Barney goes dark! EW has an exclusive sneak peek at #Buddy, the newest film in the so-called “mascot horror” genre, which turns cartoon characters or theme park mascots into nightmare fuel (think 'Five Nights at Freddy’s' or 'Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey'). Kids living inside the world of the show “get all their information from this authority figure,” director heycasperkelly tells EW. “And then when they have to start thinking for themselves, they’re not as equipped for that,” he adds. “And I think that’s a good metaphor for a lot of things in life, unreliable authority figures and so forth. So that, I thought, was a deep vein to mine in this genre.” Swipe through to see images from the new show ahead of its panel at San Diego #ComicCon. 📷: Roadside Attractions #sdcc #sdcc2026