The creator of Too Many Cooks is back with the trippiest horror movie of the summer
Casper Kelly, the acclaimed creator of Adult Swim cult classics “Too Many Cooks” and “The Adult Swim Yule Log,” is making his feature film debut this summer with “Buddy,” a trippy horror movie centered on a Barney-esque television mascot.
The project taps into nostalgia for the early 1990s, when Barney the purple dinosaur became a cultural phenomenon—and simultaneously a target of ironic hatred from older children. The infamous parody theme song “I hate you, you hate me / Let’s get together and kill Barney” provides dark comedic foundation for Kelly’s film, which explores the disturbing potential of beloved children’s entertainment.
Kelly has built a reputation for blending surrealism, horror, and sharp cultural commentary through his previous Adult Swim projects. “Too Many Cooks” gained cult recognition for its experimental approach to television format and mixture of absurdist humor with genuine scares, while “The Adult Swim Yule Log” continued his exploration of unconventional content. “Buddy” appears to extend Kelly’s signature style to the feature film format, centered on a TV mascot character voiced by an actor (unnamed in the preview), embodying the nostalgic-yet-unsettling aesthetic that defined his previous work.
The film’s summer 2026 release positions it as counterprogramming to typical blockbuster fare, targeting audiences seeking horror cinema that blends cultural commentary with genuine scares. Given Kelly’s track record of creating compelling, strange content that resonates with viewers seeking something beyond mainstream entertainment, “Buddy” is positioned to attract a dedicated fanbase interested in unconventional takes on horror.