Though I thoroughly enjoyed director Chad Ferrin’s “Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!” I have to say that its primary downfall is that it takes much too long to build up to anything violent or horrific. A good forty minutes in to the movie I understood the build-up but could never understand why it took so long to extrapolate on the cruelty of the supporting characters. In spite of those flaws though “Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!” is a great little horror karma tale you’ll enjoy if you’re willing to invest enough time in the story and over the top performances.
Very much in the vein of the classic “Tales from the Crypt” comic books Ferrin’s tale is about a young mentally disabled boy getting a chance for payback toward his tormentors. Nicholas is an inept mentally disabled boy whose life is changed when his mother begins dating an abusive low life named Remington. After scenes of mental and physical abuse, Nicholas’s pleas for some form of justice are answered when a mysterious figure appears in a Bunny mask wreaking havoc on the psychos making his life miserable. Did Nicholas’ dead father return from the grave? Did the bum that confronted Nicholas for good deeds come back to help him out? Or did Nicholas’ mysterious pet bunny manifest in to a protective guardian of a sorts?
When we manage to overcome the inherent camp and exploitative nature, “Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!” is a genuinely weird and morbid independent slasher flick with some gross out moments. It’s a legitimately entertaining revenge picture that doesn’t take any shame to providing some disgusting and grueling deaths to its antagonists. Ferrin is never ashamed to go as offensive as possible making Nicholas somewhat of a stereotypical mentally disabled young man, while his bad influences are a cliché Mexican couple, along with an obese child molester most intent on stealing Nicholas’ innocence. The sweet aspect of this film is that the people who get their just deserts, really do deserve it and they don’t go quietly. Once the Easter Bunny sets his sights on them, he uses an array of power tools on their orifices and limbs and is never afraid to shed a little blood and even pulls out a few nails or so.
The ultimate reveal is about as surprising as you’d expect and Ferrin gets pretty creative when we learn about the reason for the masked figure’s motives. Sadly the film is bogged down by yet another reveal that is so cheesy and ridiculous I just never really bought it and felt like Ferrin was anxious to pad the film by adding this little plot point that made zero sense in the end. While very flawed, “Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!” is a demented slasher gem and genre fodder I’d definitely recommend if only to revel in the brutality that ensues when the Easter bunny comes hopping at the door. Ultimately it’s trash but it’s trash I can get behind. Because while director Ferrin does add little touches of camp and low budget nuances, “Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!” is an admirable B grade slasher revenge film worthy of cult status.