-Written by Kyle Bain.
On a getaway in the snowy Utah mountains, Sam (Jacob DeMonte-Finn) and his sentient napkin, Woody (Toby Bryan), will have to navigate the horrifying reality in which they find themselves. With a bit of Hanky Panky going on, and people dying, Sam and Woody are forced to fight for their lives.
Hanky Panky is a film that is meant to be, in a way, bad. It’s not meant to shock the world with incredible acting, an invigorating storyline, or state-of-the-art special effects; its purpose is to entertain viewers ironically, to engulf them in a story so ridiculous that they can’t look away. To a degree, Director Lindsey Haun and Writer-Director Nick Roth achieve their goal. They hit all of the ridiculous notes throughout the course of Hanky Panky, but what they fail to do is produce enough excitement to keep viewers engaged for the duration. I found myself fading from time to time, struggling to remain focused–and that did affect my viewing of Hanky Panky somewhat negatively.
When Roth reached out to me in regard to Hanky Panky, he referred to the film as “Clue on acid.” Honestly, he’s not wrong. What is a ridiculous film also plays with the idea of a murder mystery that is enticing enough that it makes viewers want to play along. Through the insanity that is this story, viewers are entertained by what is occurring–and much of that can be credited to the mystery that transcends the film.
What ultimately keeps the film going, interestingly enough, are things like the absurd acting, the subpar dialogue, and talking hats and handkerchiefs. What entertained me even more than those aforementioned qualities of Hanky Panky is the fact that through the majority of the scenes using puppets (and I use that term loosely), viewers are able to see the strings used to move them. Haun and Roth aren’t blind to this, and they must have made a conscious decision to include this in their film. Hanky Panky does not, by any means, suffer from this–but, rather, it thrives. I was enthralled by the moments of puppeteering action that play out so ridiculously on screen. I laughed, sometimes so hard that I almost cried. It’s this that keeps Hanky Panky moving forward–and while I did struggle to remain focused throughout portions of the film, things like this worked to reel me back in.
Hanky Panky is a low-budget film created by individuals who clearly love film and filmmaking. The reality of films like Hanky Panky is that they will not reach or appeal to the masses–and they aren’t meant to. This is a film for cinephiles by cinephiles–and the passion that exists in every fiber of this project is clearly felt by those viewers who share a similar passion. Through all of the silliness, the thing that remains most prominent is that passion, that drive to develop films that bring us back to the basics and allow us to enjoy them the way that we used to when we were kids. Hanky Panky is an ironic step back into something akin to innocence–and Haun and Roth ensure that their target audience understands this from the start.
Directed by Lindsey Haun & Nick Roth.
Written by Nick Roth.
Starring Jacob Demonte-Finn, Ashley Holliday Tavares, Chrstina Laskey, Anthony Rutowicz, Clare Grant, Azure Parsons, Lindsey Haun, Toby Bryan, Nick Roth, Toby Bryan, Seth Green, etc.
7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
