KILLER UNDER THE BED (TV movie) 2018 6.5 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:30

  Voodoo Baby Doll is Heading Under a Bed Near You...

KILLER UNDER THE BED (TV movie) 2018 6.5 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:30

IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY (and it's hilarious!)

BASIC PLOT: 

Kilee Yeager (Brec Bassinger) has been having a hard couple of years. Her dad, who was the only parent who was really interested in her, died in a car accident. Now, her mother, Sarah (Kristy Swanson) has moved her to a new school, just so her sister Chrissy (Madison Lawlor) can join a lacrosse team. She's bullied at home, she's bullied at school, and her mother is, at best, indifferent to her. But things are turning around for Kilee. She's just "found" a new friend, hanging around her storage shed. His name is Voodoo Baby Doll, and he just might be the answer to all Kilee's problems. He's supposed to work like a voodoo doll, you pin a personal item of your intended victim, to the doll. So far, it's working great, but will Voodoo Baby Doll continue doing Kilee's bidding? Or is trouble just around the corner?

WHAT WORKS: 

*FAMILY DYSFUNCTION WRITTEN WELL I'm always so glad to see when writers like, Bryan Dick and Ken Sanders, take the time to portray family issues well. This family has many problems, brought forward, by the father's passing. Kilee (Brec Bassinger) is what's called the Identified Patient, or IP. She acts out, to direct attention to the family's dysfunction. When Kilee says to the devil doll, "you're finally something I can count on," you know you've got some real family problems. The mother does favor her sister, (her father probably favored her), and now the Dad is gone, and she has no one in her corner. Parents should never play favorites, or if they do, they shouldn't allow their children to know it. It has long term consequences on self-esteem, self loathing, and overall feelings of worth, in the child who is not as valued. It's a real world scenario, written and acted well by the all participants.

*THIS IS A COMEDY TAKE ON "DEVIL'S DIARY" If you like this, you'll probably like the made-for-tv movie, "Devil's Diary"  (2007). It's basically the same story, only "Devil's Diary"  (2007) is much more violent, and not funny.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: 

*DR. RYDER AND DR. YEAGER FIGHT OVER DENTAL AMALGAMS Dr. Yeager (Kristy Swanson) says to Dr. Ryder (Kristin Carey), "You're ordering amalgams?" Just seconds before, we heard Dr. Ryder says she was ordering amalgam removal (removing metal fillings, for white resin composites). It's a confusing exchange, especially if you don't know what a dental amalgam is. (Side note: I was born in '73, and I have NO METAL in my mouth. Also, composites ARE covered by insurance, mine always were. This is kind of a moot point these days, they should have made the issue 'unnecessary crowns', or something like that.)

*KILEE WOULD HAVE BELTED HER SISTER BY NOW The horror genre always makes "the victims," terrible people. This is a plot device, so you don't care when they get filleted. But, it becomes hard to watch, as KILEE continues to take abuse from her sister, and mother. I know this is a melodrama (good vs evil stereotyping), but C'MON, she'd be putting Nair in her sister's shampoo bottle, or something, by now.

*WHY DOES CHRISSY CARE IF SHE HAS THE DOLL? As a plot device, this is stupid. Chrissy (Madison Lawlor) doesn't care about her sister, Kilee (Brec Bassinger). So, why would she care about her having the doll? I know this is a plot device, included so Kilee will realize the doll's power is real, but she already realizes this. So, why does Chrissy care? It doesn't make any sense.

*WHY DOESN'T KILEE RECORD TINA THREATENING HER? I'm so sick of writers using this as a plot device, in the age of cell phones. Tina says to Kilee, "No matter what I do to you, it will always be my word, against yours." NO IT WON'T! BECAUSE I HAVE A CELL PHONE THAT RECORDS B*TCH! C'mon Bryan Dick and Ken Sanders, everybody has a cell phone! Even Voodoo Baby Doll knows that!

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: 

*If you like low budget, comedy horror, you'll definitely like this. It's a silly black comedy, reminiscent of old Full Moon Features. If you like that kind of movie, you'll this. If you like low budget, revenge flicks, you might like this. If you're looking for real horror, look elsewhere.

CLOSING NOTES: 

*THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in ANY way by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews, and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.