A bright orange unicorn who hosts a twisted 1990s-style children's show turns into an axe-wielding killer resembling Jason Voorhees in Buddy, a horror-comedy shot almost entirely in Northeast Ohio that opens in theaters nationwide today. The film stars Topher Grace and Cristin Milioti, with Keegan-Michael Key voicing the murderous title character, and it centers on a group of children trapped inside the fictional public-access program as their beloved host turns deadly.
Buddy was produced by Cleveland-based Low Spark Films, whose president and co-founder, Tyler Davidson, called it, according to Axios, “one of the more unique films of all films.” The movie was written and directed by Casper Kelly, best known for creating Adult Swim's viral short “Too Many Cooks,” and was shot mostly at TRG studio in Brooklyn, Ohio, per the same report. Low Spark Films previously produced acclaimed titles including “Take Shelter” and “Emily the Criminal,” and Axios notes that Buddy is poised to become the company's biggest hit yet.
From Sundance Midnight Slot to Wide Release
Buddy made its world premiere in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival in January before going on to screen in the Festival Favorites section at SXSW in March, according to Celluloid Junkie's reporting on the film's festival pedigree. Roadside Attractions and Saban Films acquired North American theatrical distribution rights following the festival run, setting up the wide late-August release now playing nationwide. The film was co-produced by BoulderLight Pictures alongside Low Spark Films and co-written by Kelly and Jamie King, with a supporting cast that includes Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, and Delaney Quinn, BroadwayWorld reported.
The story's premise leans into nostalgia for classic children's programming before curdling it into horror. Buddy centers on kids trapped inside a twisted children's TV show, and the title character transforms from a lovable friend into a killer, a genre-bending twist that helped the film stand out on the festival circuit.
Ohio Tax Credits Helped Keep Production Local
The production leaned heavily on Ohio's film incentive program while it was still known by its working title, “Arnie.” Buddy received $1,223,725 in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development under the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program, according to Midwest Movie Maker. That state support helped keep nearly all of the production within Northeast Ohio, with additional location filming taking place in Solon and Burton beyond the Brooklyn soundstage work, according to WKYC's coverage of the shoot.
The bulk of that soundstage work happened at TRG Multimedia's 160,000-square-foot facility on the former American Greetings campus in Brooklyn, Ohio. WKYC reports the space includes 40 customizable sets, a soundstage, and a 4,000-square-foot virtual production stage added in 2025. Davidson, who returned to his native Northeast Ohio from Los Angeles in 2007 according to FreshWater Cleveland, has spent much of his career building a sustainable indie production base in the region through films like “Take Shelter” and “The Land.”
The Greater Cleveland Film Commission says film and television production in Ohio has generated nearly $1.4 billion in gross economic output and created more than 7,100 full-time equivalent jobs since the state film tax credit was established in 2009. Hoodline has previously covered these incentives and their role in drawing productions to the region.
A Broader Horror Boom, Local Screenings This Week
Buddy's release also fits into a wider trend of low-budget horror films becoming, as Axios put it, one of Hollywood's most bankable commodities over the past year, alongside titles like “Weapons,” “Obsession,” and “Backrooms.” Local audiences will get a chance to see the film with its producer in person this week. Cinemark Valley View is hosting a Buddy screening followed by a Q&A with Davidson at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and the Capitol Theatre will host similar screenings with a Davidson Q&A at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and again at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Casper Kelly's background in absurdist television extends beyond “Too Many Cooks”; he also co-created Adult Swim's Emmy-nominated comedy “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” and wrote and directed the network's 2022 horror-comedy feature “Yule Log,” per Midwest Movie Maker. That sensibility, paired with BoulderLight Pictures' horror production backing, helped push Buddy from a Sundance Midnight premiere into a nationwide theatrical run just seven months later.
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