‘The Banana Splits Movie’ Trailer is Pure Nightmare Fuel

In case you missed it, Warner Bros. and SYFY have released the first official trailer for The Banana Splits Movie. Based off the Hanna-Barbera series, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, with set and costumes by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft (Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monster), the Saturday morning series ran on NBC from 1968 to 1970 and then in syndication until 1982. The part live-action, part animated show (loosely based on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In) featured a rock band comprised of four furry anthropomorphic characters named Fleegle (a beagle), Drooper (a lion), Bingo ( a gorilla), and Snorky (an elephant).

Even if you’d never seen or heard of the show (which is quite likely, given the show’s age), you’ve likely heard the very catchy theme song “The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)”, present below in the trailer. Also, fun fact about the show: All the live-action segments were directed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon)!

So how does all this translate into a movie “rated R for horror violence and gore?” From the IMDB synopsis:

“A boy named Harley and his family (brother Austin, mother Beth, and father Mitch) attends 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?”

Sounds like the long-awaited(?) Banana Splits reunion turns into a bloody, murderous rampage. I’m in!

It is a very bold choice to take a beloved children’s property (albeit a fifty-year old one) and turn it into a gory, R-rated horror flick. Judging by the trailer, it seems pretty clear that the creators are going for a Five Nights at Freddy’s vibe. In fact, the popular PC game, which features players trying to outmaneuver and survive an assault from a group of homicidal animatronic characters, is in development at Blumhouse Productions, with Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Home Alone) attached to direct. But Warner Bros. (which originally was developing the Five Nights film) has beaten them to the punch by a long mile. In any case, it looks like we’re in store for a wild ride with the wacky furry characters turned psychotic murderers in The Banana Splits Movie.

The Banana Splits Movie will be released on Blu-ray and digitally this summer and on SYFY later this year.

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