While seemingly an innocuous children’s show, its mysterious, grinning host Mr. Crocket emerges from television sets to brutally kill parents and kidnap their young children. After snatching her son, a determined mother embarks on a quest to rescue him from the entertainer.
The take
Parenting is tough. Of course, everyone should try to do a good job at it, and shouldn’t be abusive, but sometimes, especially when frustrated, some find themselves snapping. Sometimes, they would do anything just to make kids behave, even if it’s just to give them an iPad or place them in front of the television. Mr. Crocket takes this behavior as a portal for an evil entity. It’s a clever premise, with a campy execution of 90s aesthetics and Elvis Nolasco is especially menacing as the titular host, but while the film crafts a creeping sense of terror, it feels less terrifying when the film barely devotes time to the mother and son at the center. Mr. Crocket still manages to be a fun horror film to watch despite that.
What stands out
The man himself. He’s like Mr. Roger if he transformed into Freddy Krueger around bad parenting.
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