The classic 1960s kids show The Banana Splits is becoming a horror movie, and now, Syfy has released an official trailer for the bizarre project. Every generation has its share of hit shows targeted at children, and for many growing up in the late 1960s, one of those was The Banana Splits. Produced by the legendary team of William Hannah and Joseph Barbera, and designed by Sid and Marty Kroft, The Banana Splits ran for three seasons on NBC, and was an early mix of live-action and animation.
Despite its relatively brief run, The Banana Splits remains a well-remembered cult classic, and has even earned later fans via its psychedelic vibe, groovy theme song, and the somewhat unintentionally creepy costumes for its lead music-playing animal characters. Now though, The Banana Splits are getting set to put down their musical instruments, and pick up the instruments of murder. As weird as it is, The Banana Splits is now a horror film.
When it was first announced that Warner Bros. and Syfy were teaming up to create a Banana Splits horror film back in February, many people reacted with a raised eyebrow at the development, which almost sounded like an April Fools’ joke. Yet, as can be seen by the trailer below, no, this is indeed a real thing that exists.
Seemingly borrowing more than a little from the popular Five Nights at Freddy’s game series - which itself has a film adaptation that is stuck in development hell - The Banana Splits Movie centers on a boy named Harley, whose family takes him to a taping of the titular show for his birthday. Unfortunately, when the decision is made to cancel the program, its starring performers aren’t too pleased, and decide death should be on the menu. Oddly enough, the film doesn’t appear to be set in the 1960s, and the trailer also seems to imply that the Banana Splits are actually robots that have turned evil. So, yes, this project just got even weirder.
Thankfully, judging by the trailer above, The Banana Splits Movie doesn’t appear to remotely be taking itself seriously. Considering the sheer strangeness of the premise, that’s a great move, allowing viewers to truly revel in the wackiness of it all. If The Banana Splits Movie proves popular, perhaps this will lead to a wave of kids shows turned horror movies. One wonders what the next candidate would be. Pee-wee’s Death House? H.R. Stabnstuf? Bill Nye the Murder Guy? The possibilities are endless.
More: 15 Creepy Kids’ TV Shows You Forgot Existed
The Banana Splits Movie hits Blu-Ray and DVD this summer, and premieres on Syfy later in 2019.
Source: Syfy
