Toys of Terror has a few moments worthy of the toy-horror genre, but the lack of detail in the story and characters can really hinder the rest of the film. If you are a fan of the Christmas/Toy-Horror genre, this one may be worth checking out for the toy sequences alone.
“Just before Christmas, young siblings Zoe and Franklin and their family move into a secluded mansion with a dark past. While the adults focus on renovating the place, the bored kids find a toy chest hidden in the attic, and are delighted when the toys inside magically come to life. But bizarre events soon begin to take place – events that threaten the family’s safety. Christmas dawns with gifts piled under the tree, but soon the body count rises and blood starts to flow. This original “scary tale” will have you screaming for the holidays!”
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
Horror movies featuring toys are usually something I find quite entertaining, harkening back to the ‘80s with films like Dolls and Puppet Master. There is just something inherently creepy about the lifeless automatons that as children we usually view in an entirely different manner than as adults, calling them our best friends, confessing our secrets to, and taking everywhere we go.
Toys of Terror begins with a haunting legend of a Children’s Hospital years prior, in which a mother mourns the death of her son by sending a chest full of magical toys that we eventually discover killed all the rest of the children residing there. Now for sale in present day, a husband and wife team, Hannah (Kyana Teresa) and David (Dayo Ade), decide to invest in the property to flip it for a large profit, not before they spend Christmas in the home with their children, Alicia (Verity Marks), Zoe (Zoe Fish), and Franklin (Saul Elias), also accompanied by their Nanny, Rose (Georgia Waters). In the middle of nowhere without reception, the youngest children discover the chest of toys and become freakishly enamored with them. Strange things begin to happen around the house, with the toys eventually making their presence known, trying to fulfill their purpose of destroying the lives of children they encounter.
Although I do often find myself having a special place in my heart for horror films involving toys, Toys of Terror misses some basic story elements to help craft their film. The toys aren’t ever really explained, nor is the purpose of them being delivered, besides a throwaway line that alludes to the fact that all the children in the hospital died long ago. Nothing ever comes from the opening sequence. You never learn anything about the identity of the woman who unleashed this curse or any possible connection it may have to current events. There were some easily missed opportunities to tie things in, but the story is relegated into being a fairly one-dimensional tale that doesn’t have much of a resolution, nor having the surviving characters learn anything at the end. Why was there an Atari-like game console with modern graphics that mirrored the characters and events happening in the house as the eldest played it? More importantly how did she not realize it as she controlled a character identical to herself? Why was the Nanny even there, with absolutely no unique role to play in the story? These are only a few questions that might arise while watching Toys of Terror. It doesn’t set out to break and barriers, and just seems to do the bare minimum to present a coherent story.
Despite some of the story and character issues I had with the film, as I mentioned before, anything with toys and horror can usually intrigue me. What the film does do well is present these toys in an interesting way. Much like the animation you’d see from Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, stop-motion animation, but this time interacting with live-action, these toys just simply brought a smile to my face as they moved around, sang, and did some horrific things, as morbid as that might sound. Now, it doesn’t look seamless, but given the throwback feel that those toys had in their movements, for me, it was a minor issue that I thought added to the feel of the film.
Video
The copy of Toys of Terror we reviewed was sent on DVD. On this release you’ll see a Standard Definition Widescreen transfer, 1.78:1. Despite the low definition of the picture and lack of clarity, the film looks fine for a DVD release. There is a nice combination of light and dark sequences, with bright, snowy backdrops in some, that look quite nice.
This title is also being released on Blu-ray, and if you decide to check it out, obviously that would be the way to go to ensure you get the best quality possible with the High Definition.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby 5.1. The track sounds fine, with the surrounds used quite effectively in many of the toy sequences, with the flapping of the wings of some of them, to the creepy noises they make off-camera. Dialogue is generally clear and concise, the sequence with the toys singing their song left me having to turn on the subtitles, mainly due to the fact these high-pitched toy voices were hard to understand, and not anything to do with the technical side of the audio.
Special Features
There are two very short featurettes included, both giving some interesting information behind-the-scenes if you want to check it out. Note that no Digital Code is included with the DVD copy.
- Toys of Terror Come to Life
- A Terrifying Weekend: Making of Toys of Terror
Toys of Terror has a few good moments, all having to do with the toys themselves. Otherwise, this one just misses so many opportunities to tell a well-rounded story with interesting characters. If you’re looking for something to pass the time and enjoy Christmas/Toy-related horror, keep this one in mind.