SerpApi.Org
A Super Mario star becomes a horror villain in the new Buddy trailer.
The titular character of the horror-comedy movie is dressed as an orange unicorn while serving as the host of the colorful children's television show It's Buddy!, which is reminiscent of Barney. After voicing Toad in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earlier this year, Keegan-Michael Key plays Buddy, trading the world of family-friend animation for a live-action R-rated horror movie.
In the second teaser trailer for Buddy, the footage opens in the style of a VCR cassette, with a group of children running up to and hugging the orange unicorn as the show's logo appears on the screen. This is followed by ominous laughter, and children marching in line behind Buddy and dancing with him. The tone becomes increasingly more sinister with shots of the children crying, along with Buddy looking down a well and towering behind a fence. Check out the trailer below:
The trailer also features narration from Cristin Milioti, who talks about finding no mention anywhere of the It's Buddy! show. She argues that it's more than just a forgotten show from the 1990s, as there is no trace of it ever having existed. Read the official synopsis for the movie below:
Remember BUDDY—the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic childrens' television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room?
Inside the colorful world of It's Buddy!, a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.
While both the first and second teasers hint at the horror within the colorful world of the children's show, the new trailer also highlights the storyline with Milioti's adult character, Grace. The plot will not be solely confined to It's Buddy!, as Grace is also trying to confirm that the series existed and discover the truth behind it.
Buddy debuted earlier this year at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it was one of the standout titles, and received a "Fresh" 84% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 31 reviews. It arrives in theaters on August 28, with a cast that, along with Key and Milioti, features Michael Shannon, Topher Grace, Patton Oswalt, and Delaney Quinn.
Casper Kelly directed Buddy and co-wrote the script with Jamie King. Kelly previously co-wrote the 2018 Nicolas Cage-led horror movie Mandy and directed and co-wrote the 2014 short horror film Too Many Cooks. He and King were also executive producers alongside Kevin Flanigan, Dexter Braff, Roberto Linck, Nathan McAuley, Emilio Schenker, Gideon Tadmor, Adam J. Wilde, Geoff Yaw, and Ryan J. Kelly, and with Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, and Tracy Rosenblum producing. Margules and Lifshitz previously produced both Friendship and Weapons.
Friendship and Weapons received positive reviews, and the latter was a massive box office success, grossing $278 million worldwide after being made on a $38 million production budget. Amy Madigan won an Academy Award for her performance as Aunt Gladys in Weapons as well.
In addition to building on this success, Buddy is releasing at a promising time for smaller horror movies, with both Obsession and Backrooms being box office successes earlier this year. The ongoing popularity of the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise may also help, as the Buddy character seems as though he would fit right in with that universe.
Buddy releases in theaters on August 28.
