Ahhh Easter. That super fun holiday full of brightly coloured, hardboiled eggs, sugar hangovers, and of course, rabbits.
Representing spring and rebirth, the rabbit is a pagan symbol which, lucky for us, merged at some point in history with the Christian traditions of resurrection, allowing modern day humans to celebrate a 4 day weekend stuffing our faces with yummy little chocolate eggs delivered by the E-bunny himself (or herself?).
But you can’t just eat candy the entire time can you? If you’re coming down off that sugar buzz or need a break from the fam jam over the holidays, here’s a list of a few Peter Cottontail related horror flicks to keep you entertained.
1. Donnie Darko (2001)
Arguably the creepiest rabbit on this list, the mind-bending, psychological thriller that is Donnie Darko will make you question reality and the nature of the universe, if you haven’t been doing that already of course. Follow Donnie as he makes friends with Frank, the time-hopping rabbit, and discovers the world is ending soon. The unfortunate timing of the theatrical release of this movie (a month after the 9/11 terror attacks in the U.S.), and the trailer showing a plane crashing, meant that Donnie Darko didn’t see the viewing numbers it deserved. Over the years however, it has developed a massive cult following and remains a favourite of movie-goers worldwide.
2. Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)
Critters is a much-loved horror, sci-fi comedy series about carnivorous little space creatures terrorizing the small American town of Grover’s Bend. Critters 2 takes place during Easter as the town is getting ready for its annual Easter Egg Hunt, making it a perfect place for these mischievous monsters to hide their own eggs and wait for them to hatch. While the story isn’t centered around a rabbit, there is definitely a guy in a rabbit costume that meets an untimely demise which places this flick firmly on the list. Critters 2 has some really great practical special effects, and a totally insane plot making it all the more fun.
3. Holidays (2016)
Holidays is a horror anthology film exploring the darker sides of such celebratory days such as Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. One of the creepiest segments is the Easter story, turning a much loved Easter Bunny into something pretty horrific. Some of the stories are better than others but they’re all very different so you’re bound to find one you like. The holidays will never be the same again.
4. Beaster Day (2014)
Beaster Day is a flick that gives the term “low budget horror” a new low to strive for. Shot in Pennsylvania, USA, it is about a town under attack by a giant bloodthirsty Easter bunny, who starts killing citizens in increasingly gruesome ways. With reviews like “The film has little in the way of plot or acting…” , “Quite possibly the stupidest movie ever made”, and of course “I would have never been able to guess that was a rabbit”, how could you go wrong?
5. Bunnyman Massacre (2014)
Spawned by an urban legend about an escaped lunatic stringing people up like skinned rabbits, Bunnyman Massacre is actually the second film of a trilogy about a serial killer dressed in a bunny costume, brutally slaughtering everyone in his path. There’s also a guy named Joe who sells beef jerky, and the storylines for these characters are closely related. I’ll let you guess how.
These movies are all available on various streaming platforms here in NZ so you’ll definitely be able to enjoy one or all of these this weekend.
What are your favourite Easter horrors? Drop a comment and let us know! Or join NZ Horror Fans on Facebook and chat with others who love horror as much as you do.
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