Roger Ebert once defined a "guilty pleasure" as "when you go to a movie and everyone agrees how terrible it was, but you don't know, you kind of liked it." That's the way I feel about "Bunnyman", a 2011 horror flick about a group of 20-somethings stalked and killed by a killer wearing a bunny suit. I don't care what anybody else says, I like the film and will defend it to anyone, anytime. Now the film has been "recut" to produce "Bunnyman - The Grindhouse Edition." I know there aren't a lot of like-minded "Bunnyman Fans" (although it must have been popular enough to spawn two sequels!) but this is a big misfire to us fans.
Make no mistake - a *lot* of work was done to the film, and every bit of it unnecessary and damaging to the viewing experience. Some scenes were re-edited, some deleted scenes were added, some alternate takes were used, and I can't think of a single change that made the film better. In addition, every frame has been altered to look "damaged" and worn. Colors that were bright and clean in the original are now faded and washed out. Scenes that were well lit and clear are now dark and hard to see. Scene transitions are now gimmicky and "in your face" - wipes, split screens (side by side as well as top and bottom). Scenes stop for "freeze frames" in the middle. And that's not to mention the ridiculous gimmicks that were jammed into the film at random locations. An "intermission" with "Buy Refreshments!" commercials. Multiple "Scene Missing" sequences, and in one case they put in a random scene of Bunnyman attacking a girl in a shower. Parts where the film appears to "burn." Weird "stock footage" that sometimes matches the film and other times seems just tacked on, all with goofy overdubbed dialog. And others...
I think some of this must have been a misguided attempt at humor, but one of the things I liked about "Bunnyman" was that despite its concept it was dead serious and didn't try to temper its overwhelming creepiness with humor. On the original DVD (and yes, I own the "Bunnyman" DVD, don't judge me!) in the deleted scenes he notes that he suppressed his urge to be "overly artistic." He should have kept suppressing that urge. If you are like me and liked the original "Bunnyman" you will likely hate this version. And if you didn't like it originally, you'll probably like it even less. If the director wants more Bunnyman, I would totally be up to "Bunnyman 4" as opposed to this!
