Sometimes the strangest movies are the most memorable. Killer Thong embraces its absurdity from beginning to end, and if you’re willing to go along for the ride, you’ll likely have a smile on your face the entire time.
by Nav Qateel
Debbie hires two past-their-prime male dancers to perform a birthday gram for Alex (Rebecca Ambrosino) and several other female buddies. The strippers, Cashier (also co-writer Shawn Doucette) and Old Timer (Junior Lirette), do their best to entertain the girls, but during the act Alex falls asleep, and what follows is a sort of fever dream where Alex begins to see a thong murdering her friends in humorous and unusual ways.
The reason for the murderous thong doing its thing wasn’t completely clear. However, I took it to be that after Alex fell asleep, it awakened some evil spirit because it felt insulted. As the comedy horror progressed, it became clear that making sense wasn’t high on co-writer/director Reno Anastasio’s list, and it was more about having fun with the material. Fun was certainly had.
The cartoonish, misogynistic way both men behaved was hilarious, yet it actually went on to highlight Alex’s awakening and acceptance of who she actually was, so it cleverly served a purpose. The death scenes were silly and funny, and watching Alex fight back against the thong’s attacks was fantastic.
There is a scene where Alex gets Edvard Munch’s famous The Scream print, cuts the face away, and replaces it with a blow-up doll’s head in order to trap the thong, which has to be seen to be believed. I also won’t be able to look at a blender the same way again for a while.
When The Evil Dead came out, I was around sixteen. My bestie Scott and I watched it, and I remember our reaction to the dialogue when Ash was saying to a bloody and mangled Scott, “Are you alright?!” We were laughing like crazy. Killer Thong had similar situations where I was taken back to my childhood and that insane film from the early eighties, which was a great feeling.
Killer Thong felt almost experimental at times, particularly in the third act when Alex is coming to terms with her sexuality. While not everything worked perfectly, it did convey the message and ideas that filmmaker Reno Anastasio was attempting to show the audience. When working on a tight budget, one is limited in what can be put to film, yet Anastasio worked his magic and told a story that fans of the comedy horror genre should appreciate.
If I were a much younger man, I would have watched this film with a group of friends and a few blunts to truly get the most out of Killer Thong, but I’m not. However, watching it in a group is highly recommended.
Funny and entertaining, with a strong underlying social message.
Nav’s Score: 7.5/10
