Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!

Judging from its title alone, Easter Bunny, Kill!, Kill! would appear to be little more than a parody of seasonally themed slasher flicks. Miraculously, perhaps, Chad Ferrin's film is the rare gore-fest that can actually stand on its own merits as a prime cut of blood-drenched grind-house horror. Nicholas is a 16-year-old boy with the mental capacity of a 6-year-old. More than anything else, he believes that the Easter Bunny not only is real, but someday will rescue him from a life of poverty and abuse by the men in his mother's life.

Her latest boyfriend is a sadistic grease ball, who, when mom's back is turned, torments the harmless child. If that weren't enough, in return for cocaine he'll use to lure hookers to his home, the jerk allows a truly perverted friend to "party" with the boy. Just describing that scenario makes my skin crawl. Never fear, though. Before the creep can get his grimy hands on Nicholas, the boy's Guardian Bunny arrives to save him from harm. That much could have been expected, I think. What follows is less predictable than one might expect.

Although most people wouldn't be able to get past the title credits, fans of the genre should find something besides the gory killings to admire. We're not talking Psycho or The Shining here, though. Easter Bunny was made on a budget estimated to be in the neighborhood of $95,000 and it looks it. As for the marketing budget, I'm pretty sure the title on the DVD cover will sell itself. – Gary Dretzka

Following in the tradition of the slasher genre, Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! uses a beloved holiday as the backdrop for a madman's murderous rampage. However, instead of stalking babysitters or sorority sisters, this film tells a much more interesting and sinister tale.

Mindy, a single mother of a sixteen year old mentally challenged son, Nicholas, struggles with the responsibilities involved in raising a special needs child. She often works double shifts at her nursing job and relies on the wife of her handyman for childcare. So when Rem, a smooth talking and by all appearances, a genuinely nice, caring guy comes into her life, she instantly begins to have feelings for him. However, Nicholas is immediately suspicious and takes an instant disliking to Rem, and for very good reason. Turns out Rem is really a cruel, low-life drug addict with ulterior motives. He is cruel to Nicholas when Mindy is not around, calling him degrading names and threatening to kill her new pet rabbit if Nicholas tells. When called into work a double shift on Easter day, Mindy, with really no other option, allows Rem to care for Nicholas. Rem immediately calls his pedophile friend and sells Nicholas to him for the evening while Rem goes out in search of hookers and drugs. When the pedophile arrives to have his way with Nicholas, it doesn't take long for a psychopath wearing an Easter Bunny mask to show up and begin wreaking havoc with various electrical tools. When Rem finally shows back up to the home with his hookers, the stage is set for a bloody showdown.

Though far from perfect, Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! is an ambitious entry into the holiday themed horror genre. The tone of the film is its most effective asset, at while some may find it a tad too cruel at times, it will, without a doubt, stir at least some emotion in even the most hardened horror fans. Apart from the inclusion of such sensitive subjects as the treatment of people with disabilities and pedophilia, the film possesses a grittiness and atmosphere that is unsettling at times. Despite the simple and confined setting of a small, suburban house, the director is able to create some serious tense and suspenseful scenes, mostly involving the various victims making their way through the hallways of the home, which are covered in plastic on both sides because of renovations. The use of the plastic is hugely effective as the viewer at times knows the homicidal rabbit is lurking its prey from somewhere behind it. The deaths are fairly brutal and bloody as heads are drilled, circular saws are wielded, and hammers and brought down. Though the deaths are nasty, they are never over the top, and since most of the victims are vile human beings, these is slight sense of justice. The actors, for the most part, are highly committed to their roles. Timothy Muskatell is truly outstanding as Rem and viewers will be truly disgusting by him.

Still, though the film is highly effective, some will be quick to point out its flaws. The low budget does, at times, show. Some of the scenes, particularly ones involving Nicholas talking to his pet rabbit, come off as extremely cheesy and cringe-worthy. Since the first real kill by the maniacal rabbit doesn't come until at least the halfway point, some may be turned off by pacing, subject matter, and questionable depiction of a mentally challenged teen. Additionally, some scenes are unnecessary and late attempts at humor fall flat and don't complement the overall tone of the film. Though I am sure some figured out the identity of the killer, I was actually pleasantly surprised, though the last few minutes of the film were rather unbelievable and a tad to tidy and storybook.

Overall, Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! is highly effective, low-budget tribute to exploitative grindhouse films of the 70's and slasher films of the 80's. There are some truly creepy, atmospheric, and disturbing scenes, and though the film is a cheesy in parts and seem to loose focus a few times, it is a welcomed and highly recommended entry into the holiday themed horror catalog.

Fright Meter Grade: B

Chad Ferrin shocked me with Unspeakable, blew me away with The Ghouls, and rocks the house with Easter Bunny Kill Kill. Muskatell impresses yet again, this time playing one twisted puppy named Remington, a criminal lowlife who sweet talks his way into the home of Mindy, a nurse with a special needs son. After a shocking opening and initial introduction of the main characters it doesn't take long for the fun stuff (the murders) to begin.

What is interesting to note about this picture is the disturbing performance by David Stamp as Ray, a pedophile who has a thing for special needs children. Creepy is the word that best describes his performance.

Ferrin continues to impress and I can't wait to see what he has for us in the future.

Remington, a murderous grifter cons his way into a mother's heart, putting on a fatherly facade to her cherished son, Nicholas.

But the second she leaves for work, a torrent of abuse rains upon the gentle boy.

Remington heads out for some hookers and invites his dilettante-child molester-drug-dealer buddy over to abuse Nicholas.

In the meantime, the only comfort the boy gets is in confiding with his new pet bunny.

Debauchery is at hand but Nicholas is nowhere to be found but someone wearing the mask of the beloved holiday hopper shows up ready to deliver a blood-splattered night of unspeakable carnage.

It's an OK movie directed like 70s slasher films.

BUT these's a BIG problem with this movie! It's filmed SO DARK, you can barely see the killer scenes. I mean dark beyond belief. I don't know if that was intentional or just shoddy filmmaking, but it really takes points away from the film.

Always looking out for independents I came across this flick at a horror convention. Already heard that it wasn't your average horror I tried it out. I didn't regret it but I can understand that some will tear it down. It is really a slow starter, before things really go wrong it takes 45 minutes into the film. The first 45 minutes it's all about getting to know the new formed family and the wrong things about the stepfather. But luckily there are some misleads in the plot. Just when you think that the stepfather is the bad guy, with naked chicks and licking drugs from their titties, yes there's nudity, you will see something different happening and from that point on, it's gore galore. Of course, it's a low budget so they had to hide that with the effects used, so they chose to put the electricity down in the house and let the victims use flashlights. By doing that, the effects really look gory. The blood flows frequently. All actors are believable but I can understand that the retarded one is for some hard to swallow. I'm used to see old exploitations but here it was a bit waiting before the action starts but the use of some shots from the eye point of the mask really worked (remember Halloween). Glad that I have seen the unrated version, guess it was the first Easter flick I watched.