B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Battington’s Harmony & Horror series into the ol’ VCR. 

Okay friends, I have a brutal one for you today. I mean it, this one is a real doozy. However, it’s so masterfully done that I have to talk about it. I’m going to include some CW/TWs below, but there’s no way I can fully encompass all of the warnings needed for this series, so please don’t watch any of the videos if you’re the least bit apprehensive. 

CW/TW: child ab*s*, animal ab*s*, flashing lights, loud noises/sudden loud noises, jump scares, disturbing subject matter involving children, and gore. Viewer discretion is HEAVILY advised for this one. 

I was/am a big fan of Battington’s FNAF tapes, but I’m a little late to the ball game on his Harmony & Horror series. However, Loey Lane recently started the series in one of their streams, and I had to finish it. 

And friends, I had to take a break. As in, the girl who has fallen asleep watching the likes of The Exorcist (I love The Exorcist, but I sincerely put it on as background noise to fall asleep one night) had to TAKE a break in the middle of this series and come back to it later. That’s how effective this series is. 

A candid photo of me sleeping.

Harmony & Horror tells the story of Martin Greywhinder and his hellish quest to create the perfect toy…at any cost. If you’re a horror veteran, and you read my CW/TWs, you can already see where this is going. Buckle up. 

Martin Greywhinder, along with his brother Arthur, run a toy company called M&A Harmony Toys that seems to have innocent roots? She said, apprehensively. Somewhere along the way, Martin made some sort of bet with, checks notes, THE DEVIL, wherein Martin vowed he could create the perfect toy (eat your heart out, The Charlie Daniels Band). Here’s where it starts to get dicey. 

If I used dating apps, I’d probably swipe right on this person.

As his obsession consumes him, Martin’s family becomes a nuisance, down to the family dog and first victim, Banzo. Banzo is initially obedient to Martin, but the pooch ultimately betrays his maker. More on this later. 

Throughout the tapes, we come to learn that Martin has…. 

SPOILER ALERT. 

The next few lines will reveal the entire storyline of the series, so use this handy link to skip down past the spoilers. 

Last warning. 

…trapped all three of his children into toys, including his infant daughter. Martin orders Banzo to kill baby Ava. We, as the audience, are given the option to kill or not kill, but it’s revealed in season two that canonically, Banzo chooses not to kill Ava, leading to his own demise. I cried in THE_PERFECT_PET when Banzo (seemingly?) dies. I kid you not. Let’s get back to our other characters. 

He looks like a deranged Doodle Bear, and I honestly love him.

Martin’s other two children, Thomas and Macy, are trapped in Henry the Puppet Doll and Sofia the Singing Marionette. It’s absolutely horrific, and I’m not 100% sure on how the mechanics work. Tbh, I don’t really want to think about it. But, at least for now, Thomas and Macy seem to remain trapped. Unfortunately, Ava was spared by Banzo but trapped by Martin in a baby marionette that wears a mask to hide its face, which casually looks like several baby doll faces stitched together. 

It’s giving Sid from Toy Story in the worst way. 

Okay, but why were Sid’s brows on point though?

Now, if you’re thinking the story couldn’t possibly get any worse, there’s more. 

Martin also trapped his brother, Arthur, in a giant, ice cream mascot costume making him the Ice Cream Man. Believe me, I know how stupid that sounds, but this thing is HORRIFYING. Arthur’s entrapment also leads me to one of my favorite videos in the entire series so far, Go0dbye_My_L0ved_0ne5, wherein Arthur momentarily regains control of his body and records his final* thoughts. 

*We’ll come back to this. 

We’re initially led to believe he’s regaining control from Arthur, but it seems the devil has come to collect on his and Martin’s deal by using Arthur to kill Martin (it’s like Cain and Abel, but at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzaria). We’re not certain of Martin’s fate, as we only see Arthur rush towards him, so I don’t quite think we’ve seen the last of Martin Greywhinder. 

School picture day, but your soul is trapped inside a wooden doll.

Martin also manages to kill his and Arthur’s intern, his wife, Gloria, and several other children along the way. We find out a bit more about Martin’s other victims in Are_Y0u_HappY?. I’m not 100% sure if the special we see is the same special that is later mentioned in _Rebirth_, but Detective Stewart, the officer investigating Martin, mentions a “hacked broadcast” in this video that we can assume caused the deaths mentioned. 

We aren’t sure if the other children are also trapped in toys, but intern Amy Willson is presumed to be trapped in a Henry the Puppet Doll like Thomas. Amy met a particularly gruesome end, and if you didn’t think Martin was an unhinged psychopath before, you will when you discover how Amy was murdered. 

Gloria’s fate is particularly depressing. She was spared from being trapped in a toy, but after being murdered by Martin, she tries to save him throughout the entire series. You’ll notice a grotesque ghostie with an elongated face lurking in the background of several videos (it reminds me of The Nun from The Mandela Catalogue). In Ple4se_C0me_B4ck_T0_M3, it’s revealed this unwanted visitor is Gloria’s spirit, and she tearfully pleads with Martin to end his rampage. Sadly, Martin destroys the tape, either killing or permanently trapping Gloria in the tape and/or television.

Rory Culkin, is that you?

So yeah. This is all just season one. 

At the time of this writing, season two stands at three hefty videos: 

• H4PPY_N3W_FRIEND5!
• THE_PERFECT_PET 
• THE_MIRACLE_CHILD 

While there’s more Harmony & Horror to come, Battington has left us with some wild revelations to stew on. First and foremost, Arthur is ALIVE (see? I told you to put a pin in this). I’ll say things are a bit sus for me though because Arthur claims his face was mutilated in the Ice Cream Man costume, so he wears a plastic mask in public. Additionally, Arthur seemed to have brown eyes, but during his speech in THE_MIRACLE_CHILD, there’s a closeup of “Arthur’s” face wherein he has brown eyes while stating during his speech that he looks in the mirror but doesn’t recognize his own face. But, we also saw Arthur charging Martin, so there’s a possibility this isn’t Arthur but rather Martin. Only time, and Battington, will tell on this one. 

Secondly, Macy is still trapped in Sofia, and it’s clear she’s out for revenge (a Taylor Swift and Sofia collab would be iconic). She’s spotted on security footage entering a storage unit, and God only knows what lies inside. 

Thirdly, Amy may or may not still be alive inside of a Henry doll. I’m not totally sure if she was the Henry doll killed early on in season one, but we do get confirmation of her vessel through a handwritten note. 

Last, but certainly not least, we find out that Thomas is actually Arthur’s biological child, not Martin’s. It seems this news might have contributed to Martin’s full breakdown, as it results in Martin killing Gloria and the children. The tea is piping hot this season, y’all. 🍵

Do you have games on your phone?

I, for one, can’t wait to see where the story of Harmony & Horror goes next. I have so many questions regarding Martin’s deal with the devil, the children, and who’s survived the fallout. My only suggestion is to cut all the jump scares, my dude! I know it’s your trademark, but your narrative is strong enough to survive without them. 

Other than that, I think this series is really strong; we’re not spoon fed information, but you’re still able to follow along. I think we’re in for one hell of a story, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. I’d also love to give a shoutout to whoever runs the Harmony & Horror Wiki because you’re doing a bang up job. 

All that’s left is to turn off the lights, grab some popcorn, and hit play. And hope Martin Greywhinder doesn’t want to play with you next.