Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack

I recently watched Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack (2023) on Tubi. The storyline follows a young orphaned girl who is unable to speak. She's been adopted and is trying to adjust to her new life. One day, she receives a mysterious present-a large Jack-in-the-box-that changes her life forever.

The film is written and directed by William Butler (Madhouse) and stars Sean Ramey (Dance for Me), Carson Polish (Mafia Spies), Taylor Abigail Rice (Mockingbird), Kamarra Cole (Head on a Plate), and Mabel Thomas (Curse of the Reanimator).

Unfortunately, this movie feels rushed and low-budget at times, with a concept that could have been better developed. It's disappointing because the opening is fun, featuring some great gore. There's a solid throat-slash scene and consistent, well-executed blood splatter throughout. The barn kill and soundtrack are also highlights. However, many scenes build up tension and seem menacing, only to fall flat in the end. The acting is stiff, and the dialogue misses the mark more often than not.

In conclusion, Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack is a film that falls short of its potential and suffers from underdeveloped concepts. I'd score it a 4/10 and would only recommend it to diehard fans of the series.

JACK-ATTACK is one of the many recent resurgent movies made for Full Moon Pictures for Internet release. These clock in at an hour in length and have indie-level budgets and unknown casts, often acting as sequels or spin-offs to series dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. This one involves a mute girl who comes into possession of a possessed jack-in-a-box and the murders that ensue. It's predictable fare but fairly amiable with it, enlivened by a handful of gore scenes and the addition of a creepy clown figure which adds to the horror. The ending has a certain grand guignol feel to it which works well; overall this is better than I'd expected.

Falls in line with the style cemented in the first entry of this new series by Butler, almost aiding the search for modern camp that defines the recent works of David DeCoteau while at the same time structuring the film after the same threadbare plots from 90's Full Moon.

Butler ran out of characters he cared about and wisely constructed a shallow and skeletal storyline falling into an effective and recognizable formula. A crude sketch of a story with plain drama of little to no importance to the director but it's all sufficient when all that matters is what's grotesque and of course the unhinged imagery these movies excel at, gaining strength when put in an unremarkable and mundane location.

Deliriously schizophrenic. False to the core and transparent about it. Shoestring story and careless construction that oddly enough never let's go. Engaging contrast of American dullness cut by an array of beautifully swift kills of fine B-movie craftsmanship. Abstract approximation to officialist horror cinema that gets to be majestic while disposing the formal basics. Typical modern Full Moon.

Much like with the Puppet Master franchise, Demonic Toys has entered the spin off era with different characters getting their own feature. Baby Oppsie was a surprise hit and now we get Jack-Attack. The premise alone is find for this type of feature, but admist decent gore, something feels missed.

The plot involves a mute girl that moves in with a foster family after a traumatic moment. Among her possessions she carries is a toy Jack in the Box with the killer creature named Jack Attack. Once unleased, the evil clown monster hits the family one by one in scenes where the gore is not too bad. However, the staging in some of them feels rather off. One character is tripped in the woodchipper and gets automatically sliced to goo. That would be a fine kill it was shot well enough. Another involves an anvil that is kind of creative, but I do feel like more damage could have been done than scratching someone's face off.

I am not too hard on the performances given this is a low budget B movie. Everyone is tying to make the material work and the dark tone is consistent throughout. However, earlier in the year, Subspecies V raised the bar so easily that I wondered if Full Moon's quality would improve.

Yet, I guess it's quick 59 minute in and out motif is not going away soon. I feel like these are interesting ideas if it took the time to perfect the kills or let alone atmosphere. Doctor Death had the quick approach, but that worked for how well the scenes were staged and the impact the deaths left. I guess if you want a fast moving feature, this is your game. Yet a small tease near the end does leave me wondering where else this could go...

I love the Demonic Toys series as well as Baby Oopsie, I was looking forward to this movie. I noticed that they changed the look of Jack Attack, that's not a complaint, just an observation. The kills were good but it felt kind of rushed. The acting was fine, but to be honest, it just did not have the fun feel of the first two Demonic Toys movies, or the Baby Oopsie series as well.

This one wasn't bad and it had a good premise, but it felt more like it was simply going through the motions. There were some good scenes, I love the Sybil Pittman/ Baby Oopsie mentions that was great to see.

This movie is all right, I just wish it could have been that little bit better.