Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Review: Easter Sunday




Every once in a while, a movie comes along that changes the horror genre completely.  This is not one of those movies.  And that ain't bad.  Written and directed by Jeremy Todd Morehead, Easter Sunday is an eggcellent (get ready for egg puns, kids) homage to the slasher films of old, with a twist of goof ball humor and more gore than you can shake a (carrot) stick at!  Thrown in for good measure is a cameo by the first Jason Voorhees (Ari Lehman) and a co-starring role from the late, great Robert Z'Dar, to whom the film is dedicated.

Twenty-four years ago, Douglas Fisher killed his wife and young daughter on Easter Sunday while wearing a homemade bunny mask.  After murdering several others that night, he was gunned down by Sheriff Arkin (Z'Dar).  Now, his son Ryan, the soul survivor of the famed "Bunnyman Murders" and his friends/band mates have resurrected Fisher's spirit, who now possess his son.  If Douglas Fisher can successfully kill all of those responsible for his ressurr-egg-tion (sorry) by Easter midnight, the Bunnyman will become immortal and no one will be safe.  It is up to Jeremiah (Morehead) and Sheriff Arkin to put this wascally wabbit down for good.

The film opens to a great homage to A Nightmare on Elm Street and the references just don't stop.  The Bunnyman story line isn't terribly important, as it seems to be more of a plot device to go from one kill to the next.  And as I said up top, that ain't bad.  Easter Sunday is a gorehound's dream.  Offering something old and something new, the kills feature a unique blend of practical special effects and CG kills, with both kinds showing off plenty of the red stuff.

Bunnyman himself  is full of one liners a la  Freddy Krueger, but he isn't the only one bringing the funny.  Morehead's script is full of great (albeit sometimes corny) jokes, knowing that no one onscreen is taking themselves too seriously.  The original music by Dave Ferguson is a lot of fun too.  I cannot comment on the audio/video quality of the film itself, as I bought the special edition VHS which carries with it a lot of grain and a softness to the dialogue/music.  I can't be sure if it was shot this way, or converted in post specifically for this release, but it took me back to the golden age of renting from the video store.  Complete with trailers before the feature and dynamite box art!

Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment.  No one comes to the slasher genre expecting Citizen Kane.  You know eggactly (last one, I promise) what you're getting just by looking at the trailer.  If you want a fun, gory splatter fest, kill some time with Bunnyman.  This is a ride true fans shouldn't miss!

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