Cherrypicker

From the frozen north comes a comedy/horror so "horrible" that it sat on the shelf for two years and was given a name change. Hi-concept films (young children misinterpret love-making as a threat to their mother -- and seek retaliation) barely work for the SNL crowd, so this one was pushing the envelope even before filming started. Colin Mochrie, once considered one of Canada's best improv artists, seems lost here, as does most of the picture-perfect, airbrushed, cast. If you keep in mind that many Canadian projects enjoy government subsidies, the true source of the horror will become that much clearer.

Explores childish potential for extreme violence. The four leads are actual sisters and very cute and quite spoopy. Takes place at a nice lake so there's plenty of fun swimming fun. Including the other girl, Mattia, who in the male lead's words has become "jailbait". Its not great, some scenes drag or don't go anywhere. Needed more scenes with the little girl leads, maybe something to differentiate any of them besides "she's the younger one". The effects look fine for what there is of them.

I docked it points because there is a long shot on a pack of cigarettes clearly inserted just to promote smoking. Didn't give it a 1 because they aren't shown to be used.

Ankle Biters (or Cherrypicker) is a story about four little girls who set out on a quest to destroy their mother's love life and harm their future stepdad, Sean (Zion Forest Lee). And they do succeed in a spectacular fashion.

It starts as a spoiled child comedy and feels kinda innocent. The girls just put spider eggs in Sean's ear and put a pin in an apple he's supposed to eat. But then, well, everything goes sideways. There's gore and there's death.

I was not impressed by acting - except for the four little girls who were just great. The actresses are real-life sisters Dahlia Reed, Violet Reed, Lily Reed and Rosalie Reed, and they keep their real names in this movie. So, not much in terms of acting, and some poor dialogs. But camera work is good, and blood specal effects really deliver.

It's nuts, and it's fun.

Children mistake parents sex for a violent attack on their mother and seek revenge. It would work in the 1990's with much changed direction, however in an age where 90% of porn is advertised to be violent, what this movie does is condone it, mix sex scenes with children playing, and make the children ultra violent as if it's funny. The man is then victimised like a cartoon character who only makes mistakes.

What the movie needs to do is highlight the problem by turning (once normal people) violent in the bedroom, including sick grinning, then show the effect on children outside the room and follow them as the new heros. The police can then sit them down and do word association tests about what family means, and what enemies mean...

Four adorably blonde haired, blue eyed little girls mistake their widowed mother's rough sex play with her retired hockey player lover for a criminal assault by the latter, and accordingly determine to kill him.

A Lolita-ish baby sitter annoys them too.

The filmmakers were probably inspired by 1956's "The Bad Seed," which - unlike "Ankle Biters" - was primarily a serious psychological drama. It also had much more distinguished acting performances than this relatively frivolous exercise.

Nevertheless the frivolity is highly entertaining even though the final twist is not merely dark but jet black. But after all, it is a horror movie, albeit mostly a funny one.