In comparison with the vast majority of junk Troma Studios released over the years, "Beware: Children at Play" is actually very endurable and do I daresay it even occasionally imaginative and entertaining junk! Personally I always had a weakness for films revolving on murderous children, so maybe I was a bit more tolerant and open-minded in this case, but you'll also quickly notice that this film is less awful than the usual outings of Lloyd Kaufman's Studio. The subject matter is as ridiculous, over-the-top and offensive as usual, but at least the finished product feels a lot less amateurish. The plot opens with a young boy standing guard over his daddy as he's lying trapped in a bear claw and slowly dying in agony. When he eventually passes away, the bewildered boy rips open his stomach and eats the organs with a devilish smile on his face. Cut to ten years later, with a family of three arriving in the same forestry area and learning that 12 children already went missing and their number increases every two months. Then the children show themselves again, but the parents won't have the chance to embrace them anymore as they've formed an eerie cult of savage and flesh-eating monsters with as their sole mission to annihilate all adults. The concept admittedly sounds totally crazy, but I can't emphasize enough that this is a superior Troma script, even dragging in poetic sub plots and literature references. There also still is loads of splatter and repulsive make-up art to behold, so even the die-hard fans of the lousy Troma stuff won't have to feel entirely disappointed (though it's hard to imagine there are people who feel disappointed upon seeing a film that is actually better than initially anticipated). The acting performances of the whole cast the children included are not very good, but definitely Oscar-worthy compared to
well
usual Troma standards. Heck, there even are some admirable attempts to build up suspense and a sinister atmosphere at times, so I feel almost tempted to label "Beware: Children at Play" as a good film! Granted, you'd have to be quite sick in the head to enjoy a story like this and particularly to sit through the outrageously demented climax but that's just an extra recommendation to all you raving bloodthirsty movie-maniacs. You know who you are!
Review of Beware: Children at Play
