Review: 'Benny Loves You' is an Amazing Short That Goes On Way Too Long

Essentially an amusing short that goes on way too long, the horror comedy "Benny Loves You" has a clever concept, but feels more like an SNL skit than a full-fledged movie.

Karl Holt writes, directs, and stars in this black comedy about a childhood stuffed animal that is thrown away and comes back for revenge.

The film opens with a nasty prologue about a bratty little girl who doesn't want to play with her dolly anymore. But that dolly becomes enraged when she rejects her for something new, and murders her. Cue the screams and the opening titles.

Now we have another character (totally unrelated to the opening sequence) named Jack (Holt) who still lives at home with his parents, has a dead-end job, and is disliked by his colleagues. When his parents die in an accidental and gruesome home death, he decides it's time to grow up. So, he rips down his childish posters and throws his old toys in the rubbish bin, including his childhood best "friend" – a red stuffed dog named Benny.

For reasons never explained, Benny is somehow supernatural and comes to life, seeking revenge for being tossed away. If Jack gives Benny attention and tells him he loves him, he keeps his rage at bay. But as soon as Jack starts dating and tells women, or anyone, that he has feelings for them, Benny flies into a jealous maelstrom and attacks the object of Jack's affections.

Seeing a stuffed animal bounce around with a knife Velcro-ed to its paw is funny – until it's not so funny. The repetitive nature of the film (not to mention how over-the-top gory it is) runs thin after the first half hour. Benny ruins dates, causes problems at work, and horrifically kills a dog. (All of this is cartoonish violence.)

For the second act the plot and violence simply repeat over and over, padding a film that should have been an episode of a horror anthology series.

The film picks up in the last third, when Benny does battle with some other toys Jack has lying around (since he works at a toy company).

Holt does some interesting things with the camera here, and his mimicking of action films and fight sequences is fitfully comical, but, unless you are planning on getting really high, the movie isn't as hilarious as the concept would lead you to believe.

Benny's voice box sayings are also repeated ad nauseum, to the point where he just gets annoying. Which is sort of how the movie plays out: It has moments, but they needed to be pulled out and put into something shorter so we can get in and out before we realize how one-note it all is.

Benny might love me, but I didn't love Benny.

"Benny Loves You" opens in select theaters May 7th. It will be On Demand May 11th and on Blu-ray June 8th.