Really Surprised!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This is my first review. I felt it necessary to warn people of just how f***ing god awful this piece of trash is! I watched it cuz of the positive reviews, guess we were watching different flicks... I love horror movies and enjoy British entertainment but this was sooo far from the realm of achieving any entertainment value whatsoever!!! This felt like a horrible film student flick with no sense of keeping a story together at all. The camera work was good as others have mentioned, but i don't care how clean it looks if the story makes less than no sense. Save yourself 80 mins and keep looking...TRUST ME

From the very beginning the film has you in its morbid and twisted grip. A story of myth and legends set against the solitude of the Norfolk countryside, it has all the hallmarks of a very modern British horror. This film snaps along at a cracking pace never giving you a moment to gather yourself together. Elliot Jordan, who plays Brian Usher, has real screen presence that you simply cannot take your eyes away from him, and you'd be advise not too as his character descends into what proves to be a fatal spiral of madness and carnage for all concerned. Brian's sister Berenice and is played by Claudine Spiteri, she brings a real sense of glamour to the rather stark and bleak surroundings. More importantly for me Claudine has something 'other worldly about her', she positively resonates on the screen. But for me the show is stolen just ever so slightly by the vampish Madeline Usher, their mother and played by Suzanne Bertish with consummate skill and with such reality I would find it hard to say where the smouldering, drinking mother ends and Suzanne begins – she simply inhabits the role and makes it her own.The Direction is assured and the editing never once allows the pace to wander. Considering this was shot digitally it has nothing other than a film feel. THe colours are lush and vibrant. The snow tinged exteriors are wonderful.Watch out for the dinner party scene, it's brilliant. Here we have Berenice's timid boyfriend Conrad played perfectly by Craig Henderson. it is a typical family meal of bickering but it feels like a car crash happening with poor Conrad becoming the object of Madeline's desire. As the drink flows and Madeline's blouse plunges you feel nothing but pity for the shy Conrad, to the extent that you will want to cover your eyes with discomfort, the tension here is palpable. Family gatherings, we've all been there!I would certainly recommend this film you certainly won't be disappointed.

Often, the mark of a good film is that you're still thinking about it for days afterwards...The Toybox has, more than anything else, a strong visual identity. Credit to both the director and DOP for creating such a sickly visceral quality, especially throughout the third act, that delivers on the unsettling quirks and occasional jump-starts in the first two. There's no doubt that this movie has style and energy to spare, and yet as the visuals come together stylistically, the narrative slowly becomes more and more disparate that it unravels into several unexplored and unresolved avenues. It's a rare situation, but the film suffers from a surplus of good ideas, with the script juggling too many plot strands and is ultimately unable to catch hold of them all come the climax.However, for a while at least, the intrigue of the back-story, and the marriage of ancient folklore and modern-day sensibilities holds the attention. Unfortunately, the post-production ADR hasn't been kind to the performances, and some of the clunkier dialogue sometimes grates and strains to convince. In fact, it's most often the case that the more senior members of the cast manage to hold the script together and create some memorably uncomfortable scenes (Conrad at the family dinner is a stand-out for cliché-fish-out-of-water fun).There are more themes here that would arguably be more interesting and effective to follow through on if explored fully - and some pretty dark elements at that. Obviously, there's the witchcraft element, but beneath that lies a suggestion of an incestuous desire, which goes on to manifest itself in jealousy and rage. Elsewhere, the relationship between the Grandfather and his Grandchildren, and the shameful secrets they share, offers another interesting angle. Whilst the implications of these sub-plots open up several avenues ripe for exploration, they get lost amongst muddied stories of folklore, murder and possession (story-strands that also get lost and confused).In essence, there are several other (and better) films trying to get out, which unfortunately have to compete and jostle for attention amongst the numerous other story lines involved in the film overall. Some of the more hokey elements aren't successful either, although sometimes, the visual quirks land a sucker-punch that the audience won't be expecting. But whilst the script sometimes lack coherence, the visuals smack of certainty, assurance, and a general comprehension of how to provide the requisite shocks and scares.Regardless of the script's shortcomings, the brutal and primal climax is cranked up for all the visceral and visual carnage it's worth. There are some beautifully scenic moments, which make the most of the snow-laden fields and stark environment. Yet somehow the director successfully creates the impression of a brooding claustrophobic malevolence in contrast with the landscape shots which result in some genuinely disturbing and affecting moments.As a calling card to the British film industry, the film makers have a lot of talent to offer, even if the source material sometimes lets down the assured camera-work and flair. For every miss (teddy's glowing red eyes, clowns in the toilet) there's a hit (literally and brutally, but to describe it would give to much away!) Give these boys a budget and source material to match their obvious talent and there's a definite treat in store. And although the plot is largely forgettable, the film has such a strong identity that it will linger in the memory long after the final credits have scrolled...

This is a very original slice of black comedy and horror, with good acting and excellent production standards. But what I was really blown away by was the hand held camera work in the last third of the film. If Toybox had been made by a major studio, the execs would have reigned the film-makers in, but instead they really pushed out the envelope here. I would say it's the best hand held camera work I've seen - since Festen.I am training to be a camera operator myself and it was inspiring to see something so different and exciting. What cameras did they use? I'm dieing to know. Overall a very good film.I would have liked to seen more rats in the finale, and overall more blood. Maybe it was budget limitations, or an artistic decision - the less is more view.But if that was true all great films would only be a few minutes long. Come on guys give us more blood and rats next time. More is more.