Toys are associated with childhood innocence, and corrupting that innocence makes great horror material. Horror exploits every possible fear, and transforming a harmless child’s plaything into homicidal weapons remains a stalwart favorite. The latest is The Jack in the Box: Awakening, a sequel to the 2019 film that let loose a demonic clown from his box.
In Awakening: “Terminally ill heiress Olga Marsdale acquires a mysterious gothic box containing a captured demon – Jack. The powerful entity within makes a deadly deal with Olga and her devoted son Edgar – deliver six victims to Jack, and Olga will live. They trap several unsuspecting victims for him within the vast crumbling mansion – but can they deliver all six before it’s too late? Or will Amy, the young and innocent woman recently hired to look after the estate turn out to be more than a match for both the family and the Jack?”
Writer/Director/Producer Lawrence Fowler returns for this sequel. Matt McClure, James Swanton, Mollie Hindle, and Nicola Wright star.
The Jack in the Box: Awakening is now available on VOD, Digital, and DVD via Amazon. Ahead of the release, you can unbox and revisit these ten horror movies featuring the genre’s creepiest killer toys.
Poltergeist
Who could ever forget the clown doll that attacked Robbie and dragged him under the bed by his neck? Sure, Robbie made it out alive by conquering his fear of the ghastly grinner, but the intent to murder was still there. Of all the nightmare fuel this seminal classic offered, it was a toy that outshined them all.
Krampus
Michael Dougherty’s holiday horror movie saw a family under siege by the eponymous beast, who unleashed his army upon them. That included everything from elves to killer gingerbread men, but the most dangerous among them seemed to be the man-eating jack-in-the-box, murderous toy robot, and a sharp-toothed teddy bear. The precise type of toys not even the naughtiest of children deserve to receive.
Xtro
Harry Bromley Davenport’s insane sci-fi horror movie includes the kitchen sink of goopy, gory nightmare fuel. Aliens abduct Sam Phillips right in front of young son Tony’s eyes only to return for him three years later, though something’s very strange about dad. Sam begins to alter Tony’s genetics, granting Tony some rather peculiar abilities that include making his toys come to life. It results in killer circus clowns, toy tanks, and even a demise at the hands of toy soldiers come to life in human size.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
When we think of killer toys in horror, the dolls often dominate the conversation. But there’s much to be said about Clive Barker’s Hellraiser using a seemingly benign puzzle box to summon grotesque pain and suffering inflicted by Cenobites. It’s a summoning tool and grim weapon of Hell masquerading as a simple toy. Some seek it out, but others, like teen Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), fall for its trap out of playful curiosity.
Puppet Master
Puppet Master kickstarted an enduring franchise with no shortage of creative pint-sized puppets. Tourist Trap director David Schmoeller took on killer toys once more, only this time more literally. Puppeteer Andre Toulon devised a means of bringing his puppets to life, becoming a deadly tool for their creator. It leads to disastrous results when a group of psychics find themselves targeted by the killer puppets, each with a unique gift for murder.
Dolls
“Toys are very loyal, and that’s a fact.” From the perspective of little Judy, a sweet little girl with a love of toys, the Gothic mansion belonging to Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke is a dream come true. Not only are they far kinder than her father and stepmother, but the estate is filled to the brim with dolls, puppets, and toys. However, if you’re a jerk adult, the mansion is a death trap. While this Stuart Gordon-directed fairy tale draws clear lines between the innocent and the morally corrupt deserving of their fate, it’s still creepy to see them meet their doom at the hands of the dolls. Even creepier? What happens to them after the dolls attack.
Dolly Dearest
Following in the tiny footsteps of Chucky, this early ’90s killer doll flick saw a family uproot to Mexico after dad acquires ownership of a doll factory. He doesn’t know that a nearby tomb has been disturbed, letting the malevolent spirit of Sanzia loose. It just so happens to take root in the dolls, with which the factory owner’s daughter becomes obsessed. If you were to apply the zany antics of Cathy’s Curse to Child’s Play‘s general setup, you have Dolly Dearest. It brings the B-movie mayhem and stars Denise Crosby (Pet Sematary), Lupe Ontiveros, and Rip Torn.
Annabelle: Creation
Annabelle was a scene-stealer the moment she was introduced in the opening scare of The Conjuring, but this chilling prequel firmly established the doll as a worthy mainstay. Annabelle: Creation detailed how the doll came to be inhabited by a demon, which set its sight on a group of unsuspecting orphans. The demon’s manipulations of dolls, dollhouses, puppets, and even scarecrows made for a string of potent scares.
Child’s Play
Few killer toys have the unrelenting persistence of Good Guy doll Chucky. From his first introduction, which saw serial killer Charles Lee Ray possess the doll in a toy store shoot out with police, the doll’s set lofty goals for himself that always comes with a body count. He promised to be “our friend till the end from the outset.” He’s never wavered once on that, thanks to Don Mancini. With Chucky, you don’t get just one movie to collect, but an entire franchise and a series. Of course, it’s always best to start from the beginning.
The Jack in the Box
The movie that introduced a very demonic iteration of the classic toy. When a new employee gets hired on at a local museum and dusts off a vintage jack-in-the-box, people start dying. The movie introduces the mythology behind the evil clown, which might be handy heading into the sequel. The Jack in the Box offers a killer toy in the form of an evil clown, triggering a common phobia for many.
The Jack in the Box: Awakening is now available on VOD, Digital, and DVD via Amazon.