

Casper Kelly conjures up a wonderfully bizarre horror film from the nostalgia of children’s television, complete with numerous worlds and even more layers of storytelling. Creative, unpredictable, and increasingly disturbing: the ultimate mascot splatter—even for those who didn’t know this was exactly what they were missing.