Saturday, May 22, 2010
Michael Allen
Crappy World Productions have produced indie thrillers like Someone is Knocking on the Door, The Ghouls, Unspeakable and now Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!. Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! was completed in 2008 and did not find a distributor right away, but recently the film was released by Vicious Circle Films on DVD June 1st (Amazon). This is director Chad Ferrin's fifth feature and some strangeness appears early on in the show in the form of plastic wrap. Easter Bunny stays primarily within one set and while the film has been lambasted by other reviewers (Horroryearbook) the film has some charm while falling off in the third act.
Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!, put succinctly, involves a fractured family with mom performing double-duty as a night nurse and caregiver to a mentally retarded child who also suffers from cerebral palsy (MRCP). Enter Timothy Muskatell as Remington who plays a low-life degenerate. Remington is a bank robber, coke-fiend, and part time child abuser whose comeuppance comes to much delight in the finale. Into this twisted family strides a serial killer dressed as a human sized rabbit who likes to use the drill for unnecessary cranioscopies, ouch!
On the subject of the third act, Easter Bunny seems to fall apart slightly as each character who is introduced is more vile than the last. The film review site Geeks of Doom labels the characters: “shocking, disgusting, and...gross" (Geeks). This statement is correct and one of the few likeable characters Mindy, the mom (Charlotte Marie), gets too little screen time. However let us go in reverse and move from the third act to the first.
The film begins with a bang and Ferrin successfully uses an action-oriented hook to draw viewers in, but he does not explain a house completely covered in plastic with his writing. Film news site Shakefire says of the set design: "[the] house [is] covered in plastic - WTF" (Shake). The surreality of seeing a house covered in plastic is only outdone by the characters seeming ignorance of the fact as they bump into the material throughout the film.
Yet, actors Muskatell and Marie show some charm and the acting for the central characters is above average. Ricardo Gray as the retarded son, Nicholas, displays an excellent jerk and twist to one of the film's musical numbers and this character delivers some of the best, but cold-hearted laughs. Nicholas looking like he is self-flagellating (masturbating) himself under a blanket is one of the better gags. Simply put, Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! is fun through the first two thirds, but drops off where the climax is supposed to be due to the repulsive characters which include two prostitutes, a thieving gardener, a child molester, and others.
Overall, Easter Bunny Kill! Kill! is just recommendable if a viewer goes in with low expectations. This being Ferrin's fifth feature there are still some bumps in the ride, but hopefully these will be flattened out for the next.
Acting/believability/consistency: 6.5 (Muskatell is turning into a pro', other minor characters mediocre).
Editing/continuity/transitions: 6 (no flaws here, some interesting transitions, not exceptional though).
Setting/realistic/surrealistic: 5 (no plastic wrap for the next one, protect the sets a different way).
Overall: 5.75 out of 10 (change sets, more lighting in the finale).
A review of the film at Geeks of Doom (positive):
EBKK at Geeks of Doom
At Horroryearbook (D+):
EBKK at Horroryearbook
At Shakefire (D):
EBKK at Shakefire
Purchasable:
Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! on Facebook:
EBKK on FB
Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! homepage:
EBKK Official Website
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Posted in: 2010,acting,cast,crew,ghost story,horror,independent,indie,movie review,movie synopsis,thriller,writing
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