Chucky, Killer Riffs, and a Teenage Rebellion: Maple's Pet Dinosaur Unleashes Child's Play
The 16-year-old Australian rocker talks exclusively with More Horror about classic horror movies, '90s alternative metal, her new EP, and why Mike Flanagan tops her dream list of filmmakers.
By Seth Metoyer | More Horror
Chucky apparently has a new soundtrack, and it comes courtesy of a 16-year-old Australian musician with an appetite for heavy guitars, infectious hooks, and old-school horror.
Newcastle's Maple's Pet Dinosaur has unleashed Child's Play, a five-track EP that landed October 30 through Warner Music Australia and In Bloom. The artwork immediately caught my attention with its unmistakable nod to everybody's favorite homicidal doll. The music kept me listening.
I've been spending some time with this EP, and I genuinely dig what Maple and her band are doing. There's a certain swagger running through these songs that brings me back to the wonderfully unpredictable world of '90s alternative metal. I hear flashes of Faith No More's genre-bending weirdness, Helmet's muscular guitar grooves, the funkier side of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, ed Hot Chili Peppers, and even some of Poppy's experimental energy, with occasional vocal vibes reminiscent of Haley Williams from Paramore.
Maple's vocals bring an impressive range to the equation, moving through melodic hooks, attitude-filled delivery, and heavier passages with a confidence that makes the whole thing work. It's heavy, catchy as hell, and refreshingly difficult to shove into one musical category.
And then there's the horror connection.
A Killer Doll, a Ring Camera, and a Meteoric Rise
Maple's story has already attracted considerable attention across the music industry, including coverage from Kerrang!, Rolling Stone Australia, and The Hollywood Reporter Australia. Much of that attention began with a wonderfully simple idea.
In August 2025, Maple released "Lego," accompanied by a homemade music video filmed using a Ring doorbell camera. What began as a creative, virtually no-budget solution exploded across social media, eventually accumulating tens of millions of views.
The viral success helped introduce Maple's Pet Dinosaur to a much larger audience, but Maple had a specific goal from the beginning: she wanted to play music.
That ambition has already taken her to major Australian festivals, including SXSW Sydney and Good Things, where she became the youngest artist ever to perform at the festival. The momentum also led to a global recording agreement with Warner Music Australia and In Bloom.
Her music has attracted attention from some impressive names in heavy music, including Fred Durst, Yungblud, and Ice Nine Kills vocalist Spencer Charnas.
Now, with the release of Child's Play, Maple has a complete body of work that introduces listeners to her musical identity and the imaginative world developing around it.
The EP contains five tracks: "Child's Play," "Big Mouth," "Chorus," "Lego," and "Ice Cream Truck." Each brings its own personality, while the collection maintains a cohesive blend of
heavy grooves, sharp lyricism, and larger-than-life melodies.
The title track draws directly from the imagery and attitude of classic horror cinema, particularly the Child's Play franchise. Meanwhile, "Ice Cream Truck" ventures into another corner of nostalgic pop culture, with visual inspiration from Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The band even constructed a functioning ice cream truck for the project's visual world.
For a horror outlet like More Horror, there's plenty here to sink our teeth into. And as I discovered during our conversation, Maple's interest in filmmaking extends well beyond music videos.
More Horror Exclusive: Five Questions with Maple
I recently caught up with Maple to discuss the new EP, her love of classic horror, the artists influencing her sound, and the horror movie she hopes to make someday.
1. More Horror: First off, I'm really digging the new EP! Child's Play immediately caught my attention with its Chucky-inspired artwork and horror aesthetic. I understand you're a fan of classic horror movies. What draws you to that world, and how do those films influence the atmosphere, visuals, and storytelling behind your music?
Maple: I'm from a generation where everything is instantly accessible, you can listen to or watch anything immediately and if you want something you can have delivered to you the same day. I found myself going down this Instagram algorithm rabbit hole and thinking about how different people's world were in the '80s and '90s, there seemed to be more of a sense of occasion with big movies and stuff like that.
I started watching old movies like Ghostbusters and then my Mum told me I should watch Child's Play- I immediately related to Chucky because he's young and foul mouthed and underestimated haha.
I love that 40 years later these movies are still such a big part of culture that kids are discovering them now.
2. More Horror: One thing I love about your sound is how naturally you combine heavy, groove-driven guitars with ridiculously catchy hooks. I'm hearing shades of Faith No More, Helmet, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and even a little Poppy energy, but you've definitely developed your own identity. What artists have influenced you most, and how do you and the band approach bringing those different sounds together?
Maple: I actually listen to CDs more than I listen to streaming just cos I love that tactile vibe of reading the booklets and learning about all the contributors to the awesome records from the '90s.
I take influence from all those bands for sure, Poppy is awesome and I love seeing all these rad female artists in the heavy space- it's def inspiring.
From my perspective, I think musically I operate in a space where the riffs and grooves are less modern and djent-y, it's more kinda '90s alt/funk metal vibes and I try to fuse that with modern lyricism and big melodies and harmonies. I don't consider what I do to be in the metalcore scene at all like a lot of artists in the heavy space but I think it can sit alongside the genre in a complimentary way.
My vision for the band is like a combo of FNM, Primus, Melvins, Incubus, Beastie Boys, System of a Down, Bungle (to name a few) but with a young female perspective from the modern era.
3. More Horror: "Ice Cream Truck" is a killer way to close the EP, and congratulations on landing it on Spotify's All New Metal playlist! There's a lot of attitude packed into these songs, but there's also a playful side to everything. What inspired "Ice Cream Truck," and how does that song fit into the bigger story you're telling with Child's Play?
Maple: It was crazy that Spotify added it to All New Metal and All New Rock, I am so excited for that!
Ice Cream Truck was really a line I came up with when I saw girls around me chasing boys as if they were chasing an Ice Cream Truck.
The whole energy around the EP is not being a submissive little girl and challenging the world and the ways men want girls to be. Ice Cream Truck is about taking control of the wheel.
The video is going to be pretty epic too. Can't wait for people to share it.
4. More Horror: Your music has a great cinematic quality, and the visual side of Maple's Pet Dinosaur seems just as important as the songs themselves. If you could create an original horror movie or soundtrack inspired by your music, what kind of story would you want to tell? And since we're More Horror, who would be your dream horror filmmaker to collaborate with?
Maple: I would absolutely love to make a movie one day, I already have an idea for it but I don't wanna share it cos I reckon it's good and might get stolen haha. I've teased a bit of narrative stuff with the vids so a more long form version would be cool.
I'd love for Spencer to be involved in any way he wanted to be and my dream Director is Mike Flanagan- the new Carrie series is FIRE!!!
The soundtrack for my movie would absolutely slap too.
5. More Horror: Things have moved pretty quickly for you, from that viral "Lego" video to releasing Child's Play, signing with Warner Music Australia/In Bloom, and performing at major festivals. You've also got some exciting Australian shows ahead. What has surprised you most about this whole experience, and what can fans expect from Maple's Pet Dinosaur next?
Maple: Dude it's been so insane, I can't really believe it TBH. I made the Ring cam video so people might share it so I could get a few gigs locally- I didn't expect that it would lead to some of the biggest festivals in the country and signing a deal with Warner and In Bloom is a dream.
Next up, the international stuff begins- stay tuned!!
More Than Just Child's Play
There's something particularly interesting about hearing a young artist talk about discovering the culture of decades before she was born. Maple describes a world where CDs, liner notes, old movies, and the anticipation surrounding a major release carried a sense of occasion. Those are experiences that many of us who grew up during those years remember well.
Her appreciation for that era comes through in the music, too. She's drawing from bands that helped redefine heavy alternative music, taking their experimental spirit and filtering it through the perspective of a teenager navigating the modern world.
As a lifelong music enthusiast and someone who's spent years working in the industry, including running my own label, Broken Curfew Records (there's my shameless plug), I hear influences coming from all sorts of directions in Maple's Pet Dinosaur. Fans of Code Orange, System of a Down, and even Limp Bizkit should absolutely give this band a listen if they haven't already.
There's a familiar DNA running through these songs, but Maple and company are putting their own stamp on it. And beneath the playful imagery of killer dolls and ice cream trucks, there's a deliberate message.
Maple's songs address the expectations placed on young women, the pressure to conform, and the experience of being underestimated. It's easy to hear the aggression and enjoy the hooks. Spending some time with the lyrics reveals a young artist who has plenty to say.
I also love that she already has ambitions beyond music. Her enthusiasm for Mike Flanagan makes perfect sense, considering his remarkable ability to weave deeply human, character-driven stories into genuinely unsettling horror. And I have to agree with her about Carrie. That series is absolute FIRE. I enjoyed it far more than I expected to, which says something considering how familiar I am with the source material and its previous adaptations.
And the idea of Spencer Charnas becoming involved in one of her future cinematic projects is an intriguing prospect, especially considering how successfully Ice Nine Kills has merged theatrical horror imagery with heavy music.
For now, Maple seems perfectly content keeping her movie concept under wraps. Fair enough. Some ideas deserve a little time in the shadows.
As for Child's Play, it's a strong debut that should appeal to listeners who appreciate groove-heavy alternative metal with big melodies, an unpredictable streak, and a healthy dose of horror nostalgia.
With Australian performances ahead, including a February 2027 national tour supporting Waterparks, and international ambitions beginning to take shape, Maple's Pet Dinosaur has plenty of opportunities to bring this music to a wider audience.
At More Horror, we'll certainly be keeping an eye on what she does next. Especially if that mysterious horror movie ever becomes a reality.
In the meantime, crank up Child's Play. Chucky would probably approve.
Listen to Maple's Pet Dinosaur: Child's Play
Released October 30, 2026, via Warner Music Australia / In Bloom.
Follow Maple's Pet Dinosaur on Instagram: @maplespetdinosaur.
Follow Seth Metoyer and More Horror on Instagram: @sethmetoyer | @morehorror
