Did not watch 'Sick for Toys' with any prejudice against it or want to hate it from the outset. Actually am someone who tries to be encouraging with my reviews and ratings and with the intent to see the good in every bad film, and judged 'Sick for Toys' with that mind-set. Also was sort of intrigued by the idea and horror films set at Christmas (my favourite time of year) can work if done right, unfortunately there are numerous instances of it not.
With all that taken into account, 'Sick for Toys' turned out to be a very poor film, awful even, with nothing good, or remotely alright, about it. No, not even an eerie setting, a few scary moments, one halfway decent acting performance or moments of good atmosphere, which has made bad films better quite a number of times. None of those in sight, and instead has every flaw possible and everything that makes me mad about any film executed terribly.
Visually, 'Sick for Toys' looks amateurish. It looks unappealingly drab and the editing is far from slick, calling it bacon-slicer-like is an insult. It is very disorganised in how it's shot. The music is one of the film's worst assets, so ugly sounding, so inappropriately placed and tonally it does not fit at all.
'Sick for Toys' has writing that makes one cringe non-stop and is awkward-sounding throughout. The story is utterly ridiculous, full of easily foresseable, contrived and dumb moments and there was a complete lack of tension, creepiness or suspense and incoherence also creeps in. Everything is bland, intelligence insultingly stupid, the pacing is erratic and the goofs and continuity errors are endless.
The characters are both obnoxious and without personality, one does not care for them and wants them dispatched fast. They all have behaviours that are illogical, to the extent that you start to wonder whether they are actually humans, and frustrating, one is constantly questioning why they behave the way they do because it is never obvious why. The direction has no character or competence. Along with the music and writing the acting is especially terrible with no exception, both over-acted and severely under-rehearsed.
Overall, awful. 1/10 Bethany Cox
