Eddie Loves You
(Screener Copy)
(2007)
review by Catwalk

Parents, children and anyone with a pulse in the Western Hemisphere are probably familiar by now with a certain red, googly-eyed stuffed animal with a high-pitched voice and an annoying laugh.  Without saying a name, let’s just say the “Tickle Me” version of this particular stuffed red whatever has caused tens of thousands of parents grief around the holidays when there simply weren’t enough made to please the demands of wanting children.

Now, those parents can ball that frustration up, concentrate on it, and then let it all go after watching the incredibly comedic 25-minute short, Eddie Loves You.  The short tells the story of a man cleaning out his apartment and throwing away his old teddys, when some strange and sinister force brings Eddie back to his doorstep.  What follows is a tale of stalking terror the likes of which has never been seen before (or just not by this particular stuffed beast).

Eddie Loves You brilliantly mixes and mocks many movies in the slasher and stalker genres, including Halloween, The Exorcist, Basic Instinct, Ringu, Trilogy of Terror and When a Stranger Calls (the superior original that is).  Savvy viewers will pick up signature shots and sounds from several of those films, which is filmmaker Karl Holt’s entire purpose.  Much like Sean of the Dead, viewers who haven’t seen those films are just as likely to enjoy Eddie Loves You.

Holt uses close-ups and odd camera angles to help build tension, yes, tension between the would-be victim and his stuffed attacker.  There is little question of Eddie’s evil nature when viewers see the backyard bonfire of the other teddys.  It’s when Eddie hops up and starts chiding his enemy that things really ramp up.

Both the video and sound post-production is top-notch.  There were no visible wires at any time, and the score is deliciously faithful to the film’s predecessors.  The DVD also includes a trailer for the film which is a stab at sensationalist marketing, using more adjectives than a thesaurus.

The future of Eddie Loves You seems to be a rocky road.  Undoubtedly, the good folks at Sesame Workshop wouldn’t want their prize pony portrayed as a vengeful stalker.  Still, the film has been a huge success on the festival circuit, winning several awards and nominations at ShockerFest, The Chicago Horror Film Festival, Rhode Island Horror Festival and Horrorfest UK and more.

Regardless of format, viewers (even those without an embedded vengeance against the giggling, little, go tickle yourself you red freak) shouldn’t miss an opportunity to check out Darkline Entertainment’s short film.*   At 25 minutes, it’s the perfect amount of exposure and chock full of one-liners.  Fans from both sides of the pond will find themselves laughing out loud at Eddie’s expense.

Official Site:
http://www.darklineonline.co.uk/ely.html

*Disclaimer:  From what I know of the Horrorview faithful, I’d advise strongly against watching this film on weed.  Neither scientists nor Tommy Chong himself could predict the outcome of 25 minutes of sinister stuffed fury mixed with High Times.