Bitch Ass is a 2022 American crime horror film directed by Bill Posley and starring Tony Todd.[1] It is Posley’s feature directorial debut.[2]
| Bitch Ass | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Bill Posley |
| Written by | Jonathan Colomb Bill Posley |
| Starring | Tony Todd |
| Cinematography | Steven Parker |
| Music by | Joseph Mohan |
Production company | Zebra Kidd Productions |
| Distributed by | Quiver Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot edit
The plot opens with an introduction from the aforementioned Mr Todd who explains that the story of Bitch Ass was lost, and has since been recovered, and that despite what we know of Black Horror, the OG player we’ve yet to meet is the titular ‘Bitch Ass’.
A young boy, raised by his deeply religious Grandmother, and bullied by his peers for his love of boardgames, Cécile is given the cruel moniker ‘Bitch Ass’ by those who would torment him. Fast forward to the 1980s, and upon the death of his grandmother, a local gang of petty thieves’ plan to raid the house, having forgotten about the boy they made life hell for; that is, until they stumble into his ‘game room’.
The film plays out like a reverse home invasion movie, akin to something like ‘Don’t Breathe’, but with the tone and pacing of a straight up slasher movie. Once the film gets going, which mercifully doesn’t take too long at all, the films generic roster of would-be victims are predicably picked off one at a time, and then forced to play some distorted version of a classic boardgame with ‘Bitch Ass’, games such as connect-four and Jenga. Naturally there’s a deadly twist involved, such as the collapse of the Jenga tower triggering a hangman’s noose, and with connect-four, a guillotine.
It makes for a very easy watch, as despite the film’s runtime padded out with many impromptu flashback sequences – which ultimately lean really hard on developing its masked antagonist, indeed to the extent that the film doesn’t really have a protagonist that is worth caring about.
Aside from the obvious setups of Bitch Ass’ ‘games’, the film has some nice visual flourishes, albeit reserved mainly for the key set pieces, such as title slides featuring some little cards of each of the characters in a beat-em-up style loading screen, as well as other comic book stylised graphics used liberally throughout. Equally, accenting the films otherwise typical visual style, are some interesting uses of split-screen, not just in the head-to-head game sequences, but also in some of the backstory sections. None of this adds any value beyond window dressing, but it just adds some visual padding to what is, in all other areas, a very generic no-budget slasher film.
Cast edit
- Tony Todd as Titus Darq
- Sheaun McKinney as Spade
- Tunde Laleye as Bitch Ass
- Me'lisa Sellers as Marsia Gatson
- Teon Kelley as Quentin
- A-F-R-O as Moo
- Kelsey Caesar as Tuck
- Belle Guillory as Cricket
- Jarvis Denman Jr. as Young Cecil
- Tim J. Smith as Bootzs
- Sherri L. Walker-Meriwether as Grandma
Production edit
According to Posley, Clarence Williams III was considered for the role portrayed by Todd.[3]
Release edit
The film premiered on March 14, 2022 at South by Southwest.[4] The film was also shown at the Chattanooga Film Festival in June 2022.[5]
It was announced in June 2022, that Quiver Distribution acquired North American rights to the film, which was released on October 14, 2022.[6][7]
Reception edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's consensus reads: "It's more entertaining in theory than execution, but if you're looking for an amusingly cheesy slasher, Bitch Ass should just about fit the bill."[8]
Carlos Aguilar of IndieWire graded the film a B− and wrote, "Invoking an oft-overlooked canon, actor turned director Bill Posley fabricates a highly entertaining homage to the Black horror of decades past with Bitch Ass..."[9]
Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood gave the film a positive review, calling it "a funny, charming piece of B-horror cinema that has what it takes to stand firm among the many B-movie cult classics."[10]
Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave the film a negative review and wrote, "There's just not enough imagination or tact to make this all unsettling or fun, even though a serial killer named Bitch Ass is a good hook."[11]
Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting and Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central both awarded the film a three out of five score.[12][13]
References edit
- ^ Squires, John (March 15, 2022). "'Bitch Ass' Clip – Tony Todd Plays Horror Host in the SXSW Slasher". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ Hamman, Cody (7 July 2022). "Bitch Ass: slasher movie starring Tony Todd gets an October release date". JoBlo.com. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Ewing, Jeff (April 30, 2022). "How Bill Posley And Jonathan Colomb Created An Innovative New Horror Antagonist In 'Bitch Ass' [Interview]". Forbes. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 14, 2022). "'Bitch Ass' SXSW Clip: 'Candyman' Star Tony Todd Heralds Hollywood's Next Generation Black Horror Stars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Hamman, Cody (May 2, 2022). "Chattanooga Film Festival virtual line-up includes slashers starring Tony Todd, Lew Temple". JoBlo.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Lang, Brent (June 29, 2022). "Quiver Distribution Buys SXSW Horror Favorite 'Bitch Ass' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Squires, John (June 29, 2022). "MOVIESSXSW Slasher Movie 'Bitch Ass' Starring Tony Todd Sets Halloween Release". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Bitch Ass". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (March 15, 2022). "'Bitch Ass' Review: The Black Slasher Canon Gets an Amusingly Gruesome New Entry". IndieWire. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Complex, Valerie (March 20, 2022). "SXSW Quick Cut Reviews: 'Aftershock,' 'Woman On The Outside,' 'Slash/Back,' And 'Bitch Ass'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Allen, Nick (March 16, 2022). "SXSW 2022: Chee$e, Hypochondriac, Bitch Ass". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (March 14, 2022). "'Bitch Ass' SXSW Review – New Masked Killer Creatively Plays With the Slasher Formula". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ McAndrews, Mary Beth (May 3, 2022). "'Bitch Ass' Gives Horror An Iconic New Villain [Panic Fest Review 2022]". Dread Central. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
