Demonic Toys (1992)

Simply A Masterpiece

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Low budget, but enjoyable Charles Band Full Moon production about a pregnant policewoman, Tracy Scoggins (I'd totally forgotten about her and remembered how I had a crush on her as Cat Grant on "Lois & Clark"), and a scrappy delivery boy, Bentley Mitchum (grandson of Robert Mitchum) are trapped in a haunted toy warehouse where, you guessed it, reside possessed murderous toys. This is one in a long string of Charles Band productions to feature small things terrorizing larger things (i.e. Puppet Master, Dollman, Gingerdead Man, Evil Bong, Shrunken Heads, etc.) and it's a formula that works surprisingly well. Despite the cheapness of the production (the film basically takes place entirely on one set), the creepy little toys doing terrible things is entertaining, Scoggins is attractive in the lead, and there's novelty value in the casting of Robert Mitchum's grandson in the type of bad boy role his grandfather was well known for. I really wish there had been more stop-motion animation in the film, though that would have cost more money, but what little stop-motion animation the film does have is excellent! "Demonic Toys" was an early script by David S. Goyer, who'd later go on to write some major Hollywood comic book adaptations including The Dark Knight films, the Blade series, and "Dark City." Although Goyer has his name on a number of quality films, his best films always had a strong director or were co-writen by other, so I've never been quite sure how much credit to give Goyer for his better films. For his films where he's received sole writing credit or were not helmed by strong directors, those films were often weaker (i.e. "Man of Steel" or Blade I and III) if not outright awful ("The Crow: City of Angels"). Much like his weaker bug budget films, this one suffers from a lack of character development, an over reliance on plot contrivances, and few original ideas. Still, producer Charles Band has reliably delivered entertaining low budget genre pictures since the late 1970s and has a track record that continues to hold strong to this day. I also won't fault the director too much, since it was directed by Peter Manoogian, who directed another one of my favorite Charles Band productions, the ridiculous, but enjoyable "Eliminators." Also worth noting is that the musical score by theunderrated composer Richard Band (brother of Charles) delivers another reliably good synthesizer heavy score.Band's pictures may not appeal to a wide audience and may not appeal even to all horror fans, but if you're a fan of Band and Full Moon Entertainment, this one is well worth watching, even if it's isn't exactly a classic on the level of "Trancers," "Re-Animator," or even "Subspecies."

DEMONIC TOYS may never win an Award of any kind and it certainly won't make a lot of Top Ten lists, but it's a very well done and relatively enjoyable little movie, nonetheless. The story's pretty simple and unfolds in a fairly straightforward manner (one of its many strengths) and the acting isn't bad, either; likewise, the direction is sure enough once the action becomes confined to the warehouse. In this respect, it harks back in a lot of ways to the Dan O'Bannon classic, THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. If there's one thing (besides the weak opening scenes) that I have a complaint about, it's the fact that we don't really see enough of the Demonic Toys themselves. My personal favorite would have to be Oopsie Daisy (who should've been called Poopsie Daisy): killer toy-types (like the Zuni Fetish Doll in the PREY segment of Richard Matheson's TRILOGY OF TERROR telefilm) are always fun (next to said Zuni doll, my favorite would have to be Chucky in BRIDE OF CHUCKY- in which "Chucky gets lucky!"). DEMONIC TOYS has just one really gratuitous nude scene (though those of us who appreciate gratuitous nudity have no complaints), but, otherwise, it's good clean fun for kids of all ages.

Remember when I said Charles Band's favorite person to rip off was himself? "Dolls" was about people isolated in a mansion with killer dolls. "Puppet Master" was about people isolated in a hotel with killer puppets. "Demonic Toys" is about, guess what?, people isolated in a warehouse with killer toys. I haven't seen "Blood Dolls" but I bet it fits the formula."Demonic Toys" is a blatant attempt to recreate "Puppet Master." Both open with close-ups on its plastic villains while Richard Band's scores play. In "Puppet Master," the murderous marionettes are controlled by an undead sorcerer. In "Demonic Toys," the perilous playthings are activated by a demonic entity. While "Puppet Master's" protagonist had psychic dreams, the policewoman hero of "Demonic Toys" is contacted by the demon in her dreams. This movie appears to have been made on half the budget, since the whole thing takes place over no more then three sets.The toys aren't as memorable as Full Moon's more famous villains. A killer teddy bear (who is, disappointingly, not named Grisly Bear. Come on, guys, that one writes itself) is relatively indistinct while a robot tank has even less personality. An evil jack-in-the-box is a little more memorable. The cackling clown functions like a snake, with a baby's rattle at the end of its tail. The MVP of "Demonic Toys" is Baby Oopsie Daisy, a foul-mouthed baby doll. The Baby is a clear Chucky expy, especially when she gets her face burnt off. The doll's one-liners are groaners but I couldn't help but laugh. Her weird plastic face is probably the closest thing "Demonic Toys' has to a genuinely creepy special effect. (Though a stop-motion tin soldier is a bit uncanny.) The movie makes up for its uncreative threats with surprisingly interesting humans. The fat security guard swears creatively and listens to polka. He watches the original "Puppet Master" on TV, which raises questions about what level of reality this is on. His porno mag provides the gratuitous nudity every Full Moon flick needs. The guard also orders from a 24-hour fried chicken restaurant, an idea in need of further exploiting. The chicken delivery boy becomes an unlikely hero, shotgunning toys and throwing Molatov Cocktails. Even a teenage girl randomly introduced half-way through to drop some exposition is amusing. Perhaps we have future blockbuster screenwriter David Goyer to thank for the memorable characters? "Demonic Toys" is too campy to mine its imagery for scares. But its female lead's anxiety about giving birth, and the movie's co-opting of childish imagery for horror, suggests a possible subtext. That's probably giving the movie more credit then it deserves. "Demonic Toys" is a cheaper, goofier Full Moon offering but still provides chuckles.

Oh come on! This is just cheesy entertainment for B-movie fans. This is a perfect example of a decent Full Moon Pictures production. Sure, it's cheap, cheesy, but it's entertaining and has some funny dialogs.The movie starts as any Cop flick with the usual chasing scene and shots everywhere, but suddenly it turns into a real nightmare for three different characters. In the likes of "Child's Play", the explanation for the toys' "behavior" happens in the first minutes of the movie (also involving cops and delinquents). Soon after the possessed boy makes appearance, the movie takes the Horror direction and starts to get form. The toys are surprisingly well done. The evil baby toy is by far the meanest of them all. Also, the "cannibal" clown and the killer teddy bear deserve special mention. The f/x are really good for being such a low budget production. Praises for Full Moon once again. The gore factor is also great. Although this could be considered as a Horror movie for the youngest, I praise the good gore on it. Please watch this movie if you are a fan of possessed/killer toys. This is a fun flick to watch. It won't disappoint you, believe me. On the other hand, if you watched this one when young, then it may not be interesting enough in these days as it hasn't aged very well.I watched this movie when I was young, so I would only recommend it for a younger audience or Full Moon fans like me.