Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack: A cheesy B movie banger

As much as I enjoy cerebral horror movies like Talk to Me and Hereditary, every now and then, I enjoy a good B movie banger. Anything with the Full Moon Features logo typically fits the bill. This includes their latest release, Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack, part of the company’s ongoing Demonic Toys universe. Yes, it’s a thing with several sequels, the latest focused solely on the murderous jack-in-the-box with vicious teeth, a snake-like body, and a taste for blood. The movie is as silly as you’d expect.

Directed and written by William Butler, the lean film stars Sofia Castellanos as Lily, a mute orphan, reeling from trauma after the toy killed a relative in front her. When she eventually arrives in a home, she can’t quite shake her past, and the toy ultimately ends up back in her presence. With the help of a creepy clown, Jack picks off one person after the other in Lily’s new orbit. Few of the characters are fleshed out, though I suspect people aren’t going to watch this film for any incredible characterization. Instead, I suspect most viewers are here for the carnage. There’s plenty of that. That said, the acting here isn’t bad for a B movie, and Lily makes for an interesting final girl, considering her inability to speak. Castellanos’ performance largely relies on facial expressions and body language. She succeeds at giving us a fairly compelling and likeable protagonist without words.

Say what you want about Full Moon movies, but their effects always look cool, and like most of their films, Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack primarily uses practical effects. This makes for a gory good time. There are plenty of nasty kills here that horror hounds should enjoy. With its vicious tail, menacing yellow eyes, and saw-sharp teeth, Jack looks great, and with the help of his clown pal, racks up the body count. It’s all sorts of head-spinning weirdness and mayhem.

Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack is exactly what you would expect it to be, no more and no less. It runs slightly under an hour and is filled with plenty of vicious kills at the hands, or rather teeth, of a jack-in-the-box. After spin-offs focused on Blade and Doctor Death from the Puppet Master universe and now Baby Oopsie and Jack from the Demonic Toys world, Full Moon continues to spotlight some of their most iconic baddies. They also have a Leech Woman movie in the works. These movies are a lot of fun and a way to shut off the mind for an hour or so. What more could you ask for?

Demonic Toys: Jack-Attack releases on Full Moon’s streaming app on August 25.