The Banana Splits Movie
Tra la la terror!
A boy named Harley and his family attend a taping of The Banana Splits TV show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for Rebecca, the producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn - and the body count quickly rises. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape?
Why watch The Banana Splits Movie
What if your favorite childhood TV show turned into a slasher film? The Banana Splits Movie hijacks nostalgia and weaponizes it, transforming a beloved kids' program into a genuinely twisted survival thriller. The premise alone—a birthday party at a beloved show's taping descends into carnage—recalls the irreverent horror-comedy energy of Gremlins and Small Soldiers, but with the gritty execution of prestige horror like A24's Lamb. It's a concept that shouldn't work, yet it commits fully to the absurdity.
The film moves with kinetic, relentless pacing. In just 89 minutes, it escalates from birthday-party charm to full-blown siege, never letting tension sag. The tonal whiplash—between wholesome TV-studio aesthetics and genuine dread—creates an unsettling dissonance that lingers. Director Jed Elinoff leans into the surreal horror of familiar entertainment becoming a trap, crafting set pieces that feel both darkly comic and uncomfortably visceral.
This is for anyone who's ever felt unease beneath the surface of children's programming, or who craves horror that swings for the fences with an unexpected premise. The Banana Splits Movie doesn't apologize for its high-concept weirdness—it doubles down. You'll emerge quoting the film's bonkers logic to anyone who'll listen, and the image of those cheerful mascots as harbingers of chaos will stay with you for weeks.
— The What2Watch desk · US
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The story
A boy named Harley and his family attend a taping of The Banana Splits TV show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for Rebecca, the producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn - and the body count quickly rises. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape?
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Reviews & ratings
I've never seen the actual _Banana Splits_ show. Honestly, before I heard that this was getting made I wasn't aware that the _Adventure Hour_ even existed. So maybe I started at a disadvantage on this one. For me though. as someone with that perspective? The _Banana Splits Movie_ was just okay. _Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._
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