Mr Crocket

To be honest, I have no idea what to make of this...movie. I originally thought it was a kids' "horror," like Goosebumps or Hocus Pocus. It's clear in a big way during the first two minutes that it's not.

It straddles that line between kids and adults, though: kids in the acting and special effects, adult in the gore and swearing. Also, I think they ripped the music from E. T.

Ssssooo, what the frig did I just watch? I *still* have no idea.

Don't bother with it if you have anything else on your watch list. But if you don't, check it out. It's a weird movie: a weirdness crossed between you watching someone do something stupid and you're embarrassed for them and you watching someone do something unexpected and you're calling 911 on them.

So check it out if you like practical effects from the 80s and acting from Sleepaway Camp. If not, Event Horizon is due for another viewing.

Considering we're less than a decade into obliterating black tropes in horror, I'm excited to see daring films like this. Script is a little flimsy and probably could have better spent the budget on some production design, but the acting is solid and the story works. The 80's-90's setting, which feels somewhat derivative of Peele, plays well into the surrealism.

Elvis Nolasco delivers on the assignment of his character, borrowing from legendary performances like Gene Wilder's, Wonka and Clarence William's, Mr. Simms. Although he lacks the physicality they both had.

But honestly, the steam escapes pretty quickly and we're left with a soggy, fantasy-horror.

Discount Freddy wants to be your friend to the end!

Continuing into Ahhctober 2024 we have Mr. Crocket, a very bland supernatural TV host who only wishes to protect kids from their bad parents. Too bad he only has a fraction of charisma Richard Pryor had. (Yes, he reminded me of the late, great Pryor.)

This is another movie that's trying to cash-in on nostalgia. Yesterday, for Ahhctober 2024, I watched Deer Camp '86 that obviously took place in the mid-80s but barely put any effort into that illusion. This one, a decade later in 1993 and the only thing tying it to that year was VCRs.

I didn't mind this supernatural horror. It's campy and, at times, pretty gory. Plus, SOME of the jump scares, even when I forecasted their arrival, were effective. And it's harmless/leave your brain at the door, horror fun. The unfortunate thing was, again, Mr. Crocket's a pretty mid villain.

Anyone can see the Freddy influences and everyone can see Robert Englund's a bucket-full more effective than Elvis Nolasco playing the title character here. Additionally, I sincerely doubt the kids these ages would've been so enthralled in this Blues Clues/Pee Wee's Playhouse downgrade.

Still, overall, it's inoffensive fun. Watch for some good gore and bad parents getting their due.

***

Final Thoughts: I kept thinking Five Nights at Freddy's even though it's only a slight carbon copy. I can see the influences, but it's not even at FNAF-levels.

Mr. Crocket is a fun, bloody ride that blends dark children's TV vibes with satisfyingly campy horror. The deaths are sick and funny, the puppets are demented, and the cartoon sequences are genuinely creepy. A lot of effort has gone into recreating the 90s aesthetic through the sets and wardrobe, so it's definitely worth a watch if you're looking for 90s horror nostalgia.

Elvis Nolasco is undeniably the star of the show as Mr. Crocket, the unsettling kids' TV host who blurs the line between saccharine sweetness and killer monstrosity.

Unfortunately, after a very creatively bloody opening that hooks you in, the story does start to lose some steam. The pacing becomes uneven, and the plot feels a bit clunky and disjointed at times. As a movie adapted from a short, you can tell that the adaption from its intended runtime to 90 minutes wasn't the smoothest transition. Still, it manages to hang on and keeps things interesting enough to pull you through.

If you're into dark kids' TV, practical gore, or VHS horror, Mr. Crocket is certainly worth a watch. It's not without its flaws, but you can tell that the makers poured a lot of passion into making this - at no point does it feel phoned in. It's the kind of movie that's best enjoyed on a Friday night when you're in the mood for something fun and a little twisted.

Plot

A mother embarks on a perilous quest to rescue her son from a demonic children's show host who is kidnapping kids.

Cast

Not familiar with anybody involved.

Verdict

My movie night pick having no idea what it even was turned out to be a really quite nice surprise and certainly something I'd welcome more of.

Mr Crocket is an original horror film that very much draws influence from many 1980's and 1990's movies while forging its own identity and bringing a lot of new ideas to the table.

With a fascinating new antagonist that's more 1 dimensional than most I was hooked from the opening moments.

Mr Crocket has the potential to turn into a modern day horror icon and man does the genre need a few right now! Let's have more Mr Crocket movies please and build up the lore further.

You see it all looks fantastic, it's acted well, it's written solidly and though it does perhaps trail off a but near the end it never lost my attention and that's quite the feat.

I want more and solidly recommend this to any true horror enthusiast.

Rants

When it comes to horror icons look at who there is, now look at when they started. They all had a large number of films over many decades but who can you say that about newer characters that have had multiple films and you can see carrying on long into the future? Not many are there. It's such a shame, we need to remedy that badly in this guys opinion.

The Good

Very original stuff Great antagonist, both character and actor Extremely engaging

The Bad

Last act is weaker than the rest Intolerable kid.