The movie you’re looking for is “Come Play,” a supernatural horror film that tells the haunting story of a lonely boy named Oliver who accidentally brings a monster to life through a digital story on his tablet.
Oliver is a young boy who struggles with autism and faces constant bullying at school. His isolation and desperate need for friendship make him vulnerable to something sinister. One night, Oliver discovers an app on his tablet called “Misunderstood Monsters.” The app tells the story of a lonely creature named Larry who, like Oliver, just wants a friend. As Oliver reads this digital tale, strange things begin to happen around him. Lights flicker on and off by themselves, and Oliver starts to realize that something supernatural is occurring.
The monster Larry is not just a character in a story. By reading about Larry and engaging with the app, Oliver has unknowingly opened a doorway between the digital world and reality. Larry begins to manifest through Oliver’s tablet and other smart devices, becoming increasingly real and present in Oliver’s life. The creature is described as a skeletal, ghoul-like being that exists primarily in the digital realm but can interact with the physical world through screens and electronic devices.
As the story progresses, Oliver’s mother Sarah and his father Marty begin to witness the strange occurrences themselves. Sarah organizes a sleepover to help Oliver become more social, inviting the three boys who have been bullying him. During this gathering, one of the boys picks up Oliver’s tablet and reads more of Larry’s story. Immediately, the lights go out and Larry appears, visible only through the tablet’s camera app. The monster attacks one of the boys, terrifying all three bullies and causing them to blame Oliver for what happened.
The situation escalates as Larry’s intentions become clear. The monster does not simply want to haunt Oliver or scare him. Larry wants to take Oliver away to his own realm so that they can be friends forever. This is where the film takes on a darker, more tragic tone. Oliver’s parents realize that Larry is not just a digital nuisance but an actual threat to their son’s life and safety.
Marty, Oliver’s father, finally witnesses Larry in person when he takes Oliver to his night-shift job at a parking lot. He sees the skeletal creature physically picking Oliver up off the ground. This moment convinces Marty that everything Sarah has been telling him is real. The family understands that they must act quickly to prevent Larry from taking Oliver away permanently.
In a desperate attempt to stop the monster, Oliver’s parents break the tablet, hoping to sever the connection between Larry and the real world. However, this action does not fully resolve the situation. Larry manages to capture Oliver anyway, and the boy finds himself face to face with the monster, preparing to take its hand and enter its realm to become its eternal friend.
At this critical moment, Sarah makes a heartbreaking sacrifice. She takes Larry’s hand instead of allowing her son to do so. By doing this, Sarah saves Oliver from being taken to the monster’s world, but she herself is pulled into Larry’s realm. In their final moments together, Oliver looks his mother directly in the eye for the first time since his autism diagnosis. This eye contact, which Sarah has struggled to achieve with her son throughout the film, becomes a bittersweet moment of connection before she disappears with the monster.
The film does not end in complete darkness, however. Some time later, Oliver is living with his father Marty, and they are working together to help Oliver deal with his autism and navigate his therapy. One night, the lights go out again and strange noises are heard downstairs. Marty grabs his tablet and sees something unexpected. Through the camera app, he witnesses Oliver and Sarah’s ghost playing together happily. Sarah’s spirit tells her son “I will protect you,” and Marty smiles, finding some comfort in knowing that Oliver’s mother is still watching over him from beyond.
The film “Come Play” uses the concept of a monster accidentally summoned through a story to explore deeper themes about loneliness, connection, and the lengths parents will go to protect their children. The monster Larry, despite being terrifying, is portrayed as a creature that simply wants companionship, much like Oliver himself. The tragedy of the story lies in the fact that two lonely beings find each other, but their connection comes at a terrible cost. The movie blends supernatural horror with emotional depth, creating a narrative that is both frightening and deeply moving. It shows how a simple act of reading a story on a digital device can have catastrophic consequences, and how the bonds between family members can transcend even death itself.
