There are a surprising amount of Easter horror movies. Unsurprisingly, most lean towards comedy horror. Easter Bloody Easter certainly seems to have its tongue firmly planted in cheek. Jeanie (played by director Diane Foster) is distraught over her missing husband. To make matters worse a killer jackalope is threatening her town. Are the two connected? Why has the creature targeted Halburg? Will Easterpalooza still go on?
It is important to level expectations when going into low budget indie horror. Even when the accents are off (what part of Texas is this?) and the premise is seen a little too often (an old curse/legend). With a title like Easter Bloody Easter and the idea of cute furry animals that happen to be bloodthirsty creatures of the night, the film promises to be entertaining crap at the very least.
The comedic intent is apparent, but Easter Bloody Easter never fully commits. That is a strange thing to say when there are killer bunny rabbits with red eyes wreaking havoc, but it is hard not to feel that something is off. It is not that the film is not as funny as it wants to be – that happens all the time in comedy. It is more like it is never really trying all that hard.
This is seen most in the tone. It never feels like it is full-on comedy horror. With its two pronged mystery and inconsistent pacing, Easter Bloody Easter is more like a ridiculous scary movie that happens to have some comedic elements. It should have been like the later A Nightmare on Elm Street movies that lean into the camp aspects but it is more like the earlier installments that are more horror-centric. And since the more serious parts also feel underbaked, the movie is a hodgepodge of scenes that are tied together by a thin plot, but little else.
It is more confusing than anything else. The movie clearly does not want to be taken seriously, but there are times where it lacks the over top nature that this type of movie really needs. It is only in the climax that Easter Bloody Easter actually feels like the movie it always should have been. It is a wild battle complete with blood, beheadings, and a funny running joke about someone being trapped in a hole. Regrettably, it is too little, too late.
Easter Bloody Easter is available on VOD and streaming
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