Trying to squeeze in as many early horror flicks as they can, studios are gearing up for a huge Halloween season. This little film is called The Toybox about a haunted RV. But, although it’s a good beginning to Halloween, it starts to get a bit silly early on and then becomes absurd. Well, I can say that for a boatload of flicks in the same genre and some that haven’t even been made yet. But, hang in there as we will be reviewing a LOT of thrillers this and next month.
Charles has purchased a used RV and pulls up so his son Steve (Jeff Denton) and Steve’s wife Jennifer (Denise Richards) can climb aboard. In tow are 5-year-old Olivia (Malika Michelle) and their dog Bentley. Along for the ride is Jay (Brian Nagel), Charles youngest son, and with all aboard they take off cross country for that vacation they never took as a family.
It’s a tribute to Charles’s wife who recently died and never got to add this to her bucket list. After driving a long way they see a car having engine problems along a long stretch of deserted highway. It’s Mark (Matt Mercer) and Samantha (Mischa Barton) an unmarried couple heading in the same direction.
When they can’t get their car started, Charles invites the couple to join them with intentions dropping them off in the next town. Along the way they decide to take a side road to check out some prehistoric wall paintings. It’s the beginning of a trip to hell as the RV starts to have problems that cannot be explained.
Director Tom Nagel does a pretty good job setting up the horror thriller and works hard to make the movie “not be just another slasher film”. I like the way he introduces the evil in the movie and the reasons why people are getting killed one at a time, but beyond that it doesn’t have the impact that the higher budget films are able to deliver. That said, the indie filmmaker really knows how to set up and audience and should keep making thrillers.
The acting needs work and the props are a bit commonplace, but worse, the film gets a little silly as Nagel tries to bring it all together in the end. The two most recognizable actors Denise Richards (Starship Troopers, The World is Not Enough) and Mischa Barton (TV’s “The O.C.”, The Sixth Sense) dominate the film as they help others to get out of danger and fend for themselves against the unknown evil within the trailer.
You may have also seen Jeff Denton in a few terror films like ClownTown and The Hitchhiker, but here he does double duty as writer of the film as well. It’s not easy to act and try to visualize what you have written and I’m wondering if he may have influenced a few scenes in the film. I surely hope it wasn’t the one where the character Charles is being chased by the RV in slow motion. I kept on saying “step to the side Charles” as the big trailer moved at him in a snail’s pace.
For an indie the production value was not bad. In The Toybox there are a lot of wide vistas, some very tight close ups and with the cramped space, it’s no easy task to get some of the shots you will see in the film. Include some decent make-up, a good measure of sand and dirt roads that use available light and it becomes a fairly good thriller.
The ToyBox opens today September 14th, 2018 in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s NoHo 7 for a week run. On September 18th, the film will be available nationwide on Blu-ray, DVD and Cable and Digital HD, including Amazon Instant, iTunes, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, Comcast, Optimum, Dish, Google Play and more. For this one, it probably makes more sense to see it on cable.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good try for the big screen, but this one works better in front of the TV. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: Denise Richards, Mischa Barton, Jeff Denton, Brian Nagel, Greg Violand, Matt Mercer, David H. Greathouse
Directed by: Tom Nagel
Written by: Jeff Denton
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: Not Rated, violence, language, gore, drug use, grotesque images
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Original Theatrical Release: September 14, 2018
Video Release Date: September 18, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or 2.0
Video: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: Skyline Entertainment
Released in: DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
