Sunday, January 16, 2022

The Toybox. RV Carnage and Denise Richards

Denise Richards!  Yep, a horror movie with the hot mess beauty, herself.  Throw in Mischa Barton and you will be asking why you have never heard of this one before.  Ominous, gory, and heartbreaking...this one will have some surprises.  Today we look at 2018's "The Toybox," directed by Tom Nagel.  By the way, who lives and who dies horribly follows no accepted standard of polite film making here.

A family torn apart by the death of the mother decides to bond.  The dad, Charles (Greg Voiland) buys a used, and very haunted RV. He will take his two adult sons, his daughter-in-law Jennifer (Richards), and granddaughter, Olivia (Malika Michelle) into the desert to look at cave etchings. Fun!  Right away, Jennifer's little girl, Olivia, comes across as most annoying.  We hope this little tyke gets it first...be careful what you wish for.  Also along for the ride is Jay (Brian Nagel) who loves to feud with his brother, Jennifer's hubby, Steve (Jeff Denton).  Bickering and annoying prattle from the little girl almost make us turn this film off.  Then it gets fun.  With some low level haunting, the RV starts ruining this desert weekend for this family.

Good Samaritan Charles stops in the desert to help a couple broken down.  Samantha (Barton) and Mark (Matt Mercer).  Now these two catch a ride in the RV.  Then the RV breaks down and a ghost of a serial killer gets mean.  One by one the not so happy family starts dying in very bloody ways.  Stuck in the middle of nowhere, Olivia continues being annoying and we begin cheering for the serial killer's ghost (David Greathouse).  The guy's M.O. is scalping and torture. Who lives and who dies, as I mentioned earlier, follows no rules so don't get too attached to any of the characters.  Now the big question is will Jennifer and Samantha engage in a catfight before one of them, or both, die horribly.

No humor and no witty banter lighten this one.  For those who like their horror, horrific and nothing else, this is one for you.  Will Denise Richards and Mischa Barton get into a catfight?  Will any of these annoying characters, kid included, escape the wrath of a brutal serial killer ghost?  It is always good to see Denise Richards, and on that level alone, this is a worthwhile take.  For a good film before going off in an RV, never a good idea, see "The Toybox." 

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