|
|
THE TOYBOX
Director: Tom Nagel Cast: Jeff Denton, Mischa Barton, Denise Richards, Brian Nagel, Greg Violand, Matt Mercer, Malika Michelle, David Greathouse MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:35 Release Date: 9/14/18 (limited) |
|
Review by Mark Dujsik | September 13, 2018 Tone is vital to a movie's success, and The Toybox is tone-deaf. It's a horror movie about a killer RV, which has been possessed by the spirit of a decades-dead serial killer and continues the murderer's bloody work. That premise sounds ridiculous, of course, but director Tom Nagel and screenwriter Jeff Denton certainly don't think so. They play all of this straight, despite the undeniable fact that everything about the story is inherently silly. There isn't an intentional laugh to be found here, although there are few hearty ones of the unintentional variety to be discovered, once the mystery of the camper is revealed and it gets to doing its thing. The story follows a family as they take a cross-country vacation in the RV. Steve (Denton) is the husband of Jennifer (Denise Richards), the father of Olivia (Malika Michelle), the brother of Jay (Brian Nagel), and the son of Charles (Greg Violand). Along the way, they pick up sister and brother Samantha (Mischa Barton) and Mark (Matt Mercer), and while looking for a tourist attraction in the middle of the desert, the seven travelers—well, six by that point—end up stranded when the RV "malfunctions" and breaks down. There's a lot of arguing and melodrama before more bodies start to pile up, as everyone decides to air their grievances. Steve thinks Jay is lazy. Jay hates his father for leaving the family. Jennifer is upset that her husband can't fix the situation, and Samantha is slightly miffed that her brother is dead. The camper, meanwhile, starts messing with them, showing visions of death on the TV, slamming a window when an arm are sticking out from it, and starting the engine when Charles has his hand inside the hood. All of this, naturally, leads to even more bickering. There's little reason to care about the incessant drama, and when the characters discover that the vehicle is trying to kill them one by one, they just make a lot of stupid decisions (The stupidest by far is when one character stands and, then, runs directly in front of the RV as it revs its engine and, then, gives chase—even though a couple of steps to the left or right would save him a lot of trouble). The Toybox may not be laughing, but at least we are. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
Buy Related Products
|
