Parents have reportedly taken young children to see Buddy, a horror film about a murderous orange unicorn, after mistaking its brightly coloured poster for a family-friendly movie.
The film, written and directed by Casper Kelly, is set inside a fictional 1990s children’s television programme called It’s Buddy!. Its apparently cheerful host is a giant unicorn who sings songs, teaches lessons and plays games with a group of children.
But the character’s friendly façade soon collapses. Buddy is revealed to be a violent monster who abducts and kills children, leaving his young victims desperate to escape the television world.
The film’s poster shows the smiling orange unicorn staring through the static of an old television screen, with little indication that it is an adults-only horror comedy. The film is rated R in the United States for bloody violence, some drug content and language, with the content involving children. ([rottentomatoes.com](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buddy_2026?utm_source=openai))
Reports shared on Reddit and social media have prompted claims that parents arrived at screenings with children, including some believed to be under eight. The accounts have not been independently verified.
One cinema employee wrote: “Saw a lot of kids in my auditorium last night, some younger than 8.” Another said there had been “so many kids” at a screening and questioned why they had been taken to see the film.
A third employee claimed a mother had complained to the cinema, while other commenters criticised parents for failing to check the film’s rating and content before buying tickets.
“Buddy is not Five Nights at Freddy’s – your kids aren’t making friends with the scary unicorn,” one person wrote.
Buddy horror film expands after surprise opening
Despite the confusion surrounding its marketing, Buddy has made a stronger-than-expected start at the box office. The low-budget film opened with $5.36 million last weekend, more than twice its early projections, and is being shown in more cinemas this weekend.
Roadside Attractions co-founder Howard Cohen said the production had deliberately taken risks with its subject matter and structure.
“It takes a big risk, and we felt like that risk might be exactly what makes the movie work,” he told IndieWire, describing its approach as “extreme originality” and “provocative”.
The cast includes Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace and Keegan-Michael Key, who provides the voice of Buddy. The film also stars Michael Shannon and Patton Oswalt. ([rottentomatoes.com](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buddy_2026?utm_source=openai))
Buddy premiered in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival before its cinema release, where it attracted attention for turning the familiar format of a 1990s children’s programme into surreal horror. ([roadsideattractions.com](https://roadsideattractions.com/?utm_source=openai))
Reviews have been broadly positive, with critics praising the film’s unusual premise and its mixture of comedy, nostalgia and gore. The Los Angeles Times described it as a horror comedy built around the unsettling cheerfulness of children’s television, while Rotten Tomatoes lists it with an 88 per cent critics’ score. ([latimes.com](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-08-28/buddy-review-casper-kelly-too-many-cooks-delaney-quinn-caleb-williams?utm_source=openai))
