Mr. Buttons
 Scraps  rates it:    Community rates it: (no ratings yet)
   196 of 396 readers found this review helpful.

I’m not ashamed to admit that a lot of life’s lessons I’ve learned from movies. The Carnal Morgue releases from Steel Web have taught me a few since I started watching their stuff. “Slaughter Disc” taught me that there really is a bad side to adult movies. “Mail Order Bride” reinforced the dangers of shopping online. And their upcoming release “Mr. Buttons” taught me that dating goth chicks can be hazardous to your health.

Let’s face it, somewhere deep inside you, you’re attracted to those dark, brooding goth girls. All that jet black hair, heavy mascara and silver jewelry really gets you going. That’s all well and good, but when they practice black arts, and you’re a dirtbag, bad things can happen. Bad things like Mr. Buttons.

One cool thing I’ve learned to appreciate about Steel Web releases is how they’re able to always surprise me. Their cautionary tales seem like one thing on the surface, but turn into something completely different once you dig in. So popping in “Mr. Buttons”, I assumed I was getting some gross-out story about a killer puppet. Nothing wrong with that. I’ve been terrified of killer dolls since Karen Black’s “Trilogy of Terror”. What I got instead was a smart, slick tale that’s more Saki than Chucky.

Pretty Crystal gets screwed over by scumbag Mr. Ridgecrest, who apparently forgot to mention he was married with kids at some point in his relationship with said hot goth chick. What an ass! Not taking being dissed lying down, Crystal exacts her revenge in the form of a clown doll infused with goth grrl powers.

Again, I was expecting Mr. Buttons to go on a blind rampage, killing everyone in sight (note, in retrospect, how can you kill everyone in sight on a blind rampage, wouldn’t that be no one?) – but no – he’s more cunning than that. In a classic “Monkey’s Paw” move, Mr. Buttons grants wishes for Ridgecrest’s daughter Kelly, no matter the repercussions.

Crystal’s revenge takes place over the course of many decades, and the final hurrah was simply brilliant. I don’t want to blow the ending, but dammit, it was a fun twist!

The production value was top notch, visually the short was a joy to look at, and sounded good to boot. My only beef was that some of the editing within scenes was a bit abrupt, but if you have to dig that deep to find something to bitch about, you’ve got a winner.

And yes, because I know you’ll ask, Andromeda Strange does show up…briefly. It won’t be enough for you, but at least it’s something.

“Mr. Buttons” will be released as part of the “Tales from the Carnal Morgue volume 1” and may very well be my favorite piece from Steel Web to date. It’s a great story that could easily be one of the better episodes of “The Twilight Zone”. It’s a strong 4 ½ cans out of 5, and a fun story that I’d recommend to all my twisted friends.

Added:  Sunday, April 08, 2007

Related Link:  Official site
Language: eng[ Did you find this review helpful?  Yes  No ]
[ Back to reviews index ]

Want to comment on this review?
Register here for a free user account, and you'll be able to.