Full disclosure: I was not expecting to be pleased with this film. With a name like Killer Pinata, you start to imagine all the lackluster absurdities that will unfold. There were absurdities, but they were not lackluster. Killer Pinata is a low budget film that knows what it is (and what it is not) and took a completely bonkers idea and ran with it… and what resulted is a wild supernatural slasher.

Killer Pinata follows Lindsey (Eliza-Jane Morris) as she forsakes her family’s annual Wisconsin Dells trip for a house party instead. She and her friends quickly discover the pinata that was present at her brother’s birthday is much more than pieces of tissue paper, cardboard, and glue. It is in fact an angry pinata factory worker, murdered by his coworkers, and set out to avenge not only his human death but the deaths of all his candy-filled paper puppet pals.

It’s now time for horror archetype roll call: Virgin? Here. Slut? Here. Eager (ex)boyfriend/nice guy? Here. The hunky friend set up with the virgin’s slutty friend (who is also the token minority)? Here. Wacky outsider not paired with anyone but somehow still ends up coming to an event that is (very clearly) going to end romantically for everyone else? Here. Killer Pinata is riddled with essential horror archetypes and this plays to the film’s strengths. In my mind, it’s comedy first and horror second. It’s unlikely anyone will be riddled with fear at any point during this film, so it makes more sense that the film lean into its absurdity, and including as many expected/standard horror elements as possible make it feel parodic rather than a film that is trying to be something it’s not.

Speaking of absurdity, there is PLENTY to be had in Killer Pinata. Elements that would be absolutely out of place in a serious film, Killer Pinata capitalizes on. Right away we see the mysterious shopkeeper is wielding a mean-looking hook for a hand (and boy does she put that thing to use!). The pinata has a multitudinous array of murder methods. He’s got a mean bite, he can possess his victims, and (my favorite method) he can defecate deadly candy on command. One murder committed by this sweets dispensing serial killer is particularly shocking, unexpected, and quite frankly so absurd that the only thing to do is laugh. I won’t give it away–you’ll know it when you see it. 

For being a low budget indie film, Killer Pinata has killer cinematography. The camera shots from the pinata’s POV were brilliant and added so much to the film. The way the pinata was framed and the small movements captured were simple but gave the pinata so much life and emotion (never thought I’d say that about a pinata). There is a cornucopia of different shot types used in Killer Pinata and they all enhance and ensure this fun film idea didn’t fall flat. 

I should mention Killer Pinata came out in 2015 and I watched the 2020 Director’s Cut. This new cut has a slightly shorter run time, revised coloring, new sound mixing, and new action-packed pacing. I haven’t seen the original but I feel comfortable saying this version edited to include more action surely made it more engaging. Even with the new editing some scenes dragged on became stale at which time would lose interest and become anxious to move on to the next sequence of events. But when the action was happening, I simply could not look away. So give Killer Pinata a whack–you’ll be glad you did. 

6 out of 10