The original incarnation of trippy 1960s Hanna-Barbera TV series The Banana Splits always had an inherent creepiness to it (what was Bingo hiding behind those sunglasses?), but the new movie version is taking things to a whole ‘nother level.
We first heard about the Banana Splits horror movie back in February, and while we were intrigued by the idea then, we were still a bit unsure about how it was all going to come together. But now the film’s first trailer is out, and it gives us a much clearer picture of the bizarreness that awaits. And spoiler alert: It is mighty bizarre. The trailer offers an unsettling mix of straight up horror juxtaposed with animatronic children’s characters. Since the Banana Splits themselves are robots, their expressions and voices never change, meaning they continue smiling and sounding goofy even while they’re hacking you to bits. And while the trailer does offer a few moments of camp, it more or less plays like a straight-up horror movie — albeit an unorthodox one.
The Banana Splits Movie is rated R, meaning it’s unlikely to skimp on the gore when Bingo, Fleegle, Drooper and Snorky start going off the deep end. Here’s the official synopsis, from Bloody Disgusting:
“A boy named Harley and his family (brother Austin, mother Beth, and father Mitch) attend a taping of The Banana Splits TV show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for Rebecca, the producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn — and the body count quickly rises. Can Harley, his mom, and their new pals safely escape?”
As far as unexpected reboots go, this one has to be near the top of the pile… but it also looks like it could be one of the best? The movie will head straight to digital release on Aug 13 and Blu-ray/DVD on Aug 23.
