Bunnyman (film)
Independent slasher film about a rabbit-costumed killer.
Bunnyman, released in the United Kingdom as The Bunnyman Massacre, is a 2011 American independent slasher film. Carl Lindbergh handled writing, directing, and producing duties. Two sequels followed: Bunnyman 2 in 2014 and Bunnyman Vengeance, which arrived on video on demand October 20, 2017, with a Blu-ray and DVD release on November 21 of that year.
The story begins with 8 mm footage of a handcuffed woman being stabbed to death, presented as a snuff film. Six friends—Rachel, John, Tiffany, Mike, Jennifer, and Jack—are driving through a remote area when a truck driven by a silent man in a rabbit costume starts harassing them. He forces them to stop and parks behind their car. After an unspecified time, he drives off and kills a captive woman by ripping her apart with chains attached to his truck. The Bunnyman later returns, causing the group’s car to crash, and kills Jack by ramming the vehicle while Jack works underneath it. The remaining five travel on foot, meeting a deranged hillbilly, a woman named Melissa, and a man who directs them to a supposedly abandoned cabin, promising to return after a hospital visit. In truth, the pair are disposing of bodies from the Bunnyman’s killings. En route, Mike and Jennifer see the Bunnyman butchering corpses, and he kills Jennifer with a chainsaw. At the cabin—which belongs to the Bunnyman—Mike is also killed with a chainsaw, and Tiffany is captured and tortured to death by the Bunnyman and his hunchbacked accomplice, Pops. After the Bunnyman hacks Tiffany’s body apart and eats her flesh with Pops and Melissa, the last two survivors, Rachel and John, are caught trying to steal Melissa’s car keys. John frees himself, kills Melissa, and takes her keys and car. As they flee, the Bunnyman chases in his truck. They pull over, and John offers an unmoving Rachel to the Bunnyman. The Bunnyman places her in his truck cab, where she stabs him in the neck with scissors, kicks him out, and drives away with John. Rachel says, “We’re going to need a lot of therapy,” while the wounded Bunnyman walks off into the sunset. The credits roll over more 8 mm footage showing what appears to be the young Bunnyman and his family.
Critical reception was largely negative. Vegan Voorhees gave a score of one out of five, calling the film “idiotic” and noting that despite Lindbergh’s competent camera work and production polish, “everything that
- release_year
- 2011
- country
- United States
- director
- Carl Lindbergh
- genre
- Slasher film
- also_known_as
- The Bunnyman Massacre (United Kingdom)
Lore & Background
The film opens with 8 mm footage of a handcuffed woman being stabbed to death. It then follows six friends—Rachel, John, Tiffany, Mike, Jennifer and Jack—who are driving through a desolate area and are harassed by a truck driven by a man in a rabbit costume. The Bunnyman forces them to pull over, later drives away and kills a captive woman by ripping her in half with chains attached to his truck. He returns and causes the group's car to crash, killing Jack. The remaining five travel on foot, encountering a deranged hillbilly, a woman named Melissa, and a man who directs them to an abandoned cabin that actually belongs to the Bunnyman. The group is killed one by one, with only Rachel and John surviving after stabbing the Bunnyman with scissors and driving away. The film ends with the wounded Bunnyman walking off into the sunset, followed by more 8 mm footage of what appears to be the young Bunnyman and his family.
Reader's Guide
Bunnyman is notable as the first entry in a trilogy that includes Bunnyman 2 (2014) and Bunnyman Vengeance (released October 20, 2017 on VOD and November 21 on Blu-ray and DVD). The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with critics citing atrocious acting, zero character development, no tension, poor pacing, continuity errors, and audio problems. Vegan Voorhees gave it one out of five, calling it 'idiotic.' 28 Days Later Analysis gave a 'generous' three out of ten, calling it an 'incompetent and frustrating mess.' Gorepress stated it was 'literally the worst film I've seen in years.' However, some reviewers found merit: Andy Breslow called the Grindhouse Edition 'a fun little romp into exploitation territory,' and Bethany Rose of Influx magazine said Lindbergh 'actually creates a new villain to entertain audiences.' Horror News Network noted the film is 'better for what it wants to be and the imagery it leaves behind with its title character' but called it 'another forgettable entry into low budget independent horror.'
Did You Know?
- The film is also known as The Bunnyman Massacre in the United Kingdom.
- The film spawned two sequels: Bunnyman 2 (2014) and Bunnyman Vengeance (2017).
- The Bunnyman kills a captive woman by ripping her in half with chains attached to his truck.
- The film's credits roll alongside 8 mm footage depicting what appears to be the young Bunnyman and his family.
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