Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Jan 28, 2012 15:29:20 GMT -5
Plot:Bunnyman is the story of a group of friends on their way back from a spontaneous weekend trip to Las Vegas, and while driving through the remote regions of southern California they suddenly find themselves in a sickening game of cat and mouse with a five ton dumptruck and, when looking for help, stumble upon a nightmarish family who takes pleasure in dismembering and eating as many of the kids as possible.
Cast:
Lucia Sullivan
Matthew Stiller
Cheryl Texiera
Rosie Tisch
Alaina Gianci
Matthew Philips
Scott Kuza
Carl Lindbergh
Rebecca Grayce
David Scott
Joshua Lang
Veronica Wylie
Karen Cronin
My Thoughts:Good idea...BAD movie!
Review:"Bunnyman" tells the harrowing (and I use that term loosely), tale...of a group of friends driving through middle america. Who are soon set upon by a backroads nutjob. Now where have we heard this before? In probably just about every indie slasher movie ever made. Including the older ones like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". But this time, the rub is they're on their way "back". From a Las Vegas weekend. So it's a good thing these youngsters have had their share of drinking, gambling, and debauchery before they're mercilessly slaughtered. At any rate, on their way back.
Traveling a dirt-country road. Or as I like to refer to them as. "No-No" roads. They are pursued by a strange truck. A truck which passes them on the road. And then takes offense when they decide to return the favor. Who'd have thunk that a lack of road etiquette could be so fatal these days? So of course this "mysterious person" begins to make these kids lives a living hell. Going so far as to pull over when the kids themselves stupidly pull over to the side of the road. One of the moronic kids even steps out of the car to apologize to the crazy person behind the wheel of the truck.
A real genius move. Especially considering we soon learn that in the back of the wacko's truck, is a bloody, bruised, and terrified young lady. A poor nameless chick who is probably just surprised she's made it so far through act 1. So this encounter leads to a series of later events. As eventually, the driver leaves the kids alone. But then later on, they encounter each other again. To say that these characters are idiots though, would be an understatement. The killer pretty much has an easy time getting these kids right where he wants them. And it's ALL because the kids just are not too bright.
And trust me. This is THE ONLY reason the killer has such an easy time keeping these kids at his mercy. As later on in the movie. We find out why they call him "The Bunnyman". And furthermore, what he "really" looks like. It seemed though that the director/writer went out of his way to make these kids look like total imbeciles. For example. There's a scene where the Bunnyman is wielding a chainsaw and chasing two of the travelers. They come up with a plan to block the door with an old mattress.
It works, and not only does it work, but when the Bunnyman cuts through the mattress with his chainsaw. The two men of the group then rip the mattress backwards. Which ends up entangling the chainsaw in the mattress. And now it's out of the hands of the Bunnyman. But once one of the two men take control of the chainsaw. Do they use it to "cut down". The Bunnyman? NO! They just wave it around to "scare him". Until he backs off, and walks away out of sight! At that point, I hurled my tootsie roll wrapper at the television. How do you not capitalize on a momentus opportunity to crave up this freak?
This by the way, AFTER...The Bunnyman had viciously "chainsawed"...one of the guys' girlfriends 3 minutes earlier! Instead, they allow him to escape. And wouldn't you know it? A few minutes later, he ends up killing one of the few remaining survivors. This film had a good idea for a bloody, gory, and hardcore-twisted slasher indie. But the execution, and the SCRIPT most of all. Were TERRIBLE! I know every indie slasher movie has a stupid teenager or 4. But this film had too many to count! And also, the golden rule of horror films was broken here. The emergence of that "one" character.
Who rises above it all, smartens up, and starts becoming like the people who are after them. As an essential motive for survival. We NEVER got to that part in this movie! Which didn't make sense considering the group of teens were being pursued by a psycho wearing a bunny costume, and carrying a chainsaw. Now when you think about it. They outnumber this creep. Have the element of surprise in their favor, and also less weight! He's carrying a large bunny-head on his face and a medium-sized chainsaw! A good shove will tip the bastard over! Instead, they just run, and flee, and run, and flee some more until he catches them one by one.
And carves them up! SMH. Then there's the reactions in this film by the characters. Most of these characters when faced with death. Or upon being murdered. Seem to be very complacent about it. In one scene, a woman is confronted by the Bunnyman wielding his chainsaw. She doesn't scream or back away quickly. Just kind of raises her hand a bit. And her boyfriend? He kind of just looks on wide-eyed. I mean the writer could've atleast gotten the character reactions for such an intnse moment correctly scripted. But what an epic fail, this was!
I've seen more irate reactions from people waiting at a red light here in NYC than the people in this movie who were constantly under the threat of imminent death! And you can go back to the beginning of the movie where The title character/killer tried to bump the car full of teens off the road. When you combine that with hat occurs later on in the film. It's as if these kids just didn't "get it". That The Bunnyman wanted to "truly" kill them, and that they were in "real" danger. It felt like they thought this was all some sort of bad joke, or prank that would eventually end when The Bunnyman yanked off his rabbit head, and yelled..."GOTCHA!". How naive can people be?
So what, you ask. Could make "Bunnyman" even worse? What could make this movie even worse than characters who don't fear a chainsaw wielding nut in a Bunny outfit? Or worse than the fact that they just didn't seem to care about living at all, in general? Or their lack of teamwork and execution when faced with a terrifying scenario such as this? Well, how about the obvious attempt at being another "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"/"Wrong Turn" rip-off?
The big TWIST? The Bunnyman is tied to a family of backwoods inbred cannibals! 'GASP'! What a shock! Only in reality, there's only about 3 of them. The Bunnyman, some hunchback guy with goggles. And a brunette who doesn't fit the family design or genetics. At all! I think these three were just method actors who got tired of getting bad gigs. And decided a life of living in the country, murdering travelers, and eating their corpses was a better gig. Go figure.
Different Strokes for Different Folks is what they say. So when this film finally concludes, with an ending which oddly resembled "Monsterman" (2005). By the way. Another movie where a crazy inbred family kills people who travel through their "neck of the woods". You're left thinking two things. 1.) The script was shit! and 2.) The idea was killer! With a superior writer. This film could've rode the wave of a serial-killing-cannibal in a Bunny outfit, wielding a chainsaw all the way home.
But when the script is this badly written, the obvious flaws become TOO obvious. And in turn, the house of cars quickly collapses. Blood, gore, and graphic violence litter this movie. But even the most avid fan of brainless slasher films cannot ignore the bad acting. And bad writing which led to such bad acting in this movie.
"Bunnyman" is a lesson in how "not" to write an indie slasher film. No matter how outrageous. An indie horror movie has to atleast make some sense. But when a group of so-called friends make this many key, mental mistakes. And seem to "nonchalantly" and "aloofly", defend themselves against a chainsaw-wielding psycho dressed in a rabbit costume. You really find it hard to sit through. Even if it is just 85 minutes long.
Positives:A good idea for an indie slasher movie overall. Lots of blood and gore here.
Negatives:Blood and gore don't make up for a terrible script where the characters were about as smart as a wet noodle. And didn't seem to care when they were seconds away from being murdered. I can't remember a slasher movie where the girls screamed so little in the face of certain death. Very strange.
Overall:One star out of four.