Genre: Horror

Director: Tom Nagel

Cast: Denise Richards, Greg Violand, Jeff Denton, Brian Nagel, Mischa Barton, Matt Mercer, and Maika Michelle

Studio: Skyline Entertainment

Runtime: 95 minutes

Release Date: Opens in Los Angeles Friday Sept. 14, 2018

Rated: Not Rated

Reviewer Rating: ★★★★★

Before I begin, let me preface by saying that if a family member ever invites you on a road trip through the desert in a beat-up RV, just say NO. Decades of movies about traveling in an RV have taught us nothing good will ever come of it. At best, you’ll end up stuck in a stuffy metal box for hours on end, and getting way too close for comfort with some of your relatives. At the opposite end of the spectrum, you could end up like the family in The Toybox.

Directed by Tom Nagel, The Toybox follows Charles (Greg Violand), a grandfather, as he purchases a used recreational vehicle to take his estranged family on vacation in the hopes of bringing them closer together. His son Steve (Jeff Denton) brings his wife Jennifer (Denise Richards) and daughter Olivia (Maika Michelle), as well as his brother Jay (Brian Nagel), who would much rather smoke weed and stay home than go on a family trip. After trying to find a popular tourist spot, the group suddenly finds itself stranded in the middle of nowhere after taking a wrong turn. This detour proves to be the least of their worries as they slowly begin to discover their newly acquired camper has a sinister history, one that starts to torment and haunt them.

The Toybox has a few things going for it. Taking the quintessential haunted house approach and applying it to an RV is quite intriguing and piqued my interest in watching. I’m always up for an original horror film; however, despite some entertaining aspects, The Toybox is tedious and not very frightening at all.

Let’s start with the positive. One aspect of The Toybox I enjoyed most was the small scale approach. Most of the film takes place in either the desert or inside the RV and Nagel takes full advantage of them both. The many tight close-ups show how dirty and claustrophobic it is inside the caravan. Meanwhile, the outdoor sequences make you feel the scorching, thirst-inducing heat with wide shots that show how barren the desert is. You almost feel as though you’re actually trapped with the family. And the opening credit sequence is unsettling. It tells you enough of the RV’s disturbing backstory to entice you, although not enough to let you know exactly what happened.

While I desperately wished this effectiveness had carried over to the scares, it doesn’t;The Toybox disappoints tremendously in that regard. Nagel utilizes quite a few familiar horror imagery and tropes, such as clogged sinks filled with blood, ghost girls with long black hair and bloodstained white dresses, and electronics that mysteriously turn on by themselves. Instead of trying something new with these frights, Nagel takes an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach, resulting in most of the thrills and chills in The Toybox feeling predictable. Each scare occurs the same way also. When someone sees something creepy, they get scared, but only briefly, choosing to go about things as if nothing had happened. It becomes frustrating. The Toybox’s use of practical effects is impressive, which leads to some enthralling gory moments; however, these are too few and far between to have a lasting impact. The last act does ramp up the intensity but sadly, it is too short and leaves one feeling empty afterwards.

Jay (Brian Nagel) and Charles (Greg Violand) have a moment together.

The writing is lacking, leaving the characters pretty flat. It’s hard to care for any of them. Steve and Jay constantly bicker and whine about each other causing their scenes to be tedious. Charles’ happy-go-lucky attitude and being blatantly oblivious to what’s happening around him becomes quite annoying. Although, these characterizations are better than the rest of the family’s, whose members don’t serve a real purpose outside of being plot devices, at best. The cast tries its best but each portrayal feels immalleable due to how wooden the dialogue is and how safe Nagel’s direction feels. This bleeds into the story as well as hindering it. The family drama plays out exactly as you expect it to, hitting the same beats as many other B-horror films. When something bad happens, timed perfectly to when the spooky stuff is going on, Jay quickly blames Charles because of his carefree attitude. And then Steve gets mad at Jay for being too hard on their father. Again, it quickly becomes mind numbingly repetitive, just like the scares.

The only likable character in The Toybox is Samantha (Mischa Barton) who, along with her brother Mark (Matt Mercer), is picked up by the family after their truck breaks down on the side of the road. Samantha is shown to be the only capable person out of the bunch. Not only is she a mechanic, she is the first to figure out something is not right with the RV. Barton plays her character with enough charisma and conviction to be both convincing and beguiling. Lamentably, Barton’s character isn’t given enough screen time or development to save the film.

The tonal inconsistency is another large issue with the film’s writing. The film bounces between being serious horror and a B-movie splatter flick. At one point in The Toybox, a character goes through a traumatic experience that emotionally wrecks them, and then less than 20 minutes go by before they’re making quips to another character. Jarring shifts in tone like this happen sporadically throughout the film and each one takes the viewer out of the moment.

It’s difficult to recommend The Toybox to anyone outside of the most hardcore of horror fans and gore-hounds. Most may be better off skipping this trip entirely.

For more on this film:

Official Website: https://www.skylineentertainment.com/toybox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheToyBoxStarringDeniseRichardsandMischaBarton/


All Photos: ©2018 Skyline Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.