Red Rabbit Lodge — Red Rabbit Lodge (DVD)
Red Rabbit Lodge (2026) is an Australian film that blends ‘n’ blurs slasher with giallo tropes. It concerns a group of female students moving into a large house, where the middle aged/ greying/ stern landlady has rules that must not be broken. The film has a decidedly late 70/ early 80’s feel ( though it’s set in present-day Sydney)- blending sleaze, gore, and light touches of smutty humour. Here from Seven Tales Entertainment is a bare-bones DVD release of the film.
The film is written and directed by Kevin Khachan. He has nine previous director credits, with an impressive six upcoming- with five shorts & ten features- the latter taking in the likes of sci-fi drama True Love Inc (2023), future prison-based thriller Box: Metaphor (2023), and found footage horror Lights Camera Death (2025).
The film runs at one hour and twenty-four minutes, and I must say it starts very promisingly with a flashback. Where a twenty-something woman is waiting for her lover on a couch inside the front room of a large house (the Reed Rabbit Lodge). He keeps ringing her on an old-style dial phone. Meanwhile, someone in what looks like a Roland Ragan mask & white gloves has broken in, and is slowly stalking though the house- down to where the woman is- finally he gets to her, she thinks her boyfriend they make rough love- then the phone rings, the old school answer phone kicks in, and her boyfriend inform her he’s still on the road- she gets bloody punched several times, as we kick in are ultra creepy/ gross credits. As we see our masked killer slicing open, then pulling out the stuffing of a teddy bear- before restuffing it with real guts & blood goo- before sewing it up.
We then shift forward to the present-day Sydney, where we are introduced to Miss Victoria (Cate Feldmann), who has been living in the Lodge for the last forty years. Basically, the bank has rung up to say they are going to foreclose unless she gets some money- so she decides to rent it out to six or so female students. And we then get to the next big positive with the film- the soundtrack; it goes from tight pulsing 80’s synth work layered with touches of sax & piano keys, onto more warped and ambient moments- with this great melody line present throughout.
So as we get into the film, we get introduced to our students- and I’m afraid this is the start of the issues with the film. Each of the six or so twentysomethings is drawn so vaguely- one's quiet with a troubled past, one’s slutty/ will sleep with anyone, then the rest are well just there.
The group are chaperoned by two/ three men- who really just leer at them, make crude asides- and really it makes no sense for them to be here, as it goes against the lodge's rules.
And really the rest of the film switches between the rewarding/ good & rather trying/ not great. On the plus side, we have some great shots- like the above pan of Sydney beach, and one of the students walking alongside a swimming pool, as the sun is setting. We have a brutal crucifix stabbing; someone's arm is looped off with a chainsaw ala Tenebrae- but instead of a white wall for the arterial spray, we have a window.
On the negative side- not a lot seems to happen in the middle of the film; the characters' lack of depth meaning you care little or nothing for them, and there’s little resolve regarding who the killer is. There is no doubt that Mr Khachan is a talented director- as he gets some things so right here- but equally the film can be clunky/ bland/ even boring in place making Red Rabbit Lodge the provable mixed bag.
As mentioned earlier, this is a very bare-bones release- and boy, it is, there is not even a trailer. As this is a modern film, the print looks good/ fine thoughout.
In finishing, I’ll certainly keep my eye out for future work from Mr Khachan. As for Red Rabbit Lodge, I’d say if you enjoy more sleazy/ gore laced slasher & giallo- give it a go.