Simplifying Hanky Panky to a mere indie comedy horror doesn’t do it justice. Yes, it’s an apt description, but the film also sports elements of a tongue-in-cheek whodunit and an alien invasion flick, with dashes of spy thriller and rom-com sprinkled in for shits and giggles (mostly giggles). Early on, directors Nick Roth and Lindsey Haun commit to one crucial rule: have lots of fun, and be especially shameless about how you have that fun.
Trapped in a remote mountain lodge during a winter storm, friends Diane (Ashley Holliday Tavares), Carla (Christina Laskay), Cliff (Anthony Rutowicz), Dr. Crane (Roth), and Lilith (Azure Parsons) must contend with newcomer Sam (Jacob DeMonte-Finn), whose presumed insanity and rampant awkwardness isolate him from the group. Well-meaning and perpetually embarrassed, Sam finds comfort in his only friend, the talking napkin Woody. The house becomes a microcosm of the friend group’s dysfunction; Cliff and Carla drift apart, Sam and Woody fall out, and a mysterious entity wants to gobble up their souls.
Hanky Panky‘s characters are its strongest assets, and it’s not close. Roth’s script is especially invested in Sam and Carla’s dynamic. Sam was an accidental addition to the group’s vacation, and Carla reminds him of that fact constantly. Eventually recovering from the emotional whiplash of his accidental invite, Sam rallies, making striking observations about Carla’s hostility and highlighting the film’s firm handle on its main players and what they’re about. Harry the Hat (voiced by Seth Green) squaring off against Woody is predictably fun and gimmicky, but none of the ‘action’ stacks up against Roth’s pacing, dialogue, and comedic timing. Our point? Come for the characters, stay for that hat vs napkin throwdown.
Sharp, silly, and brimming with disarming emotional intelligence (see our take on Sam and Carla’s dynamic above), Hanky Panky is an energetic horror-comedy with the chops – and the good sense – to indulge its goofy premise without resorting to insincerity.
HANKY PANKY is available to rent/buy on digital platforms
