Benny Loves You (2019)

 

 

For all those movies in the Puppet Master, Demonic Toys, Child’s Play franchises and the rest of the toys gone wrong genre it was all leading to this moment.  Those movies that I just mentioned are all the parents and grandparents of Benny Loves You.  Benny is a little pink stuffed bunny who was the childhood friend of Jack.  Jack, who is turning 35, has decided to throw away all his childhood things he still has packed away in the basement.  This doesn’t sit well with Benny who has now become sentient.  When David, the estate agent in charge of selling Jack’s house turns up dead and the neighbor’s cat gets run over by a lawnmower Jack knows Benny is behind it all. 

 

Or is he?  Is Jack really the one murdering people (and several animals as well) but in his head Benny is doing it?  Ya know what, either way I don’t care Benny is awesome.  Benny Loves You is a charming comedy horror created by Karl Holt who aside from starring as Jack pretty much did everything else there is to do on a movie.  Director, writer, editor, producer, composer, and I know there’s more but I’m going to stop there.  Oh yeah, he also does the voice for Benny.  Jack works at a toy company where he is one of the main toy designers before he is fired and rehired to a lower paying job.  Jack’s work colleague and main competitor Richard (pronounced like Swiss chard) is awarded designer of the year, something Jack wanted.  Benny, being very protective of Jack, decides to go after everyone that threatens to take Jack away from him. 

 

 

The bodies start piling up and soon it’s up to Jack and his girlfriend Dawn to destroy several toys that have now come to life and are killing everyone around Jack and Dawn.  There is lots of blood and violence to be had here but there are also some very funny parts that really help this one stand out.  For a film that doesn’t have anyone with a lot of movie experience you couldn’t tell by me that they were all new at this.  Generally loved by reviewers, the movie does have some rough spots.  Not all of the effects work but I’ll tell you what does work:  the two bumbling cops who without their help Benny may have done much worse damage than he does.  I have to say I’m one of those who loved Benny Loves You.  I’ll gladly give this three and a half Pugs named Precious out of five.