Mr Crocket (2024) review – A Demonic Kids’ Show Host With 90s Slasher Vibes
Mr Crocket: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A stylish and nostalgic supernatural horror that feels like a long-lost 90s slasher. Mr Crocket succeeds on the back of a magnetic, creepy performance from Elvis Nolasco and some genuinely creative practical effects, including a cast of nightmarish puppets. While it captures the sinister essence of icons like Pennywise and Freddy Krueger, the film struggles to sustain its momentum, sinking into a dull middle act filled with predictable tropes. It’s a solid feature debut from Brandon Espy that works best when the titular host is on screen, even if the final act loses its supernatural edge. A flawed but entertaining throwback.
Details: Director: Brandon Espy | Cast: Jerrika Hinton, Ayden Gavin, Elvis Nolasco | Runtime: 1h 28m | Release Date: 2024
Best for: Fans of 90s supernatural horror, “killer puppet” enthusiasts, and viewers who enjoy high-concept villains with a dark sense of justice.
Worth noting: Based on the 2022 short film of the same name, which was part of the Bite Size Halloween anthology series.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on Disney+ (Hulu); for rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Rating: 2.8/5 Stars
(Creepy antagonist, great practical effects, sags in the middle)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are checking out director Brandon Espy’s feature-length horror debut, Mr Crocket.
Table of Contents
Demonic Kids’ Show Host
Mr Crocket follows the story of grieving mother Summer (Jerrika Hinton) and her son, Major (Ayden Gavin). After her husband passes away, Summer begins to struggle with parenting.
Her son’s increasing disobedience and addiction to a children’s television show push her to her limit, prompting a visit from the supernatural host of the aforementioned kids’ show, Mr Crocket, who aims to relieve her of her problems by taking Major away forever.
Mr Crocket plays out as a fairly familiar supernatural horror in the style of 80s and 90s movies like It, Candyman, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Something that is made all the more apparent by the movie being set in the early 90s.
The demonic kids’ show presenter Mr Crocket comes to the “aid” of desperate children who suffer with abusive, or neglectful, parents. He appears through the television, à la Sadako from Ringu, to torment the adults and take the children away to his own “paradise” where nothing else can harm them.
Some parents are deemed to be fit for a brutal butchering, resulting in some pretty inventive and gruesome kills, complete with attacks by demented-looking puppets based on the fuzzy denizens of the kids’ show world where Mr Crocket resides. While the less obviously horrendous adults are left to live, haunted by the memory of losing their child and plagued by nightmares of Mr Crocket tormenting them while they sleep.
It works pretty well
It’s a concept that works pretty well and, for the first thirty minutes or so, it’s genuinely quite captivating. Mr Crocket appears as a menacing character who feels, very much, like a combination of the antagonists of the aforementioned horror movie classics. This is Candyman meets Pennywise with a little sprinkling of Freddy Krueger to keep things fresh, and a dash of Mr Rogers for the kids.
“This is Candyman meets Pennywise with a little sprinkling of Freddy Krueger to keep things fresh, and a dash of Mr Rogers for the kids.”
Mr Crocket’s sinister, yet jovial, delivery is extremely familiar, and the inspirations for both the character and the movie are very obvious. That isn’t a bad thing, of course; Mr Crocket feels like a suitable addition to this maniacal menagerie. He’s quite a fascinating character and the idea behind him is genuinely pretty great, especially when you understand his background a bit more.
The idea of a twisted demon doling out his own form of sick justice is always a lot of fun and, for a while there, Mr Crocket almost seems like a bit of an anti-hero, sticking it to parents who, rightfully, shouldn’t be in charge of a cat, let alone a child. Needless to say, the moments featuring Mr Crocket’s menacing presence are the highlights of the film, standing out for being legitimately well-done, quite creepy, and thoroughly entertaining.
Is it too much or not enough?
The problems start when Espy attempts to build an entire film around this concept. You can’t really slam the viewer in the face with repeated scenarios of Mr Crocket terrorising people. You actually need to formulate a story, and the obvious one is to have a parent attempting to rescue their child from Mr Crocket’s world. That’s exactly what happens here and it just doesn’t feel as though it works all that well.
The fact of the matter is that, when Mr Crocket isn’t on the screen, this can be a boring, run-of-the-mill movie full of very worn-out horror tropes. Think Nancy and the gang working out how to get into Freddy’s dream world but less interesting and with a less likeable cast. It gets boring very quickly and there is very little to grab onto.
“When Mr Crocket isn’t on the screen, this can be a boring, run-of-the-mill movie full of very worn-out horror tropes. It gets boring very quickly.”
Some will probably struggle to relate to a character that has told their son they don’t want to be his parent anymore, and others will simply find much of the middle section very dull indeed.
All downhill from there
Espy tries to pick things up a bit in the latter parts of the film but it just feels very predictable and not all that inspiring. Mr Crocket, later on, really loses a lot of his mystique. He feels a little bit too human and a little less scary than you would hope.
Mr Crocket doesn’t have any of Pennywise’s shape-shifting ability and his powers feel rather muted compared to a Candyman or Freddy Krueger. He simply doesn’t resonate all that well as a supernatural villain, which robs the closing scenes of gravity.
This is, simply, one of those movies that would work much better as a short. Less is more here, and I am not sure where the movie could have gone to keep things interesting. It simply gets a bit boring, a bit repetitive, and a bit overly familiar.
“Practical effects are great. The puppet designs are fantastic and work very well given the context. Some of the kills are pretty creative.”
Still, practical effects are great. The puppet designs are fantastic and work very well given the context. Some of the kills are pretty creative and Elvis Nolasco really stands out as Mr Crocket. There is potential here but I am not sure how it could be tapped into to get a little more out of it.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Elvis Nolasco: A brilliant performance. Nolasco brings the perfect mix of sinister charm and jovial menace to the character of Mr Crocket.
- Puppet Design: The practical effects and creature designs are a highlight, perfectly capturing that “off-kilter” kids’ show aesthetic.
- 90s Nostalgia: The early 90s setting is well-realised, providing a great backdrop for a story that feels like a lost VHS-era classic.
The Bad
- Middle Act Slump: Once the initial mystery is gone, the pacing sags significantly. The hunt for the child feels repetitive and derivative.
- Weak Characters: Aside from the villain, the cast is relatively uninspiring. It’s difficult to invest in a protagonist whose behaviour is so abrasive.
- Diminished Mystery: As the film progresses, the supernatural threat feels increasingly human and less intimidating, robbing the ending of its gravity.
The Ugly: The Parenting Message. The film attempts to dive into the stresses of parenthood but does so in a way that makes the lead characters so unlikable that you’re almost rooting for the demon.
Should You Watch Mr Crocket?
Yes, it’s worth a watch for the practical effects and Nolasco’s performance alone. It’s a solid 2.8-star effort that captures a specific 90s horror vibe, even if it does trudge through a predictable middle section. Just don’t expect a new horror icon.
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