Play House: Creepy VHS Children's Show Brings Analog Horror to Life

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Play House movie poster

Play House is the new horror film from Nicolas Curcio, which had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2026, after Curcio won the festival's inaugural Fantastic Pitches grant in 2025 to make the movie - it is a micro-budget horror film with an 85-minute runtime, and there is now an official clip showing off some of the bizarre children's programming hidden inside the story.

A Children's Show Nobody Remembers

Play House follows Elliot, a young man renovating a dilapidated house in an attempt to win back his ex. While working on the property, he discovers VHS tapes containing episodes of an unaired children's television show.

At first, it looks like a strange piece of forgotten kids' entertainment, but the more Elliot investigates, the more disturbing the show becomes, where its dark history starts creeping into his own life, putting his attempt at reconciliation in considerably more danger than he probably expected.

The film was produced by Curcio, Kirby Gladstein, Ben Gojer, Derek Tramont and Jack Forbes, with Divide/Conquer, Chroma and Skinny Ghost listed among the production companies.

Will Harrison plays Elliot, with Jessica Sula, Jordan Gonzalez and James Urbaniak also starring - Urbaniak plays Mr. Morton, the human host of the mysterious children's programme, and the cast also includes Nina Millin, Oliver Axl Hicks, Kevin Keppy and Koda Zephyr.

Curcio directed the movie and co-wrote it with Kirby Gladstein, who also serves as a producer..

Early Reactions to Play House

The first reviews from Fantastic Fest have started appearing, and the reaction so far has been positive - Bloody Disgusting described the movie as an effective lost-media chiller and praised the way Curcio handles the fake children's programme, particularly the strange combination of unsettling puppets and humor.

Rotten Tomatoes currently lists two critic reviews, including a 3/5 review from Bloody Disgusting and a positive review from Mama's Geeky, which is obviously a tiny sample at this stage, so it is far too early to treat the current score as representative of the wider response.

Play House premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2026, and there is currently no wider theatrical, streaming or digital release date announced, but I am sure it won't be too long.


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