#173 -- Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! (2006)

Director: Chad Ferrin
Rating: 3.5 / 5

Most people would be turned off by a title like that, turn around, ignore it and forget they ever saw it. But me? I see something like that, and my first--and only--thought is "I have to see it." Something that seems so completely ridiculous is strangely intriguing. It could be utter shit, yes. But it could also be total brilliance. Don't judge a book by its cover. Or, don't judge a movie by its title. In this case, it really wasn't either shit or brilliance. But it wasn't bad. It was about a woman named Mindy and her very "special" son Nicholas. Mindy had a new boyfriend, who happened to be a murderer and a thief, and Nicholas didn't like Remington too much. Rem seemed like he could have been a nice father figure for Nicholas, since his real father had been dead for nearly ten years. He seemed accepting and kind, and Mindy was very excited to finally meet a man like him. She worked as a nurse, and had to work a double shift on Nicholas' favorite holiday, Easter. She trusted Remington to take care of her son while she was away at work (since she'd just fired her nanny and her handy man for being assholes). But as soon as Mindy left the house, Remington's true colors were revealed. Where he initially seemed to be an okay guy, he was actually a hateful and abusive man. Any time Nicholas did or said something that didn't please him, he threatened to kill his new pet bunny (Nicholas got the bunny as a gift from a creepy homeless man, played by Trent Haaga). What's even worse than that is Remington didn't plan to stay and watch Nicholas at all. Instead, he called his freaky pedophile friend to come play with him. Pedophile Ray had a box of goodies he couldn't wait to share with Nicholas, and was left alone with him while Rem went off to score some hookers. Fortunately, Ray didn't have time to harm the poor boy, because a killer in a bunny mask showed up to save the day.

Meanwhile, Jorge and Lupe, the handy man and nanny, weren't very happy about losing their jobs, so they decided to break into the house and steal some things. Along with a friend of theirs, they stepped into a situation that wasn't all that pleasant for them. When Rem and his two hookers, Brooke and Candy, returned to the house, they found the situation less than ideal as well. The masked killer was more than a little vicious with them, and some pretty great kills followed. One of the hookers actually had a broom handle shoved down her throat. But the kills weren't the most disturbing parts of this movie. Remington and Ray bothered me more than anything. I was so scared--so worried--about what they were going to do to poor Nicholas. I was glad when they were taken out. So in this case, the killer is actually the good guy. He saved Nicholas from some trauma that he probably wouldn't have been able to deal with.

So, don't let this title fool you. It might not be the best movie ever made--and trust me, it isn't--but it really is pretty good. The acting was okay, and everything looked pretty good for a low budget movie. The dialogue was kind of silly, but I am more than capable of looking past that. This one actually had an effect on me, though. I was pissed that someone could treat a special child the way Remington and Ray treated Nicholas. Of course, I know things like that actually happen. But seeing it on screen was more than a little disturbing for me. The kills were nice and vicious, which I like, of course. The surprise ending wasn't extremely surprising, and it actually ended on a very good note. It was a very lovey-dovey happy ending to such a brutal bloodbath.