Mr. Crocket review
Huluween brings us a goofy, gory seasonal treat by way of a memorable antagonist and a bonkers premise.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Mr. Crocket
Directed by Brandon Espy
Written by Brandon Espy and Carl Reid
Starring Jerrika Hinton, Alex Akpobome, Elvis Nolasco, Lyla Randall, Akim Black, Kristolyn Lloyd, Jabari Striblin and Gina Jarrin
Mr. Crocket Review
Huluween is officially upon us. The seasonal festivities got a bit of an early start with the release of the slow burn horror movie Hold Your Breath…but things are in full swing with the addition of Mr. Crocket. Huluween, of course, isn’t just about original releases. It’s a marketing brand meant to cover the streaming service’s entire catalog of horror related content. Sometimes that arrives in the form of recent theatrical releases making their streaming debut (The First Omen, Immaculate). Sometimes it means classic horror getting some seasonal shine…or Halloween branded television episodes the service wants to make you aware of. It also means original content. Previous Hulu Octobers (whether branded Huluween or not) have brought us good stuff like Little Monsters and Hellraiser. This year, Hold Your Breath, Mr. Crocket and the upcoming Carved.
Hold Your Breath was an underwhelming start. Sarah Paulson delivered to her usual level of greatness…but the chills were few and far between. Mr. Crocket goes in a completely different direction. If slow moving storms and slower descents into madness aren’t your thing this holiday season…how about a deliciously maniacal children’s show host tormenting families from beyond the grave? Yeah…that’s more like it.
Mr. Crocket’s origins are directly connected to Hulu’s October release history. Writer/director Brandon Espy originally crafted it as a short that streamed as part of Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween in 2022. The same path led to Anna Zlokovic adapting Appendage for the streamer last October. Coincidentally, Justin Harding’s upcoming Carved also began as a Hulu short…way back in 2018 before they came up with Bite Size Halloween as a concept. Appendage mostly held up to its transition to full length film. Mr. Crocket does too.
The concept is a bit reminiscent of the Angel season 5 episode Smile Time. Instead of evil puppets…we have a demonic children’s show host. Imagine an evil Mr. Rogers or a satanic Captain Kangaroo. Or just imagine Pee-wee’s Playhouse on acid. Actually, that might just be Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Emanuel Crocket (Elvis Nolasco) is abducting children. He enters their homes through their television sets. Also, he’s been dead since 1979. The story revolves around a mother’s mission to save her missing son from the demonic host. The headline is Elvis Nolasco.
Nolasco’s maniacal performance is among the best of the year. He is having the time of his life with the darkly cheery character. An insane, violent, funny, committed performance by an actor who not only understand the kind of movie he’s in…but is elevating every scene he’s in to the level he’s performing on. I can’t say enough good things about how much more enjoyable Nolasco’s Crocket makes this movie. If anything, he’s too entertaining. Mr. Crocket has something to say about the role of parents and children growing up through trauma…and it’s difficult to focus on that when you Crocket is anywhere near the scene. I’m supposed to root against this guy? He’s had a smile on my face from the opening moments.
Which is why, despite Mr. Crocket’s best efforts to present a meaningful plot…it ends up feeling like more of a one trick pony. That trick is excellent, mind you…it just overshadows anything else the movie wants to do. Crocket is often flanked by demonic puppets and is always accompanied by buckets of blood. The practical gore effects are great. This is a surprisingly gooey movie. The performance and its accoutrements add up to pure, simple fun. You’ll find better movies this Halloween…but you won’t find many that choose fun over all else as often as Mr. Crocket.
Mr. Crocket is a fast-paced movie that tells you exactly what kind of movie it is from its opening scene. The titular character emerges from a VCR to exact bloody vengeance on an abusive stepfather. The movie understands that we aren’t going to fully hate this character. He’s acting in what he considers to be a noble way. He’s also abducting these children and is utterly insane…but nobody’s perfect.
When Crocket isn’t running amok…the movie turns to the old investigative horror routine. A trio of parents investigate the history of Emanuel Crocket and desperately search for their missing children. Plot is, of course, necessary…and this one is fine if mostly by the numbers. Mr. Crocket doesn’t fully stick the landing but, again, its choices are elevated by Nolasco and his demonic children’s show. The truth is, by the time the story comes to a resolution, you just want to see more of Mr. Crocket adventures. There’s no easy way to pay off the family stories in ways that will supersede that desire.
Scare Value
Mr. Crocket doesn’t quite have enough to sustain its feature length runtime…but it does have some uniquely enjoyable moments. Gore, demonic puppets, and one of the best antagonists of the year (led by a fantastic performance) make Mr. Crocket a fun Spooky Season watch. You’re not going to find more than that…but, sometimes, that’s enough.
3/5
Mr. Crocket Link
Streaming on Hulu
