Having been through childhood trauma myself, I really felt for Elspeth (Kate Nash) in Bad Rabbit! Written and directed by Rebekka Johnson and Kate Nash, this disturbing, yet surprisingly funny horror short really checks off all the creep factor boxes. No one expects a mother, the person who should be nurturing us, to be the reason for horrible emotional pain.
After Mother causes the death of a small helpless pet, her daughter and caretaker Elspeth, goes into survival mode, with encouragement from her imaginary new friend, Bad Rabbit. Poor Elspeth didn’t deserve to be treated badly and her cruel Mother (the wonderfully deranged Melinda deKay) pushed the timid young girl over the edge. No matter what Mother says, I am quite sure Elspeth regretted nothing!
Bad Rabbit is the perfect metaphor for the catalyst that causes the anxiety-ridden daughter to finally get revenge. A person can only be tortured for so long until they ultimately snap! I was right there, urging Elspeth to do bad things to her awful Mother. Melinda deKay was delightfully monstrous as Mother, and Kate Nash’s Elspeth has just the right amount of shyness. Rebekka Johnson as Bad Rabbit was especially entertaining, and I loved her manic over-the-top performance. Everyone in this tiny cast was fantastic!
Bad Rabbit appeared on Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween last fall and is currently screening at the Hollyshorts Film Festival in Hollywood, Ca.
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