Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true, and in some cases, there may be an abundance of spiciness underneath that visage of sugar-sweetness. Ankle Biters (also known as Cherrypicker), takes this to the extreme with an outrageous, darkly comedic look at four young girls’ intense disapproval of their Mom’s new boyfriend.

Directed by Bennet De Brabandere, it stars Marianthi Evans as Laura, a widowed mother of four precocious young girls, who has recently begun dating bad boy hockey player Sean (Zion Forrest Lee). The movie makes several points very clear: everyone in Sean’s life thinks he’s crazy for dating a woman with so many kids, all four girls are immediately not fans of his, and Sean and Laura are into some kinky stuff. While all of these may not seem completely related, when you throw them into the pot that makes up the storyline of Ankle Biters, you get one really messed up dish. 

The first act establishes the dynamic between not only Sean and Laura’s relationship, but also the developing one being pushed by Laura for Sean to fit into her and the girls’ lives. At first, the girls simply seem skeptical, which is understandable given the fact that they are pointedly still grieving the loss of their Father. In order to further bond with them, Sean invites Laura and her girls to spend a weekend with him at his swanky lake house. 

Once there, we get a glimpse into Sean’s life and the people in it, and along with flashbacks from a violent fight with another player during a hockey game, we start to get a sense for who he really is. For his part, Sean really does seem to be making a solid effort, even if he ultimately is trying too hard. Between a few cringe-worthy Dad jokes, hyperactive attempts to be playfully funny, and awkward endeavours at parenting, he doesn’t do himself any favors to get in the good graces of the four sisters. At this point, it feels like your standard jealous-ridden disdain for the “new guy” in the picture often seen in these types of situations. But these aren’t your typical little girls.

Curious by nature, the girls (who are played by real-life sisters Lily, Violet, Rosalee, and Dahlia Reid) insert themselves into every aspect of their Mom’s relationship with Sean, which ultimately leads them to unintentionally witnessing her in an act of passion with him. Believing that he’s hurting her, their hatred for him is suddenly and irrevocably amped up. And that’s when things get….dark. 

Hellbent on enacting their revenge, the girls scheme to make Sean miserable by setting up a series of “pranks” which get increasingly more alarming and disturbing. After Laura and Sean decide to get away for the night and leave the girls under the care of the teenaged daughter of one of Sean’s friends, a horrific event sets in motion an insane unraveling for all involved.

Ankle Biters is one of those films that gets increasingly crazier and more heinous as it moves along, all the way up until the final frame. It doesn’t just lean into creating shock value, it kicks down the door of convention to take the audience on a demented, startling ride. This is a movie where you almost feel guilty for enjoying it, but it somehow manages to work. 

Part of this is the startling juxtaposition between the angelic appearance of the girls, and the monstrous behavior they’re capable of. They’re not completely aware of the consequences of their actions, but also execute them with zero concern and exhibit no remorse once things start to go awry. They’re also experts at playing the innocent card towards the distracted and unobservant Laura.

Despite his obvious flaws and creepy tendencies, Sean isn’t completely a bad guy, and most certainly doesn’t deserve the barrage of atrocities that are inflicted upon him. The combination of these creates conflicting emotions on who to have sympathy for, and often results in a flip-flopping of who to root for.

Ankle Biters isn’t a movie for the faint of heart. It unapologetically goes places you’re certain it won’t just for the sake of unnerving and appalling the viewer, yet does so in a way that doesn’t go so dark that it can’t be enjoyed. It expertly toes the line between these points that is often difficult for movies to get right, leaving you with the same “let’s do that again” thrill and fear felt after going on a roller coaster ride. You’ll be laughing, cringing, and gasping, and not necessarily understanding why. 

8 out of 10