CTVA 215 Week 14 - Hanky Panky (2023)
Hanky Panky, a film written and directed by my own professor Nick Roth, is both a deeply silly and absurd horror-comedy and an insightful look into the process of making and releasing an independent film. This is my second time watching this film, and both times I’ve learned a lot about what goes into the films I consume every week. So many film classes, particularly a class on cult cinema, is spent questioning why certain decisions were made and trying to get into the heads of the filmmakers as they’re creating their work. Watching a film written and directed by my own professor has been a unique opportunity to learn about the creative decisions that went into making this film, as well as first hand accounts as to what goes into selling and distributing an independent film in the modern industry landscape.
Hanky Panky is a film that knows what it is at its core. While much of the story was figured out during shooting and editing, Hanky Panky knows that it is a deeply polarizing and deeply silly film. Any film about a sentient napkin who’s turned on by cleaning messes and has to defeat an evil Seth Greene-voiced top hat knows it’s going to be polarizing and silly. This film may not have the strongest technical craft or the most coherent plot, but for a dozen people shooting a film over 3 weeks in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, the passion and skill on display is apparent. The writing and performances go a long way in making every character memorable. The influences from films like The Shining and Clue work together in a way to make something very fun and unique without feeling like a direct parody or homage (for the most part, The Shining’s font being used for the credits is a nice touch). It’s a film meant to appeal to a small audience with the same tastes and sense of humor as the people who made the film, and I hope through its streaming release that Hanky Panky is finding that small audience. Even if the filmmakers weren’t trying to make a cult film, their determination to make a film that a few people will absolutely love and connect with, regardless of what everyone else thinks, is arguably the essence of what cult cinema is at its core.