The Bunny Game is a 2010 American low-budget avant-garde horror film co-created and co-written by Rodleen Getsic (who also stars in the film) and Adam Rehmeier.[1] Set in the desert, the film is about a prostitute who is abducted by a truck driver and subjected to extreme "games" of torture.
The Bunny Game | |
---|---|
Directed by | Adam Rehmeier |
Written by | Rodleen Getsic Adam Rehmeier |
Starring | Rodleen Getsic |
Cinematography | Adam Rehmeier |
Edited by | Adam Rehmeier |
Distributed by | Death Mountain Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13,000 |
In the United States, the film had a limited theatrical release; it was later released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on July 31, 2012 by Autonomy Pictures.[2][3]
In the United Kingdom the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) deemed the film 'unsuitable for classification' as doing so "would be inconsistent with the Guidelines, would risk potential harm within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and would accordingly be unacceptable to the public."[4]
Drug-addicted prostitute "Bunny" propositions a truck driver (who in flashbacks appears to be a serial killer). He kidnaps her and subjects her to extreme torture,[5] inflicting brutal and extreme forms of physical and sexual abuse.[6]
Filming took place in October 2008 over 13 days. Shot in black and white, production costs totaled $13,000. Rehmeier has stated that the disturbing, visceral experience of watching the film was also related to Getsic’s personal experiences, as she “wanted to use the production as this cathartic process, to really purge some of the traumas she’s had.”[6][7]
The film entered the 2011 PollyGrind Film Festival,[8] in which it won several awards including "Best Cinematography", "Best Editing" and "Best Overall Individual Performance in a Film" (to Rodleen Getsic).[9]
Critical reception for the film was mixed. Bloody Disgusting awarded the film a score of 2 / 4 stating, "The Bunny Game is a well shot and expertly edited work, but it's not a film in the conventional sense. It's more of a vicious visceral experience. Because of the style and the wholesale devotion of Getsic and Renfro, The Bunny Game is captivating, but ultimately not an experience worth having".[10] Horror News.net gave the film a positive review, praising Rodleen Getsic's performance, and the film's editing.[11]
The Bunny Game is listed at #37 in Complex magazine's 50 Most Disturbing Films of All Time and was banned in the United Kingdom by the British Board of Film Classification due to its graphic scenes of sexual and physical abuse.[12][13] Lead actress Rodleen Getsic has claimed that The Muppet Movie influenced the film.[5]