Back when he was still a kid, Teddy (Cooper Devlin) got a teddy bear from his mom (Felissa Rose), the teddy that became his one and only friend. In teenage years he (now played by Degan Marvick) saw his dad (Trent Haaga) cheating on his mom, and later killed his dad when dad stabbed his mom. Years later again, Teddy (now played by Jason Wallace) worked at a scarehouse as a wolf actor, and killed a customer, the very woman his dad cheated on his mom with. He was thrown into an asylum for this, but then the asylum burned down, killing all inmates - all but Teddy, who managed to get away ... or at least so the urban legend goes, and the part that's actually certified is that in the scarehouse, a wolf actor indeed killed a woman, and the scarehouse has shut down as a consequence - until now, when Danny (Topher Hansson) and Zoe (Kamarra Cole) buy the place from realtor Jan (Lisa Wilcox), as they always wanted to run a scarehouse. And soon enough they've collected an eclectic group of scare actors who help them build up the place and create their own characters. And it seems everybody's bonding really well and looking forward to opening night - though the relationship between Danny and Zoe is a little tested when Danny decides to incorporate the urban legend about Teddy into the scarehouse's theme without conferring with Zoe first, but still the lines outside are long, and this promises to become a successful night. But of course, there's also one unexpected guest, Teddy (Michael Shields), who even brings his own wolf mask, and who enters the scarehouse picking up where he has left off - killing ...

Now on a pure story level, Teddy Told Me To doesn't exactly re-invent the wheel - it's basically a slasher that mostly goes through the motions when it comes to story beats ... but that doesn't mean it can't be also lots of fun, because it really is: The script is witty and has humour and horror in all the right places and changes between the two pretty effortlessly without becoming just gross-out or moronic at any time, the scarehouse backdrop was a spirited idea that adds lots of colour to the proceedings, the whole thing's well-paced and dynamically directed, and while the effects by director Tom Devlin's own company are properly gruesome, the film is always more than just a showcase for them. And a relatable cast that keeps things grounded only help making this a very enjoyable genre ride.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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