The Hug

A bratty kid who's having a birthday party at an obnoxiously tacky pizza place demands a show from the place's not quite right looking giant robot panda mascot, and when the long suffering security manager who clearly hates his job refuses to let the brat have his way, he steals the keys that turn the looming robotic nightmare on and sneaks backstage for a private performance, thing is though he really should have respected the man when he said that even pandas' gotta eat because this is no ordinary creepy robot panda but something quite monstrous in disguise that has a big appetite for little brats who don't follow the rules! I loved this short a lot when I first saw it, I really thought it was one of the best I'd seen in ages, something about it felt kind of fresh to me, I thought the panda suit looked amazing and creepy and menacing and just right there, you know what I mean?? I miss the era of big practical effects suits like that, and while the one in this wasn't a perfect example it was definitely great to see that old technique used in something again. It's quite suspenseful as it lured in the kid for a killer bear hug and was creepily wagging its stubby tail behind its back which felt very wrong for whatever reason, and then it reveals the more wicked and hideous face hidden behind the sweet panda mask, and then when it closes its freaky clanking arms around little Aden, it felt like the short could have easily gone for the gusto with the gore and had Pandory just be a scary machine that had gone a little homicidally haywire and had it simply kept hugging Aden until he messily exploded in a welter of blood and guts! I know it's more fun and spooky having Pandory be some kind of mysterious monster in disguise, but I'm just saying it could have worked well either way. I do like the mystery part, you don't know if it's a captive monster or a monster for hire, or a monster disguising itself as a robot to get a bite to eat...well given the hilarious security guy's reaction it's not the first time an unsuspecting kid got all ate up! Very good short, I loved the effects, the suspense, it gave me goosebumps and it ends on a real little jolt! Loved it, terrific fun stuff 🐼 x

Thanks to the game series Five Nights at Freddy's (which I never played), it seems that now everything to related with animatronics must be something horror-related.

Derivative premise aside, this was effectively creepy, even if you can see the "twist" coming from a mile away.

I'm not really sure of how this would work as a full-lenght feature film.

I was on the edge of my seat just enough with this five-minute short. No gore either, which I greatly appreciate. Picture a trip to Chuck-e-Cheese going horribly wrong, but that's okay because the main character is a self-entitled brat. Would have given more stars if it had been a tad bit longer with more character development, although the mom glued to her cellphone does bring it all together.

I only watched this because the banner on Hulu showed what was clearly a Billy Bob animatronic mask from Showbiz Pizza, poorly spray painted to look somewhat like a panda. And that's about as far as the value of this thing goes. It's clearly just trying to bank off of the popularity Five Nights at Freddy's had for like 2 years and was made way too late, but I really love the homages to Showbiz, with even the logo for the pizza place being a bit too spot-on to the Showbiz Pizza logo. I just wish there was more passion in it than that. VERY cheap, and with delightfully campy acting.

I recently watched The Hug (2018) on Hulu. The story takes place at a Chuck E. Cheese-style kids' party and play area, where a spoiled young boy named Aden wanders off alone and encounters an animatronic that just wants a hug...

Co-directed and co-written by Jack Bishop and Justin Nijm (Stan Against Evil), the short film stars Roman Dean George (The Door in the Woods), Nick Armstrong (Bulldozer), Peyton Noga (The Goldfinch), and Circus-Szalewski (Babylon).

At just five minutes long, this short is brilliantly crafted. The setting, costumes, and atmosphere perfectly establish the tone. The animatronic is impressively designed, and the cinematography is sharp and high quality. The film delivers exactly what you'd hope for given its setting and premise, packing plenty of fun into its brief runtime.

In conclusion, The Hug is an outstanding short horror film that's absolutely worth a watch. I'd rate it 8/10 and strongly recommend it.