Opening Night
New York Premiere

Buddy

Casper Kelly

Series sponsored by

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Scary Movies XIV

August 12 - 20

A ’90s kids’ TV show descends into gore-spattered mayhem when its charismatic host turns violent in the surreal, gleefully deranged feature debut from Casper Kelly, creator of 2014 viral sensation Too Many Cooks.

Showtimes

Wed, Aug 12

Screening + Q&A

with Casper Kelly

Wednesday, August 12

DIRECTOR
Casper Kelly
YEAR
2026
COUNTRY
U.S.
RUNTIME
95 minutes

For the Opening Night screening of Buddy, audiences may purchase a film-only ticket at standard price or a ticket that includes access to a post-screening party for $25; $22 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities; and $20 for FLC Members. All-Access Pass holders receive access to both Opening Night and Closing parties along with screenings. Party tickets are excluded from the 3+ Film Package.

Viewers might know Casper Kelly as the mad-genius Adult Swim auteur responsible for 2014’s viral sensation Too Many Cooks, among other fever-dream spoofs of vintage pop-culture weirdness. With his first foray into big-screen feature filmmaking, Kelly embraces a larger canvas, applying his gleefully deranged sense of humor to the uncanny, oppressive cheerfulness of a ’90s soundstage-set kids’ TV show. The plucky young live-action characters of “It’s Buddy!” pass their days (or rather, episodes) laughing and learning in a brightly-hued analog playhouse—until the titular host, a charismatic orange unicorn, turns unexpectedly violent, and the show’s hermetically sealed fantasyland descends into gore-spattered mayhem. The result is an unhinged satire in which Kelly’s trademark flair for surreal black comedy reaches dazzling new heights, here abetted by a pitch-perfect ensemble cast that includes Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, and the voice-acting talents of Keegan Michael Key and Patton Oswalt. A Roadside Attractions release.

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Running August 12 through August 20, the 16-film festival will premiere new works alongside special presentations of spine-tingling classics and rediscoveries conjured from the dark recesses of midnight-movie lore, with filmmakers and special guests appearing for post-screening Q&As. 

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