‘Bunnyman’:This Real-Life Urban Legend Horror is a Must-Watch
You won’t want to miss the strange tale of the Bunny Man if you enjoy spooky folklore and urban legends. Based on actual incidents from Fairfax County, Virginia, this terrifying story centres on an enigmatic character wearing a rabbit costume brandishing an axe close to railroad bridges. This decades-old legend is transformed into a frantic, slasher-style horror tale in Carl Lindbergh’s 2011 film ‘Bunnyman’, demonstrating the immense amount of inspiration that urban myths can provide for filmmakers.
The movie centres on a group of friends who are travelling by car when a huge truck unexpectedly attacks them and keeps crashing into their vehicle. They seek assistance in a bleak rural community after their crash, only to be singled out by a family of cannibalistic murderers. A murderer with a chainsaw in the centre of the mayhem is clad in a shabby Easter bunny costume, evoking the horror antagonists of ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ and ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’.
Image Courtesy: Prime Video
In a nutshell, ‘Bunnyman’ is a ridiculous horror movie that celebrates its ridiculousness. It’s a low-budget slasher that draws heavily from classics like ‘Jeepers Creepers’, ‘Psycho’, and ‘The Devil’s Rejects’. The movie was re-released by Lindbergh in 2019 under the title ‘Bunnyman: Grindhouse Edition’, which was made even more weird by including time travel aspects, odd audio dubs, and old commercial breaks.
The mythology began in 1904 when Douglas Griffon, an escaped mental patient, is said to have left a trail of dead rabbits in the woods. Historian Brian A. Conley, however, disproved this story after learning that the actual sightings of the Bunny Man started around 1970. A man wearing a white rabbit suit was described by witnesses as attacking persons close to an overpass, solidifying his status as an urban legend.
‘Bunnyman’ offers a surreal and gory experience that is unlike anything else, regardless of whether you are interested in mythology or crazy horror movies.
–Farheen Ali
