Jacob Chase's horror movie Come Play is based on a 2017 short, so how do the two productions compare? Both tales include a villain named Larry, and incorporate modern technology. However, there are significant differences in the casting and central premise. After being delayed by COVID-19, Come Play received an October 2020 release date.
Come Play stars Gillian Jacobs (Community, Love) and John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane, Westworld) as Sarah and Marty, respectively. The couple are the parents of a mute autistic boy named Oliver (Azhy Robertson), who doesn't have any friends at school and frustrates/intrigues fellow students because he's allowed to use his phone in class. At home, Oliver entertains himself with a large tablet, and discovers that something may be lurking in the shadows within his home — maybe even within his screens. Sarah and Marty naturally believe that Oliver conjured up his own personal nemesis, but they eventually come to realize that "Larry" is a real monster who uses technology against his targets, hoping to cross over into another world. Come Play co-stars Winslow Fegley, Jayden Marine, and Gavin MacIver-Wright.
Chase's 2017 short film Larry inspired the concept for Come Play. In both narratives, lonely individuals read about the monster's story before actually seeing him. Larry is presumably from a different world, and doesn't have any friends because of his tall, pale, and thin appearance. In both Larry and Come Play, the monster has long limbs, and can be seen by humans. Whereas the Come Play trailer doesn't provide a close-up reveal, the five-minute short film does include an unnerving yet gnarly visual of the friend-seeking Larry trying to bust loose from a tablet. For the feature film adaptation, expect Chase to keep the basic monster look while adding some visual effects for horror fanatics.
Come Play uses the primary setting of Larry and builds upon the storyline while switching protagonists. In the short, Joe Colarco (American Horror Story season 6) portrays Joe, a bored parking lot attendant who reads about Larry's story on a tablet. When the final customers leave and Joe is left all alone, the Larry experience becomes more intense, and builds to the monster reveal. In the feature, Gallagher Jr. similarly portrays a parking lot attendant yet the primary protagonist is his son, Oliver. Both productions involve adult males correlating big screens with monsters; a relatable metaphor for anyone who frequently watches televisions and movies.
With Come Play, Chase expands the scope of Larry's narrative through the inclusion of Jacobs' Sarah and a phone subplot. The irony for the adaptation is that Oliver gains self-confidence and attention (and thus friends) through his cell phone use; his bigger and better screen becomes something to feared. Based on the Come Play trailer and teaser clips, Chase will thematically link the young protagonist's paranoia to his father, which leaves Jacobs' character as the narrative wildcard, as Sarah doesn't exist in the original short film, though there is technically an unnamed couple portrayed by Rachel Grate and Aaron Cota.
As for traditional horror gore, there is none to be found in Larry. In fact, the big character reveal shows the monster with a big grin on his face, suggesting that maybe he does just want a friend. For Come Play, though, expect Larry to get a little nasty while pursuing friendships with humans, which allows for some timely subtext in terms of social media and phone etiquette.