When the Jackalope, accompanied by his horde of demonic bunnies, goes on a killing spree over the Easter weekend, a woman must protect her small town. Will luck be on her side to solve the mystery that’s afoot?

Director Diane Foster effectively uses an extremely low budget to her advantage. She manages to effectively create brutal moments in each bunny attack. The level of absurdity the gore reaches can only be described as carnage candy. They’re both hilarious and horrifying. The creature designs for the jackalope and evil bunny minions are simple but effective. I also like the creative use of Easter Eggs but it’s too good to spoil it here. I don’t mind cheesy special effects. I don’t like it when CGI blood is used though. That’s a personal pet peeve. The comedy isn’t so goofy to the point of parody yet the movie never takes itself seriously enough to be legitimately scary. The rapid camera movements and editing give the fil an enormous amount of energy.

Written by Allison Lobel, I especially appreciate how she incorporated Jackalope mythology being an avid reader of folklore. The script has a bouncy pace, hopping between numerous subplots. At times the pacing meanders too much between plotlines. The combination of humour and horror is mishandled. Granted, humour is subjective I just thought it tried to hard to be funny in between the Jackalope/ bunny scenes.

It stars Diane Foster, Allison Lobel, Kelly Grant, Zuri Starks, Zach Kanner, Miles Cooper, Gavin K. Lee, Adam Slemon, and Jamie B Cline. The cast seemed like they were having a great time. Each of the cast member’s enthusiasm is felt through their performances.

Overall, the amount of love put into this passion project is glaringly apparent. Easter Bloody Easter is another holiday horror movie to add to your annual watch list. You can thank Black Christmas (1974) and Halloween (1978) for the numerous horror movies named after the holiday that particularly film is centred around. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad movie. It’s mediocre with fringes of fun. Aside from the unexpected massive body count the film’s not that memorable. A couple days after my screening it was hard to recall the events of the film. It’s not without faults but I thought it was fun. Is it predictable? Indubitably, however, when a movie is this entertaining, all is forgiven. Sometimes it’s about the journey, not the destination. Unlike many horror/ comedies these days, it’s dares to be different because its a feature film about Jackalope folklore. I haven’t seen that before. It touches on themes of community and friendship, which is the heart of the film. It’s reminiscent of Night of the Lepus (1972), Critters (1986), Antlers (2021), and the Piranha movies so I’d recommend this if you like those. And remember, this creature feature might be for you even if you don’t carrot all about Easter anymore this year.

Grade: 6/10