In 1989, Belgian filmmaker Emmanuel Kervyn set out to create a film that was not only one of the first horror films to come from Belgium, but also the first film about elderly women who become possessed by demons and eat their greedy grandchildren. The film has recieved acclaim across the world and was brought to America by the good folks at Troma.
As the film starts out, preparations are being made for a birthday party for two wealthy elderly women. Many of their children and grandchildren have been waiting for them to kick the bucket for years to see which one of them would get the inheritance. One grandson is not in attendance for the party though. Christof, the family black sheep, has been disowned by the entire family for practicing Satanism. But he's still wanting to help celebrate, by sending the aunties a nice present: a box containing a mysterious fog that possesses the nice old women and turn them into evil, blood-thirsty demons. Now, the family members who came there, interested in making a fortune are only interested in making it out alive from their killer relatives!
Sure, that plot synopsis might sound absurd, but that's the charm of Rabid Grannies. Combining The Evil Dead with Greedy, the film has a wacky foreign style and is full of innovative(for the budget) special effects. The most amazing part is that the special effects were designed by effects artists who were only 18 years old! Unfortunately, due to various reasons, most of the goriest shots ended up on the cutting room floor for the American release. It doesn't effect some scenes, but a few cause confusion and make the scenes look a bit bizarre. Luckily, though they couldn't be edited back in, the gory scenes are added to the DVD as extras and can be seen in German bootleg prints.
The acting quality in Rabid Grannies is mostly very poor. The actors mostly did not speak english very well, so all of the dialogue was forced to be redubbed. This works well in some scenes, but in some, it's horrible. One big problem I found with the characters is that they don't take notice to the various weapons they can use to fight their cannibalistic grannies. In one scene, a character is using a battle axe... to hold the door shut. Seems a bit ridiculous, doesn't it?
You may find yourself a bit bored during the first 30 minutes, because it's mostly character developement. However, it's definately worth it, because it shows you how despicable the family is and makes you ready to see them be killed by the grannies. Also, you may be a bit mislead by a title like Rabid Grannies, because rabies is not what causes the grannies to want to eat their relatives. But honestly, do you really care?
Rabid Grannies is a fun little foreign romp, that despite it's shortcomings, is still a very entertaining film. Unfortunately, the cut down version that's currently availible from Troma is a bit disappointing due to the cut down gore scenes. However, you can see them in their gory glory elsewhere on the DVD. The film's still recommended, regardless.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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