Horror Movie Review: Serial Rabbit 3: Splitting Hares (2009)

Written and directed by Brett William Mauser, Serial Rabbit 3: Splitting Hares is the third entry in the Serial Rabbit series, but not really. You see Serial Rabbit 2 doesn’t exist, or if it does, it’s buried deep in a dark corner of the Nevada desert where no one will find it. Which, based off what the franchise as whole offers, is probably for the best.

Don’t take that as reason to not experience it though, because you should. Especially as from this point on, the franchise leans fully into the absurd, becomes so meta, and delivers laughs galore. A horror movie, yes, but only because the killer bunny rabbit is on a rampage again, except this time he’s killing on Christmas. So, technically, this is a Christmas film.

Don’t worry about though as aside from it being said at the start, you’d never know when the film takes place, especially as it is set in Texas.

That’s the stomping ground of the rabbit, who is dishing out bloody justice, while evading Detective Harvey (Will Scoville) and his partner, Maxine (Amanda Nutting). It seems like business as usual, until the rabbit makes the mistake of killing the wife of the city’s most powerful crime lord. Furious, the crime lord sets a trap to finish off the rabbit once and for all. A trap that succeeds, resulting in the rabbit going to Hell.

What happens next? It’s madness. Complete madness, but madness that I genuinely enjoyed.

Let’s make this clear. If you go in expecting something good, you’re going to come away very disappointed. Serial Rabbit 3: Splitting Hares, and the franchise as a whole, is bad, but that’s the point. It isn’t supposed to be good; it’s simply supposed to be fun. Fun for those involved creating it and, hopefully, fun for the viewer. I think that is well and truly achieved here, and even though it’s far too long, by the end I was impressed and eager to watch the next entry.

Nobody is taking this film seriously, and neither should you, but that doesn’t mean effort wasn’t put in. Brett William Mauser’s script delivers a ton of comedy, and the silliness of the premise keeps the film lively throughout. The actors, while mixed (some really deliver gold, others are wooden), clearly believe in what they are doing, and there are plenty of fun slasher movie moments to keep it horror balanced. Even the music, in particular the theme that plays when the rabbit appears, is memorable.

For me though, what really makes the film work is just how fourth wall breaking it is. The meta stuff could have really hurt the film, but it actually ends up making it even better. I’m telling you, it’s worth a watch. I liked Serial Rabbit (One), but I love this and you will too, provided you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.