Another horror film rendition based on a nostalgic childhood character (this time, it’s Minnie Mouse) and what can I say? I’m hooked on these whimsical and twisted versions of our beloved little heroes. Can sweet little Minnie be transformed into a monstrously evil mouse with diabolical intentions through blood curdling evil torture? Just watch. And bring the popcorn.  

Young Winnie is frantically attempting to escape a small group of menacing girls (and one boy), chasing her down a suburban street to continue their daily bullying tactics on their favorite “outcast” …the school freak. The oddball. The one who deserves to be targeted and tormented for their own self-serving delight. It’s reprehensible to watch these three ‘mean girls’ dump out her backpack and force her into a bomb shelter where she will be locked in…and presumed dead by everyone in town. Even with a brief glimpse of the token boy Will’s remorse, he treks on with the popular posse and puts this terrible offense in the back burner of his brain.  

Twenty years later, the same gang (Evie, Honey, Bell and Will) are still best buds who decide to celebrate decades of friendship with a glamping weekend away. Over tons of alcohol, a scary movie and several “rumors” debunked (Is Evie a lesbian?), they uncover some regret and extreme guilt when thoughts of Winnie trigger nightmares and slight hallucinations. Well, for two of them at least. While Bell and Will discuss the awful ramifications of their crime with heartbreak, Honey and Evie continue their party-girl ways without care in the world. Typical queen bee fashion to be so dismissive after “accidentally” killing a classmate.  

So, what happened to that frightened 7th grader once the bunker became her tomb? Surrounded by hundreds of red-eyed rats and plenty of time on her hands, the troublemaking teen clique had unknowingly created a vengeful monster. A monster MOUSE! Minnie developed with accompaniments of a cheap mask, a tulle tutu, frilled bloomers and the flair of her childhood spirit still intact. This newborn vicious “animal” makes it her mission to hunt, stalk and frolic through some of the most vicious attacks in barbaric, deadly motion.  

Minnie’s Midnight Massacre is a low-budget simplistic story based on the adage, an eye for an eye. Vengeance is hers, and she playfully appears in animated elation with pure joy behind the crude façade of a beloved creature who would otherwise be spreading happiness. Instead, in her perfectly timed silence and mousy way (yes, I went there!), Minnie is coy, methodical and elated with every stab of her knife. Do we cheer for this maniacal mouse, or do we condemn her for the gleeful brutality she enjoys inflicting onto her once-upon-a-time tormentors? I’ll leave that in your hands, but continue to smile through this guilty pleasure, nonetheless. You don’t mess with Minnie!