Rabbit costumes are everywhere this time - mostly the traditional cute, fluffy Easter Bunny costumes. When I was growing up, you only saw these at malls and maybe a few community Easter Egg hunts. The costumes were usually the professional, upper end variety and it wasn't unusual to see some very elaborate Peter Rabbits.
The last few years, Easter bunnies have popped up everywhere. Every group is having breakfast with the Easter Bunny or pictures with the Easter Bunny or some other kind of rabbity fund-raiser. A lot of families are even springing for costumes at their home egg-hunts.
Mostly, I attribute this to the lot of new, inexpensive rabbit costumes that have popped up over the past few years. Suddenly, you can have an Easter Bunny fundraiser and still have some funds left after buying the costume. Sweet!
Now, the new and interesting trend in bunnies. Evil Bunny!
The first reference to a killer bunny I can remember was Monty Python's 'foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent' who the gallant knights encountered on their quest for the Holy Grail. Tim sums it up with, "that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer! " Said rabbit was subsequently memorialized on T-shirts, posters, and yes, even a pair of vicious bunny slippers. (Bones has a pair that don't leave his feet). The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog even has his own Wikipedia page.
Leaping ahead to 2001, there was the cult hit Donny Darko, with his dark Frank the Rabbit - that movie wasn't really about a bunny, though. The Frank the Bunny costume has turned out to be the same kind of sleeper hit. It seems hard to find in-stock, so snag it when it is available.
2006 gave us Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! which GeeksOfDoom.com reviews as vile, repulsive, and remorseless (among other things).
We found this great prank on youtube that uses our personal most favorite scary bunny (The Peter Rottentail Costume). Go get 'em Peter.
We've also seen this variation of the a Wicked White Rabbit that appeared around the same time as the latest incarnation of Alice in Wonderland (in movie form, with Johnny Depp). We're not quite sure the origin of this one, but you can get your own evil bunny costume for free by entering a twitter contest here.
Finally, we love BunnyMan. You can get the complete scoop on this indie movie over at Fangoria. The thing that really sets BunnyMan apart from the above scary rabbits is the bunny suit. Writer/director Carl Lindbergh actually uses one of our all-time favorite traditional Easter Bunny suits for his psycho killer bunny. Who needs a rabbit suit with fangs? Lindberg takes his bunny around the bend with some well placed dirt and an attitude. Also, take a good look at the background as BunnyMan drags his victim thru the woods with a chain. See anyone familiar?
So, what do you think of the darker side of the bunny? Have your own favorite scary rabbit? Let me know!
