What a rare and exciting opportunity it is, to be able to work with a childhood IP as an adult. It's even more of a gift to turn that childhood, family-friendly IP, into a horror film. A very gory slasher film nonetheless. Really, it's something that horror filmmakers can only dream of. In 2019, The Banana Splits Movie was released and for horror lovers of the characters, that dream came true.
The Banana Splits Movie takes those iconic Hanna-Barbera characters and turns them into murderous animatronics. Harley, a young child, is a big fan of the Banana Splits show and characters. And for his birthday, his family gets him tickets to see the show in person! Unfortunately, the characters have just learned that their show is to be canceled and as revenge, they go on a murderous rampage.
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While the movie certainly never sets out to be an Oscar award winner, it sets out to be fun. And it succeeds. For fans of slashers who don't mind a bit of cheese and a lot of gore, this will be a great watch. It's a simple story but it's easy to follow and the pacing feels perfect. The kills, which are really the reason anyone watches a slasher, are done very well and are very creative. This will be appealing to anyone who enjoys slashers, but especially to those who have real memories of the Banana Splits characters.
The Banana Splits (also called The Banana Splits Adventure Hour) was a children's show made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It aired from 1968-1970 as part of the NBC Saturday morning programming. The show consisted of a fictional rock band known as Banana Splits, who were live-action animal characters in a costume. Their names are Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky. While this might not go down in history as one of the most popular Hanna-Barbera projects, there are a few neat things about it. Namely, that it was their first live-action production. And of course, the fact that it was later turned into this comedy-horror movie.
It's incredibly unique to see an existing IP, originally meant for children, turned into a slasher movie. What's even more interesting is that those characters everyone loved and cared for, are the ones doing the killing. It's such a fun concept and something that isn't really seen being done. Of course, there have been more scandalous adaptations of Archie Comics characters in shows like Riverdale. There is also the Fantasy Island horror film, with loose ties to the original series, but even that still isn't quite the same as The Banana Splits Movie, which really stays true to the original works. The characters are just murderous now.
One primary difference between the original show and the movie is what the characters are made of. While in the original series it's people in costumes, the movie shows the Banana Splits band as animatronics gone wild. This has prompted a lot of conversation about the film, and the possible original intentions of the script. For a long time now, another existing work popular with young people-- and about murderous animatronics --has been meant to get a film at any time. Many believe that The Banana Splits Movie was originally meant to be Five Nights at Freddy's.
Five Nights at Freddy's is a survival horror movie, originally released in 2014. It skyrocketed to popularity after its release and holds a world record for most sequels released in a year. The game has the player as a nighttime employee at a Chuck E. Cheese's type place, with life-size animatronics that perform. In the night, these animatronics come to life and the player is tasked with watching over them and protecting themselves from them.
Because of its popularity on social media and YouTube, the game has become quite the franchise. A film adaptation is planned, but there isn't too much known about it. A few projects with a similar premise, like The Banana Splits Movie as well as the 2021 Nic Cage flick Willy's Wonderland have come out in recent years. Inevitably, rumors start spinning that these were originally meant to be Five Nights at Freddy's but this has yet to be confirmed.
For as neat as it is, The Banana Splits Movie has largely slid under the radar. It has a bit of a cult following, but the target audience is relatively niche. The Banana Splits is quite old and isn't all that well known these days, plus it is quite low budget. It's far from a perfect film, but it's such a fun take on the slasher genre-- which is a tough genre to find unique films in. Fans of horror, who don't mind some good gore and a few corny aspects, will find this film a very fun ride. There is also some a bit of sequel potential, and of course the interesting Five Nights at Freddy's connection that is fun to think about. Without a doubt, it's unique enough that it deserves a bit more attention.