Bazz Hancher is a name that I don’t think has cropped up on the pages of Severed Cinema until now. The UK creator of gory nasties is mates with Tom Lee Rutter and has directed a multitude of short movies plus documentaries, etcetera. Hate Little Rabbit is his second full feature, the first being 2018’s White Goods.
Hate Little Rabbit is meaty and moist. When the violence occurs, I was reminded of later Lucio Fulci movies in style and appearance. The flick is well paced throughout, which makes up for a few really irritating characters that made me want to break glass in my penis to distract from the pain.
Opening with a gimp-masked nude man stroking a teddy on his genitals, he makes his way into a girl’s bedroom, closing the door, thus we hear cries from the young ‘un. Fast forwards a bit and a young lady is heading out to acting classes down the road (we can hope) but is followed by a gimped-up fella in a baggy ill-fitting suit (could it be the same guy?). After running a bit, she freezes against a wall next to a bit of rabbit graffiti, poised, and waiting an eternity for him to catch her up and gleefully beat her cranium in with a claw hammer. So far very brutal, energetic, and bloody.
On we go to meet our central character, the annoyingly voiced Lacy, whom after receiving an anonymous call on the train from a sinister rubber-faced chap saying, “Little rabbit” and a few other bits and bobs for giggles, meets with her real mum. Her adopted folks are dead, so Lacy must settle for someone more irritating than herself – Samantha. Meeting in a café, Samantha is just ready for a fucking fight, mealy mouthed, stabbing with her words and just the type of fat-faced old cow you want to send to Ed Gein, let alone a pervert in a gimp mask!
Anyway, they discuss Samantha’s mental health issues, her tablets, Lacy’s rape from years ago, and then Lacy mentions the phone call. Her mum bristles upon hearing the “Little rabbit” quote (“Ooo put yooo up ta it??!”) apparently that was a nickname for her father’s brother. They head over to Lacy’s place and the story unfolds (nice Santa Sangre poster as well). It’s the traditional mad bro/uncle committed to a hospital, goes on the run, leaves the country, charred remains found – passport by the side in the fire remains and skin showing a tattoo. Samantha reckons it could be him, and after another snide remark says if it happens again, they’ll call the police.
Samantha is followed back home by guess who, yep Mr. Sex Shop, then she goes missing. Lacy is tormented by who could be her uncle courtesy of a video showing a woman burning to death. This is as good as confirmed by a ragtag ex-detective who speaks to her at the cemetery. He believes that the maniac never burned to death in South Africa, instead he murdered a good friend of his, self-removed the tattoo and then faked his death. Detective Martelli offers to work with Lacy to help. He needs closure on a case that has tormented him, Lacy needs her mother back.
One by one, those close to Lacy are hunted and slaughtered in rather inventive and messy ways. Then the big twist arrives, and Lacy’s life is totally changed…
Our psychopath is absolutely amazing. Looking like he’s walked out from the set of a ‘70s roughie porn, crossed with Fist out of the Ideal series (look him up, you’ll see what I mean) he speaks like an old Doctor Who power mad megalomaniac villain. He’s probably the best character, everyone else, aside from Martelli and Tom (Severed hand hi-five to David Pearl (aka Fenn) and Tom Lee Rutter respectively for their work in those roles) kind of grinded me down a bit – dunno if it was the lack of conviction in the parts or the writing now and then, I can’t put a finger on it. Hmm, perhaps it’s just me. Martin W Payne also pops up in a quickie role along the way, nice to see him again.
The music in Hate Little Rabbit is wonderfully performed by Falls for the most part, but a whole cluster of tunes are used by various artists. Bazz handles his direction and concepts well. I like the use of the city and locations, showing the UK and making it look grim, right, and proper. However, the full show stealer revealed to the viewer is the effects. Aside from Bazz, there’s Rachael Painter billed as Key Make-up Artist and on IMDb also as Special Effects Make-up. She’s only worked on a handful of flicks, mainly for Bazz and Tom, but combining her with Bazz for this one certainly has produced some interesting visuals. Hammer attacks, stabbings, a face skinning, and much more. Like the old days of entertaining bloody deaths in horrors, they are sometimes wince inducing, other times making you smile and cheer.
Hate Little Rabbit isn’t trying to be nice, or a masterpiece, it has arrived to show itself to us in true crimson colours and be a gory fun flick for the whole depraved family and friends.