THE TOYBOX -- DVD Review by Porfle

When I found out that THE TOYBOX (2018) is about a family terrorized by a haunted RV, I thought, "They can't be serious."  Well, they probably aren't--not entirely, anyway.  But they totally play it that way, which is what makes it work so well.

It's a scary-looking old RV to begin with, and when widowed dad Charles (Greg Violand) wrangles his dysfunctional family into a road trip into the desert--to see cave paintings, no less--things just naturally get progressively worse even before the damn thing starts going all supernatural on them.

Weed-puffing slacker Jay (Brian Nagel) hates Dad and resents buttoned-down brother Steve (Jeff Denton), who has wife Jennifer (Denise Richards), cute daughter Olivia (Malika Michelle), and their family dog in tow.

The rickety RV turns into even more of a hotbox when they pick up stranded motorists Samantha (Mischa Barton, THE SIXTH SENSE, DESERTED) and her brother Mark (Matt Mercer).

Then, in a totally non-unexpected turn of events, Dad takes a wrong side road and ends up in the middle of the desert with a dead engine and a bunch of people seriously getting on each other's nerves.

Director and co-scripter Tom Nagel (CLOWNTOWN) has a tight budget and knows how to get the most out of it, building tension fast and keeping it going with barely a let-up.

His direction inside that cramped RV is on the mark, and the script is lean and on point from start to finish.  Performances are just right as well, with Richards and Barton leading an enthusiastic cast.

Family problems, it turns out, are secondary when the ghostly stuff really starts to kick in. At first there are several spooky hints that something's up (things moving by themselves, traces of blood and hair in the sink, weird hallucinations, etc.)

This gradually escalates to an all-out haunting with blood-splattered phantoms popping up here and there and deadly "accidents" striking down random members of the group one by one.

The film has a knack for building an eerie suspense and keeping us off-guard, coming up short only when the secrets behind the ghostly manifestations are depicted in too literal a fashion. Likewise, it's the build-up between the jump scares that's most effective here, rather than the shocks themselves.

The DVD from Skyline Entertainment and Steel House Productions contains a cast and crew commentary and trailer, as well as a 9-minute making-of featurette. English subtitles are optional.

While the idea of a killer RV firing itself up and running over people with their screaming loved ones trapped inside is definitely over-the-top, THE TOYBOX is done in such an earnest manner that I found myself just sitting back and enjoying the ride.

The ToyBox: 95 minutes / USA / Not Rated

Opens in Limited Release September 14th
Nationwide Digital and Blu-ray Release September 18th