Rabid Grannies is a fantastic comedy/horror film from Belgium, which has been (poorly) dubbed into English and distributed by Troma. Not only does this film possess one of the best titles in cinematic history, it also boasts innovative direction, great gore effects and some wonderfully tasteless humour.
The film is based on a simple, yet very effective premise. Two old ladies invite various family members to their large estate in order to celebrate their birthday. As the family gathers for dinner, a package arrives from a disowned cousin, which the two old grannies quickly unwrap. Inside the package is a box containing an evil spirit, which takes possession of the women and turns them into blood hungry demons. From this point on, the grannies gleefully decapitate, dismember and torture their guests with a high degree of wit and originality.
Despite the obvious budgetary constraints, the gore is well done and original. Highlights include one of the grannies literally biting her rotund nephew's butt off and the scene in which the grannies lure their granddaughter to her death. All of the violence has a strong undercurrent of black humour, which thankfully is never constrained by the bounds of good taste. Examples include the fate of the cowardly priest and the throwing around of severed body parts. I highly recommend the unrated European version of the film as the Troma edition, at least in Australia, is missing a significant amount of carnage.
Rabid Grannies (literally translated "the cannibalistic grandmas") is an unusual and highly amusing horror film, which is destined to become a cult favourite. I think it is time for Emmanuel Kervyn to hurry up and make another picture. Rabid Grannies 2 would be a nice place to start.
The film is based on a simple, yet very effective premise. Two old ladies invite various family members to their large estate in order to celebrate their birthday. As the family gathers for dinner, a package arrives from a disowned cousin, which the two old grannies quickly unwrap. Inside the package is a box containing an evil spirit, which takes possession of the women and turns them into blood hungry demons. From this point on, the grannies gleefully decapitate, dismember and torture their guests with a high degree of wit and originality.
Despite the obvious budgetary constraints, the gore is well done and original. Highlights include one of the grannies literally biting her rotund nephew's butt off and the scene in which the grannies lure their granddaughter to her death. All of the violence has a strong undercurrent of black humour, which thankfully is never constrained by the bounds of good taste. Examples include the fate of the cowardly priest and the throwing around of severed body parts. I highly recommend the unrated European version of the film as the Troma edition, at least in Australia, is missing a significant amount of carnage.
Rabid Grannies (literally translated "the cannibalistic grandmas") is an unusual and highly amusing horror film, which is destined to become a cult favourite. I think it is time for Emmanuel Kervyn to hurry up and make another picture. Rabid Grannies 2 would be a nice place to start.