Killer Pinata, 2015.
Directed by Stephen Tramontana.
Starring Lindsay Ashcroft, Nate Bryan, and Billy Chengary.
SYNOPSIS:
A possessed piñata, seeking to avenge the savagery that humanity has inflicted on his kind, picks off a group of friends, one by one, in an unending night of terror.
Sometimes a concept will sell a film. You just need one line that will capture the imagination of your potential audience. If you don’t have that, you’re in trouble, especially if you’re making a genre flick. Killer clowns, Zombies, or whatever it is, sometimes the more ridiculous you can make something sound, the more people will be intrigued to see it. This is how we find ourselves at four Sharknado films, with no danger of slowing, or you’ll hear a title like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. That title alone makes it a must see (doesn’t it?). At the very least it piques your interest.
So when the screener was offered out for Killer Piñata my hand shot up faster than Usain Bolt chasing a gold. A killer piñata! Sold, I’m there. I must see the film. I went in knowing full well it would probably be ludicrous, and quite probably terrible, but with enough of a knowing wink back, I hoped the film would be as enjoyable as the title and poster art.
Written and directed by Stephen Tramontana (and co-written by Megan McManus), the premise is simple. A killer piñata possessed by an evil spirit, seeks to avenge all Piñata kind and sets about stalking and picking off a group of teenagers having a party, whilst the host’s parents are away. The film was shot for next to nothing. It looks every inch a home movie. The cast may well be a collection of friends of the production team, as whilst game, they’re not great. Aside from a nifty credit sequence, and impromptu animated flashback, there’s nothing remotely elaborate here.
What we have here is the basis for a really enjoyable short film. There’s enough in the concept and lithe plot and characters to fill a 30 minute short that breezes by. Ideally you then concentrate what little budget you have, add in as many pinches of flair as possible and flash fry a really awesome short. However, what we have here is a feature film that’s been spread too thin, and whilst it’s clear the film makers had a whale of a time making this, it just lags a little too much without the necessary ingenuity to keep a grip for 90 minutes. Not everyone can deliver an Evil Dead (Raimi’s original) which is understandable but the direction here is a little too workmanlike.
In the end the film may not offer quite the thrills that the reaction to the title did, and there’s too little action here to warrant the run-time, but there’s enough sincerity behind it to keep you watching. Likewise the comedy aspect could have been pushed a little more. It’s goofy, but only intermittently funny. That said the film should be commended for not descending into nastiness (as too many horror films, often devoid of better ideas are prone to these days) and just having fun.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Tom Jolliffe
Originally published January 21, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
