"Mr. Crocket" (2024)

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Mr. Crocket by Brandon Espy.

Synopsis

A mother (Jerrika Hinton as Summer) embarks on a perilous quest to rescue her son (Ayden Gavin as Major) from the titular demonic children's show host (Elvis Nolasco), who is kidnapping kids.

The Good

Joseph: Fright-fare fanatics who have longed for a new horror villain in the manner of Freddy Krueger should find their wishes granted with Mr. Crocket’s titular kids’ television show host. When children are watching his videotape, Mr. Crocket comes out of the VCR or TV a la Sadako in Ringu and gorily dispatches parents who he feels are mistreating their young ‘uns, taking them back to his home. The kills are jaw-droppingly gory, and the practical effects look fantastic. The puppetry that brings Mr. Crocket’s “friends” — think Pee Wee’s Playhouse gone psychotic — to cinematic life is also a strong achievement. Jerrika Hinton and Kristolyn Lloyd provide strong performances as mothers of two of the missing children, while Elvis Nolasco steals the show as the creepy Mr. Crocket.

Mike: I’m always down for a good mix of chocolate and peanut butter with genres and mooshing together a kid’s show with demonic creatures sounds like a decidedly delicious treat.

Crawling from a television like a J-horror ghost, Mr. Crocket arrives to punish parents who don’t treat their children right, which he does with the help of his fantasy world compatriots that are brought to life with some wicked practical effects. There are also some grisly kills and plenty of bloodshed to keep fans of the red stuff happy.

One of the best, and most likely unintended treats, was the world of Mr. Crocket - the TV show inside of the movie. Playing like an amalgam of kids’ shows from the 70s and 90s, the animated artwork and tone of the show itself added a nice, timeless feel to those segments.

The Bad

Joseph: A third-act exposition dump — admittedly presented well, in animated form — gives a rather sympathetic back story to Mr. Crocket, which I feel this character shouldn’t have. He’s out to viciously kill parents and kidnap their offspring, so why should viewers have soft spots for him? The pacing feels a bit off at times, and therefore so does the overall flow of the film.

Mike: Mr. Crocket, for all that it does well, is still a little bit of a mess, mainly with its world building, or lack thereof. The backstory provided felt a bit forced, like not enough thought was given to it as was to Crocket himself, resulting in a feeling of putting the cart before the horse.

The Verdict

Joseph: Nolasco’s performance as Mr. Crocket is so good that a franchise featuring the character would be something to consider. Overall, Mr. Crocket is certainly worth a watch, and its nostalgic vibe — which serves up a bit of camp without overdoing it — should bring a lump to the throat of those who grew up either with Freddy Krueger or with 1990s kids’ television.

Mike: While the juxtaposition of an innocent kid’s TV world and a dark underbelly is nothing new, Mr. Crocket takes the concept and runs a brilliant and decidedly evil take on it that viewers won’t soon forget. Nostalgia will run rampant for viewers of a certain age and fans of well crafted practical effects and monster puppetry will find plenty to enjoy. It needs to be said that Elvis Nolasco’s titular Mr. Crocket is a fantastic new addition to the horror pantheon and I certainly hope to see more of him and his outlandish and wicked friends soon.