Cee S
Hanky Panky is an alien, horror, comedy movie written and co-directed by Nick Roth in 2023.
A group of people meet at a cabin in the snowy forest. At first appearance it seems like Sam is the weirdest one in the group. Then Sam meets Dr. Crane, who is not a doctor at all, but an unemployed wine aficionado that walks around in a robe and slippers. As the movie unfolds, you realize that Sam may be the only sane person amongst the group. The audience finds out that Sam’s talking handkerchief in not a hallucination at all. It’s an alien that likes to clean.
Hanky Panky has a wild group of eclectic characters that will entertain you. This is a fun, low budget movie to watch when it’s cold outside.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/31/25
Full Review
Kelly K
Hanky Panky was a really fun watch! I wasn’t sure what to expect from a talking hankerchief, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first I was a little jarred that the whole movie would have a handkerchief be a main character, but he quickly grew on me. I think a huge part of what made this movie is all of the actors' chemistry with each other. Specifically, I think this showed in the scene where they are all gathered in the basement slapping each other. Sam’s first slap is shocking and comical and leads to a hilarious bit between the whole cast. Lilith’s random “hideous deform[ity]” was an element I didn’t expect, but somehow still fit the funky vibe of the movie. The highlight of this film was the fight scene at the end with the video game style editing. I’m not sure how, but I was heavily invested in a fight between a handkerchief and a top hat. The sound effects of the hankerchief punching the hat and the length of the fight were absolutely hilarious and I still wish I got more despite how long that scene was. Also, even though a lot was happening in the supernatural sense with this film, it was still easy to follow. Also, upon watching it a second time, I appreciated the dialoge even more. The witty dialogue at the beginning that implies what we were going to get for the rest of the movie was missed on my first watch as I was trying to understand what was going to happen since Sam’s character was undiscovered. Overall, I watched this two times and would watch it again. It was wacky with clever humor that is appreciated more upon rewatching.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
12/21/24
Full Review
Avery C
This movie is more comedy than horror, using the horror genre as a backdrop for talking handkerchiefs and evil hats. It follows classic horror tropes where unlikable characters die, and the likable ones survive. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but it’s an entertaining 90 minutes. The main character is awkward but charming, and his napkin friend, though cartoonish, fits with the film's quirky vibe. From the beginning, I knew it would be a funny ride, especially when the handkerchief gets excited about cleaning spills. The characters are weird and awkward, and while the acting starts off rough, it gets better as the movie goes on.
The film is clearly low-budget, but it leans into that with cheesy special effects and surprisingly creative shots. The final fight between the handkerchief and the hat was ridiculous but funny, even though it felt unnecessarily long and out of place. The film’s random and oddball nature left me questioning what the point even was, but I still found it amusing. The camera work wasn’t great, and the ending felt rushed, but the performances, especially from the main character and Carla, stood out. Carla, while unlikable, earned some sympathy by the end.
Overall, it’s a bizarre, all-over-the-place film that somehow works. I wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch it, but if you’re into strange, low-budget comedies with quirky characters, it’s worth seeing at least once.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
12/21/24
Full Review
Javier M
I went into this with not many expectations or knowledge of this prior to my viewing aside that it fit into the horror/comedy genre. Though, upon watching this for the very first time ever, I was really entertained! Undoubtedly, some of my favorite scenes revolved around Sam and Woody the cloth, they are extremely humorous and kind of remind me of an Eddie Brock/Venom type of friendship, a love/hate relationship where much of the humor within this film comes from. However, Sam turns to Woody when they need him the most as they need answers as to what he overheard being said during the dinner. One of my favorite scenes was when everyone was just slapping each other, as Sam put it, he thought it was being done if someone was starting to seem crazy. I also love how they think it’s Kelly all because she dug up and buried an expensive jacket, the rest of the members need only a small amount of convincing to think it’s her even though she’s actually an undercover agent. I believe that her death scene is actually done pretty great, especially at the end when she tells everyone that it wasn’t her at all. Also, the whole Diane and Cliff subplot was pretty fun, especially when they appeared to be tripping out. Seth Green as the hat was also pretty funny, especially his voice. I just love how it doesn’t take itself so seriously and watching this is a pretty good experience, the film's humor tends to land for a good chunk of the film. Its horror elements also land, moments of tension, my favorite one is right at the beginning when Sam is the first one to arrive, the door to the cabin opens and you’d expect some sort of jumpscare but it’s just someone else also arriving. It’s decent for what it is, the main highlight for me personally is the duo of Sam and Woody.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
12/20/24
Full Review
Miriam F
Hanky Panky (Dir. Nick Roth and Lindsey Haun) is a horror comedy centered around Sam, an introverted young man who accidentally gets invited into a trip at a cabin with some other unique individuals. Strange things start happening at the cabin and when Sam’s best friend, a talking napkin by the name of Woody, overhears that there is possible danger, everything starts spiraling down. Hanky Panky is a fun watch and isn’t as horrific as other films because it relies on comedy for most of the story. Out of all the characters I believe Woody to be the most comedic and therefore appealing which is funny because he’s a napkin. The group of people assembled at the cabin offer a variety of personalities. There’s Diane the free spirited kind person, Carla who is bitter and over everyone, Sam the awkward guy, and Dr.Crane who according to Carla, spent so much time in school to avoid getting a real job. Aside from the bloodshed and lighthearted jokes, this film briefly touches upon real issues such as the loss of a loved one and relationship problems which Carla and her boyfriend Cliff were experiencing which for a few split seconds made me forget what I was watching, in a good way. Another aspect of this film that I enjoyed was how the extraterrestrial hat, in other words the villain, developed features as it continued to kill people. For example the peacock feathers for eyes and the mouth on the edge of the hat. Overall, Hanky Panky was a fun film to watch and I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in horror comedy.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
12/20/24
Full Review
Eliza B
The film is much more comedy than horror, the horror genre essentially a satirical backdrop for the premise of talking handkerchiefs and evil hats. The film follows many classic horror tropes, the unlikeable characters die and the most likeable characters live. Is this the most groundbreaking film ever? No. But it is an entertaining hour and a half. The main character is likeable albeit awkward which contributes to his charm. His napkin friend is somewhat cartoonish but the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and the napkin oddly fits in with the eccentric cast of characters. The technical aspects of the film are surprising, there are some creative and well thought out shots, but it is clearly a low budget film. The film embraces its status and goes all out, leaning into cheesy special effects. Most of these effects can be dismissed due to the budget but the final fight between the napkin and the hat felt unnecessarily long. It’s an amusing premise but the result feels too out of place. In spite of that, the story holds up and the characters are interesting. The acting is surprising, the main character and Carla are especially good. The main character is awkward in his interactions with other characters, but that is part of his charm. Carla is successfully unlikeable but garnered enough sympathy from me that I kind of hoped that she would fix her marriage. Overall, the film is entertaining and most of the comedy strikes, making for a successful film.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
12/20/24
Full Review
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