by Robert Scocchi
| Published
Any horror fan is no doubt familiar with (or tired of) the phrase, “Oh my God, my toy has come back to life and is trying to kill me.” I personally felt that this previously anti-inanimate premise had been done to death until I watched Carl Holt's 2019 film, Benny loves you. Play like a mix in between Shaun of the Dead and Child's play, Benny loves you He's curious, lovable, overly violent, and what's more, has a wicked sense of humor that would have Chucky himself rooting for the titular toy, Benny, from the sidelines.
An inexplicable resuscitation
After a brutal opening scene involving the execution of a young girl named Ashley (Bella Munday) by her old teddy bear, it's implied that Penny isn't the only sentient, sadistic toy in existence. But we quickly forget about Ashley – who was too annoying by design to miss her – when the story shifts to our hero Jack (portrayed by writer/director/producer Carl Holt).
Jack is a 35 year old man in every stereotypical sense of the word you can think of Benny loves you. Living with his parents, sleeping in his childhood room with a Beanie doll by his side, and working as an underachieving toy designer, Jack has little to do outside of unconditional love from his parents, who are in my opinion somewhat less responsible for their adult child's current state of development. After a freak birthday cake incident, Jack's parents died, meaning the mortgage was no longer paid, and he would have to sell the house.
It's Penny time!
Meanwhile, Jack is fired by his boss Ron (James Parsons) for not coming up with any profitable game ideas, but is later rehired on probation until he can prove himself as a designer worthy of helping Dawn (Claire Cartwright). , a technical consultant working at a gaming company. Realizing that he needs to grow up or shut up, Jack strips his soon-to-be-sold house of all sites of his childhood, including Penny's. Jack quickly learns that he made the fatal mistake that defines the rest Benny loves you is in motion when his beloved childhood toy comes back to life with the intent to kill.
One by one, everyone who enters Jack's house is brutally murdered when they stop to visit him Benny loves you. Consequently, cleaning up after Benny and evading less than competent police on more than one occasion inspired Jack to design a game based on Benny's likeness and his new character, which was beneficial to his career. When Jack grows closer to Dawn, his feelings become a hostage to Benny, who is willing to kill anyone Jack cares about other than himself.
It's not as corny as it sounds
I know you're probably thinking that Benny loves you It's just another watered down and poorly executed version of Child's play Franchise, style Gingerbread man or Ooja pooja. Shamelessly borrowing multiple pages from the sentient killing doll's playbook, Benny loves you It holds its own because it's more like a comedy of errors than anything else. Jack is certainly a talented designer, but his embarrassment is exacerbated by the fact that he needs to cover up a grisly murder whenever someone comes near him, often while his guests mind their own business in the next room.
In fact, most comedies in Benny loves you It involves Jack randomly mopping up large amounts of blood while glancing into the other room to make sure everything is okay.
And Benny, as cool as he may seem at first, is one of the most brutal serial killers I've seen in this subgenre in a long time. Using anything found in the house he can get his hands on, Benny impales, slashes, and, on one occasion, uses a vacuum cleaner to suck organs directly from his victims, all while laughing to himself and saying his signature phrase, “Benny loves you!”
Doesn't reinvent the wheel
At the end of the day, Benny loves you is another entry in the killer doll subgenre. However, there's nothing wrong with using a derivative plot device as long as it's executed well, which is why I prefer antagonists like Penny over Annabelle's doll in Sorcery universe. Benny loves you He takes a tired trope, and uses his self-awareness to drive the humor home. If you look closely enough, you might see some subtle jabs at Stephen King's “The Monkey” in a few scenes.
Although some of the violence may leave you feeling frustrated, you'll find yourself laughing at the most inopportune moments because the stop-motion animation is so deliberately exaggerated that you can't help but fall in love with Penny.
If you want to stay on Benny's good side by showing him your unwavering affection, you can stream Benny loves you Free on Tubi.
