‘Vacations can be deadly’
The Toybox aka The Toy Box is a 2018 supernatural American horror film directed by Tom Nagel (ClownTown) from a screenplay written by Jeff Denton, based on a storyline by Tom Nagel, Jeff Denton, Brian Nagel and Jeff Miller.
The movie stars Denise Richards, Mischa Barton, Katie Keene, and Matt Mercer.
Plot:
Charles has purchased a vintage RV with the hopes of taking his family on a road trip to reconcile with his two sons, a promise he made to his wife before she recently died. His oldest son, Steve, his wife Jennifer (Denise Richards), their daughter and the family dog, are excited about the excursion, however, his youngest son Jay is less than enthusiastic.
Along the way, the family picks up Samantha (Mischa Barton) and her brother, broken down on the side of the highway. Before they get them to a service station in the next town, Charles insists on taking a detour into the desert to visit a landmark and they soon get lost.
Now stranded in the desert, the unsuspecting group is blindsided by the terrible secrets they discover within the walls of the RV and find themselves in the fight of their lives…
Reviews:
“The kills might not be absolute carnage but when the first few deaths occurred I sat upright and began to pay attention. I didn’t expect the film to be quite as brutal as it was towards the end either! The effects look good, and whilst it’s not balls-to-the-wall bloodshed, the bloody violence rounds an already solid slice of horror off nicely.” Beyond the Gore
“The Toybox is bolstered by fantastic performances from the cast, including Denise Richards as a grieving mother and Mischa Barton as a woman bent on revenge, and top-notch production value that paved the way for this title to meet a theatrical release. The only criticism I can find is a weak action shot near the end of the movie.” Horror Society
“Borrowing from the far superior “possessed vehicle” vehicle (yes, I intended that double use), Christine – The Toybox is filled to the brim with bland performances (a few exceptions), the usual serial killer crap and zero characters which we’ll come to root for and love.” Horrorfreak News
“When the horrors of the haunted, murderous RV are at their peak, her portrayal of the terrorized Samantha reminded me of Dee Wallace in Cujo […] My only complaint is that I wish the entire film felt as self-aware and fast as the last act. There were a lot of funny, self-referential moments that happened one after the other…” Morbidly Beautiful
“Barton, unsurprisingly, comes off best, easily the most convincing and doing better than the story even deserves while Richards just goes off the rails. While most horror movies are meant to be taken with a grain of salt, nearly nothing about The Toybox makes any sense, which in itself would be fine, except there’s not much else about it to make it any fun to watch.” That Moment In
“It’s a fun ride with some neat jump scares and a couple of “Oh Sh-t” moments. But it takes what could have been something very original and turns it into a mash-up of Insidious and Christine. It’s certainly enjoyable, but not everything it could have been.” Voices from the Balcony
Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk
Trailer:
Cast and characters:
Denise Richards … Jennifer – Scary Movie 3; Valentine; Starship Troopers
Mischa Barton … Samantha – Ouija House; The Basement; The Hoarder; Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard
Katie Keene … Ghost Girl – Inoperable; ClownTown; Union Furnace; Last Girl; Lost Lake
Matt Mercer … Mark
Carolyne Maraghi … Mary
Brian Nagel … Jay
Jeff Denton … Steve
David Greathouse … Robert Gunthry
Greg Violand … Charles
Andrew Staton … Carl
Trevor Butcher … Dave
Ryan Pilz … Crime Scene Investigator
Release:
The Toybox had its world premiere at the Texas Frightmare in May 2018.
The movie opened in Los Angeles on September 14th. On September 18th, the film became available nationwide on Blu-ray, DVD, Cable and Digital HD.
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