On Demonic Toys - A Review

Demonic Toys is another example of the late-80s stylized horror trope, as well as the action-horror sub-genre. 1989 was the age of Hunter, Die Hard, and Lethal Weapon, and the tail-end of a decade of Stephen King and slashers-- we knew The Cat Trick and the double fake-out, and we expected our horror heroines to, as well. This savvy lead into the cynical 90s, which sought to turn all these staples on their heads -- make them ex-TREME, man -- and Demonic Toys is a solid step in that direction.

The 1980s were a banner time for both action movies and the teen slasher, and while all horror films could arguably be considered "action," the two genres hold a lot of similarities past the surface -- both focus on survivors, and revenge is generally tied into the whole package, as well. But let's not give the entertainment industry more credit than it deserves; both action and horror had made a lot of movies and a lot of money throughout the 1980s, and when they both stopped making as much, someone put them together to wring-out that last little drop.

The action/horror flick works so well that it has become a sub-genre in itself, and there were plenty of good examples before Demonic Toys, which plays as what it almost certainly was: An ambitious cable channel project. Demonic Toys was the action cookie-cutter for its semi-popular, titular sub-genre and, for all its shortcomings, is fun enough at times for you to overlook its cynicism and "extreme" attitude. It isn't a bad movie, and the leads are actually pretty likable... in a movie of mostly unlikable people.

Demonic Toys pulls out literally every theme in the playbook. Satanic forces controlling toys? Check. Slacker antihero? Check. Forced to work with a conservative paragon of the force who Does Things Her Way But Gets Results? Double-check. For all it adds to the mythos, a lot of the exposition could have been glossed-over, but the movie winks at the audience somewhat coyly, and the creators obviously have reverence for the field.

There are far better examples of the sub-genre, but Demonic Toys falls neatly into the '80's Action/Horror category, though it too "faithfully" combines four or five, different elements. While obviously low-budget, Demonic Toys succeeds well enough that it leaves no aftertaste, but you should watch Dolls and Child's Play to see how the story goes.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010