The Toybox (2018)
On purchasing this for three quid as an Asda impulse buy a couple of months ago i got home to read how terrible a film it was. Not one person seemed to like it...
...But i did!
I liked the fact it didn't deal in loud crashing music and jump scares. It was instead a film where tension built up in little sequences - the kind of thing where someone is sticking their hand into a kitchen waste disposal which you are just waiting for the moment when it turns on by itself and chews their hand to bits. That doesn't actually happen in The Toybox but i'm sure you get my drift.
The plot is simple but silly, involving a family, including Denise Richards, who buy a new (old) camper van or RV as they are known Stateside and head out into the desert where they pick up a pair stranded at the roadside. It soon becomes clear that something is not right and the RV is at the centre of their troubles as death and disaster strike the vacationers.
The acting ranges from quite poor (the father) to good (Mischa Barton, whom i could watch all day to be honest) and the production values are decent including some nice desert cinematography. Thankfully this steers clear of the Hitch Hike (1977) psycho-hostage thriller scenarios and instead concentrates on good old fashioned supernatural scares plus a reasonable amount of gore.
I really can't recommend this film because the whole world and it's dog thinks it's shit but i was pleasantly surprised and rather enjoyed it.
|