Mr Crockett (Hulu)- A Spooky Season Review
He was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, that is for sure. Hulu’s original horror film takes a page from some other films like The Babadook and Come Play, and hopes for the best. This Mr. Crockett is a nightmare fuel children’s television host that comes to life after a young boy finds an old VHS recording. Suddenly, that boys mother finds herself in a battle over this boy’s soul with H.P. Lovecraft’s answer to Mr. rogers Neighborhood.
The other films are better. The Babadook features a mom who has to fight off this horror creature that really only exists in a book, but also has to deal with a kid that I think everyone can agree is a bit much. He’s like the kid you assume has had way too much sugar, only to find out that he hasn’t. Come Play features a similar situation, except the mother in that film has a much quieter child, who is actually non-verbal, and speaks through his technology.It is there that he plays a game that unlocks this demon that just REALLy wants to play.
In Mr Crockett, we go the route of having an opening sequence showing us perhaps the last family Mr. Crockettt graced, and the horrifying experience they go through. The other films don’t do that, and rather test the waters of whether this entity is even real. Right off the bat, you know he can manifest. It makes it slightly less interesting, and then starts leaning into more horror tropes, like having a disheveled woman warn them. There’s always some crazy person who seems to know what is about to happen, but no one takes them seriously because they look unhealthy.
So, this films mother eventually is in this weird battle with this bizarre entity, and her kid just seems like he’s being punished for being in the wrong place, or daring to explore VHS tapes, like in The Ring. It isn’t as interesting in terms of the story, but it follows such a similar path that the film remains fairly effective for its genre as a quick watch. But this will not become as memorable as The Babadook.
The audio description focuses on a lot of different details, including the violence and gore, which was surprisingly heavy right up front. Usually these films build, but this film hits you, walks away, and then comes back for more. Even the balance of having a person who needs to be believable as a children’s TV host, and also as nightmare fuel has to be described just right. It was a solid track on a horror film on Hulu no one will remember they saw a year from now.
Final Grade: C+
