The genius director behind the most unhinged thriller of the century officially returns in 3 weeks

A trippy new movie specifically made for '90s kids

If you were growing up in the early to mid 1990s, either you or someone in your household was probably watching Barney & Friends, the children's' show phenomenon about a talking purple T.rex who taught life lessons to small children. For me, it was my younger brother tuning into the show on a daily basis and, even from a distance, the "I Love You" song and the "Clean Up" song bored holes into my brain. While I have a lot of nostalgia for stuff from the 1990s, that singing dinosaur usually just fills me with scorn because, ever since then, every once in a while, those two songs pop back into my head, despite the fact that I haven't heard either of them for over 30 years.

That profound distaste for Barney is precisely why I'm excited for an upcoming horror movie coming out in three weeks.

What is Buddy?

Buddy is a new horror movie coming from Casper Kelly, creator of Adult Swim's Too Many Cooks. It's about a group of kids that are stuck in a Barney-like kids' show from the 1990s. Standing in for Barney is Buddy, an orange unicorn with a heart on his chest. While Buddy seems like a harmless kiddie show mascot, he eventually reveals himself as a living nightmare.

While details about the project are still scant, the two teaser trailers that have been released appear as though the story involves someone in the present day (Cristin Milioti) looking into the 1990s series It's Buddy, all records of which have disappeared. The teasers also show a bloodied Buddy wielding an ax and some very scared little kids. On top of all that, the two teasers both have a scratchy, VHS-like quality to them, which doubles down on the 1990s aesthetics.

Who stars in Buddy?

Along with Milioti, Buddy stars Topher Grace as her husband. Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt, and Clint Howard join them as various other children's characters. Buddy himself is played by Keegan-Michael Key, most likely adding some comedic heft to the comedy slasher film.

Who is Casper Kelly?

Besides the viral phenomenon Too Many Cooks, Casper Kelly created the Adult Swim shows Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell and Stroker & Hoop. He also wrote for shows like Squidbillies, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Buddy will mark his feature film debut, though he previously directed a segment in the 2025 horror anthology film V/H/S/Halloween. Kelly also co-wrote Buddy with Jamie King (Jessica Jones).

When does Buddy arrive in theaters?

Buddy will arrive in theaters on August 28.

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