The Bunnyman Massacre - Texas Chainsaw Bunnies

The Bunnyman Massacre
2014
D: Carl Lindbergh
W: Carl Lindbergh

S: David Scott, Julianne Dowler &Jennifer June Ross 
Unrated - 90 Minutes
Midnight Releasing

Taglines:
None


Alternate Titles:
The Bunnyman Ressurection - UK
Bunnyman 2 - Working Title







"How many times I gotta tell you that bunnies don't eat meat?"
                                                                                                   -Joe

From Midnight Releasing, who gave us such flicks as Infinite Santa 8000, Hayride and Vs. The Dead comes The Bunnyman Massacre.   This little slasher flick (released this past April) is said to be based on a true story.  The story in question is of course the Bunnyman of Virginia which has been something of an urban legend for the past 35 years or so.  To be honest, this really has about as much to do with that as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre actually had to do with Ed Gein.  There's a dude in a bunny suit and that's about  where the similarities end.

So far so good.  Blood & Boobs

The aftermath of an homage to a kill in Friday the 13th Part VII (The Sleeping Bag Kill)

Speaking of Texas Chainsaw, Bunnyman seems to borrow liberally from TCM on quite a few fronts. What we got here is a fella named Joe who makes beef jerky out of the victims that Bunnyman kills and then sells it to unsuspecting tourists and passerby.  This certainly isn't the first time that TCM has been riffed on, but this time the filmmakers really kind of wear their inspiration on their sleeves.

One of the major problems that I had with the film is the character of Joe.  He's a completely unlikable dick with no character, no personality and nothing for the audience to even remotely identify with.  Bunnyman is essentially filling Leatherface's roll as a mute with a chainsaw.  So it would stand to reason that Joe would be the equivalent to one of the Sawyer clan....The Cook or Chop Top maybe.  Instead we get a one dimensional redneck asshole who just glares at people and spits like a....well....redneck asshole!  The same problem applies to all the victims.  None of them are likable...which normally is fine because let's be honest...you're going to be rooting for the killers anyway.  What you're left with is a whole bunch of girls that you couldn't care less about and a killer you can't get behind, which makes you more or less just an uninterested bystander.

Oh.  Great.  It's Joe.

No TCM ripoff is complete without a dinner scene.

Having said that, I thought Bunnyman was pretty cool.  There is a certain absurdity to a full grown man wearing a bunny costume and wielding a chainsaw.  We do get a glimpse underneath the Bunny head as well and discover that this dude looks like a low budget, fucked up version of The Engineers in Prometheus!

All in all, I can't say that there is a whole lot to recommend unless you're a slasher fan.  On a slightly annoying note, almost the entire film takes place during the day (save for a scene in the beginning which takes place at night, but is shot during the day with a blue filter).  There's a little bit of nudity in the beginning, but to be honest it's pointless and gratuitous.  Not that there's anything wrong with pointless and gratuitous nudity, mind you.  If you feel that you need to see this film, I would recommend waiting until it plays cable on Chiller again.

More fun than a barrel full of monkeys!

Victims numbers 5, 6 & 7 (or something like that...I don't even think they had names)

Gore:
I will say that there are a few decent kills in the flick.  The aforementioned school bus full of children was quite surprising.  There is also a particularly nasty kill where a girl is placed into a plastic barrel.  Sharp screws are drilled into the sides of the barrel all around and she's then kicked down a particularly bumpy hill.  Ooph, what a way to go!

T&A:
Yessir, we've got your obligatory boobs right up front in the beginning for ya!

Creatures Featured:
Bunnyman is a fucked up looking dude wearing a bunny costume that wields a chainsaw.  Joe is a redneck asshole with a rifle.  That 'bout sums up the bad guys!

What the fuck!?

Bunnyman walks off into the sunset.

Final Thoughts:
I would say that I hated the film, but I can also tell ya that I more than likely won't be watching it again.  As I mentioned before, the characters were all completely unlikable and the killer was even MORE so.  It's hard to get into a movie when you wish that a meteor would just fall on the whole lot of them.  Still, if you're in the mood for some mindless slasher action...there are worse films that you could watch.

Final Rating:
One Pizza Roll