Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
Sander Maran’s throwback is a thrifty, over-the-top, gross, and righteously hilarious work of horror
Right from the outset, let it be noted that this Estonian import absolutely slayed me. It made me laugh a lot but more importantly, it made me smile. That being said, don’t let the fact that this wacky splatter fest about a deranged chainsaw-wielding maniac and a brood of cannibals lead you to believe that I’m some kind of deranged individual. On the contrary, I like to think I’m a halfway decent person. I just so happen to love a solid comedy-laced work of horror. Especially one as delightfully random, sadistic, and hilarious as CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING.
In this over-the-top, cartoony, blood-soaked gem, new lovebirds Maria (Laura Niils) and Tom (Karl Ilves) are separated by a psychopath (Martin Ruus) armed with a chainsaw. What follows is a high-energy and altogether chaotic gore-filled odyssey that shifts back and forth from Maria doing her best to survive this terrifying ordeal to Tom who ultimately teams with quirky newfound buddy Jaan (Janno Puusepp) in a valiant attempt to rescue the twinkle in his eye before she’s served up for dinner.
Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
For all of the gore, weirdness, and seemingly random (and crude) humor on display, it should also be noted that–as the title not so eloquently suggests–this thing is a full-blown musical. And a pretty good one at that. Truth be told, the songs aren’t as memorable or as skillfully penned as the irreverent tunes in something like SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER, & UNCUT, but the lyrics are fun and at times, even kind of charming, most notably, in AN AMERICAN TALE-esque “Somewhere Out There”-style duet that occurs in the first 45 minutes of the film. Speaking of which, “charming” is a word that best captures the overall spirit of this zany movie, particularly where the two leads are concerned.
A hapless Ilves is affable and energetic as a reluctant would-be hero but the cute and “charming” Niils steals the show as a resilient heroine who doesn’t necessarily need saving. As a duo, it should be noted that these two characters come together by way of really dark circumstances, but Ilves and Niils are so likable in the roles, that said darkness feels like an afterthought. Puusepp is also very entertaining as a strange sort who is simply along for the ride while Ruus hits all the right notes as a disturbed individual with issues of his own. While we’re on that topic, it was nice seeing a murderous antagonist with a little bit of depth. Initially, I didn’t think I’d feel sorry for the psychopath at the heart of this movie but admittedly, I did end up kind of feeling bad for this guy.
Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING is the kind of thrifty, crafty, gross, no-holds-barred, low-budget affair that would make the likes of early-career Peter Jackson proud, more specifically, the Peter Jackson behind the unsung 80s gem, BAD TASTE. Yes, before Jackson went on to dazzle the world with THE LORD OF THE RINGS, he would cut his teeth on creative bits of trashy horror and we the genre fans are the luckier for it.
While CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING is certainly in the vein of movies like the aforementioned BAD TASTE, it also playfully winks at a plethora of memorable films of yesteryear including THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 1 & 2, COMMANDO, POLTERGEIST, RETURN OF THE JEDI, HAPPY GILMORE, MAD MAX, EL MARIACHI, and EVIL DEAD, just to name a few. There’s even a healthy dose of Monty Python and Troma in there as well.
Again, it took over 10 years for director Sander Maran and his team to complete this gloriously disgusting (and funny) slice of backyard filmmaking. There have certainly been works of horror that were bigger in scope that took far less time to make but the ingenuity, perseverance, dedication, and passion that have gone into this thing over the long haul certainly add to its overall charm. At the very least, you’ll see the blood, sweat, and tears (literally) that were poured into this thing by the time the end credits roll.
Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
At nearly two hours in length, CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING is probably a tad too long for a film of this nature but…I was certainly never bored. In the end, I applaud Fantasia for bringing this one to audiences as a reminder that there’s still a place in this world for wonderfully thrifty, undeniably disgusting, and whole-heartedly hilarious independent works of horror. The toe-tapping blood-soaked gorefest that is CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but this horror fan loved it. Perhaps 25 years from now, Maran will get his own LORD OF THE RINGS but even if he doesn’t, he should hold his head high because this one is a winner. At the very least, it’s better than bukkake.
