Director – Tom Nagel (ClownTown, The Last Supper)
Starring – Denise Richards (American Satan, Twisted), Mischa Barton (L.A. Slasher, Cyberstalker), and Jeff Denton (One-Eyed Monster, Dracula’s Curse)
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 3/5
October is in full swing and most are binge watching horror flicks. Horror is an all year event so when the leaves turn orange and the wind get a cold chill to it I like to toss in Halloween flicks to watch. Most are horror but some are more about the holiday at hand rather than the horror. Before I could get to Halloween tradition I had to check out two films sent to me to review. The first is the unusually brutal supernatural film The Toybox starring Denise Richards and Mischa Barton. I had heard good things about this one and I couldn’t wait to check it out!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows your average family on vacation. The grandfather of the group had purchased a used R.V. and planned on going out into the desert to visit a cave with ancient paintings. Along the way they pick up a brother and sister pair with car troubles but their misfortune is far from over. The R.V. they are in once belonged to a prolific serial killer and used the vehicle to torture and kill many of his victims. Now his spirit is locked in his “toybox” and this family on vacation will become his next victims in a long line of bloodshed and misery.**Spoiler Alert**
The Toybox is a weird film that puts all of it’s energy into being a brutal and savage paranormal flick but left several issues with the story unresolved. The acting in this one is pretty solid for the most part but there is a few scenes where the cast does not feel fully invested in the film.
The casting is a little awkward for this type of film with Denise Richards taking lead in an indie horror film like this. She does a decent job but there is so many more qualified actresses that would have done this film justice.
The story for this one struggles to find what type of film it wants to be. I really enjoyed the serial killer once owned this R.V. angle and I love the brutality that the film offered but a haunted R.V. with evidence hidden behind the drawer that police wouldn’t find was a far stretch with the serious tone of the film. Creep Van is a similar film and it didn’t take itself too seriously resulting in a fun watch. The Toybox had me laughing at times that wasn’t meant to be funny because it was just so silly. A different approach should have been made with this story.
Finally, This film is bloody. The kills we do get to see are fucking gruesome and use great practical effects. The film approaches the kill in an old school manner using solid camera angles and practical effects where the viewer can truly enjoy them. Overall, The Toybox is an unintentional horror comedy with some fantastic kills and a story that just doesn’t seem to fit the style of film they are going for. It is still well worth the watch so check it out.
