Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack

Falls in line with the style cemented in the first entry of this new series by Butler, almost aiding the search for modern camp that defines the recent works of David DeCoteau while at the same time structuring the film after the same threadbare plots from 90's Full Moon.

Butler ran out of characters he cared about and wisely constructed a shallow and skeletal storyline falling into an effective and recognizable formula. A crude sketch of a story with plain drama of little to no importance to the director but it's all sufficient when all that matters is what's grotesque and of course the unhinged imagery these movies excel at, gaining strength when put in an unremarkable and mundane location.

Deliriously schizophrenic. False to the core and transparent about it. Shoestring story and careless construction that oddly enough never let's go. Engaging contrast of American dullness cut by an array of beautifully swift kills of fine B-movie craftsmanship. Abstract approximation to officialist horror cinema that gets to be majestic while disposing the formal basics. Typical modern Full Moon.

This movie is really good and I hope they will make more of Jack Attack also I hope Full Moon Productions make spin offs where Jack Attack and Jester teaming up or something. I would love to see best clown show off completely.

Synopsis: a young, orphaned girl without the ability of speech finds that she has been gifted with the notorious Jack-in-the-Box from the Demonic Toys.

We start this inside of a house in the middle of what looks like an attack. Lily (Sofia Castellanos) has an axe and Mrs. Benson (Tari Lyn Bergoine) appears out of a room. It turns out that there is a clown after them as well as the Jack-in-the-Box. The older woman is killed and we cut away.

It then takes us to a meeting between Mrs. Culver (Donna Steele), Audrey Haines (Mabel Thomas), Tyler (Sean Ramey) and his wife Kate Yost (Christine Brunner). The discussion is over Lily and what to do with her. The Yosts were related to the late Mrs. Benson. They want Lily to stay with them. They have fostered others and are currently in the care of a teenager around the age of Lily. Mrs. Culver doesn't think it is a good idea. Audrey is pushing for them to take custody, despite what this older woman thinks. Audrey makes an executive decision and Lily will stay with the Yosts.

Lily is struggling from that attack. She hasn't spoken since and stays in her room drawing her attackers. This causes her to be bullied by another orphan, Rochelle (Brooklynn Johnson). She also makes a comment about the family that is taking Lily in.

They arrive at the farmhouse that belong to the Yosts. It is there we meet the other young lady being fostered, Dewey (Taylor Abigail Rice). She is an 'influencer' working to get 5k subscribers. She is constantly on her phone as you can imagine. The Yosts also have a son, Mike (Carson Polish). He has a girlfriend who stops by Starr (Maddie Small). She is jealous thinking that her boyfriend is interested in Lily. There is also a farmhand, Clinton (Tim Novotny).

This last person decides to open up the box of items belonging to Lily. It is kept in the barn. What he finds it more than he bargained for as he is killed by Jack-in-the-Box. It is a matter of time before others in the house are attacked by what Lily fears the most. This is what Mrs. Culver was warning them about, but she knows more than she let on.

I love the Demonic Toys series as well as Baby Oopsie, I was looking forward to this movie. I noticed that they changed the look of Jack Attack, that's not a complaint, just an observation. The kills were good but it felt kind of rushed. The acting was fine, but to be honest, it just did not have the fun feel of the first two Demonic Toys movies, or the Baby Oopsie series as well.

This one wasn't bad and it had a good premise, but it felt more like it was simply going through the motions. There were some good scenes, I love the Sybil Pittman/ Baby Oopsie mentions that was great to see.

This movie is all right, I just wish it could have been that little bit better.

JACK-ATTACK is one of the many recent resurgent movies made for Full Moon Pictures for Internet release. These clock in at an hour in length and have indie-level budgets and unknown casts, often acting as sequels or spin-offs to series dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. This one involves a mute girl who comes into possession of a possessed jack-in-a-box and the murders that ensue. It's predictable fare but fairly amiable with it, enlivened by a handful of gore scenes and the addition of a creepy clown figure which adds to the horror. The ending has a certain grand guignol feel to it which works well; overall this is better than I'd expected.

Much like with the Puppet Master franchise, Demonic Toys has entered the spin off era with different characters getting their own feature. Baby Oppsie was a surprise hit and now we get Jack-Attack. The premise alone is find for this type of feature, but admist decent gore, something feels missed.

The plot involves a mute girl that moves in with a foster family after a traumatic moment. Among her possessions she carries is a toy Jack in the Box with the killer creature named Jack Attack. Once unleased, the evil clown monster hits the family one by one in scenes where the gore is not too bad. However, the staging in some of them feels rather off. One character is tripped in the woodchipper and gets automatically sliced to goo. That would be a fine kill it was shot well enough. Another involves an anvil that is kind of creative, but I do feel like more damage could have been done than scratching someone's face off.

I am not too hard on the performances given this is a low budget B movie. Everyone is tying to make the material work and the dark tone is consistent throughout. However, earlier in the year, Subspecies V raised the bar so easily that I wondered if Full Moon's quality would improve.

Yet, I guess it's quick 59 minute in and out motif is not going away soon. I feel like these are interesting ideas if it took the time to perfect the kills or let alone atmosphere. Doctor Death had the quick approach, but that worked for how well the scenes were staged and the impact the deaths left. I guess if you want a fast moving feature, this is your game. Yet a small tease near the end does leave me wondering where else this could go...