An Anomalous Cult Second Installment That Did Not Hold Back
ThanksKilling 3 was released in 2012 and immediately gained notoriety for being one of the most bizarre additions to the horror-comedy genre. Even the tagline was absurd: there was no ThanksKilling 2. And that’s it. The film marketed itself as the only film to skip its sequel. The self-acknowledging humor of the tagline set the tone for the movie. Following was a low effort, chaotic, puppet riddled, fever dream of a movie that followed the Killer Turkey, Turkie, as he tries to destroy every existing copy of the nonexistent ThanksKilling 2.
The absurd, puppet riddled, poorly made humor movie, and its bizarre side plots was more than parody. It was rebellion against the advanced and polished formulas of Hollywood. ThanksKilling 3, being financed through a Kick-starter, and the love of a small indie group, was proud to say it thrived on its outsider identity.
The Faces and Voices Behind the Madness
Aside from being the creative thrust of the film, Jordan Downey, who co-directed and voiced Turkie, started the original ThanksKilling as a college project in 2009 and, much to his surprise, it went viral for its so-bad-it’s-good appeal. For Downey, making ThanksKilling 3 was a way of embracing cult cinema. He was not chasing Hollywood fame. He strived to capture the flaws that, in his opinion, gives the genre its charm. He mirrors many Indian independent filmmakers too, who stretch perepheral bucks with big imagination.
Co-writer Daniel Usaj, for example, helped tweak the tone and added to the loopy, meta-humor of the film. The off-screen puppeteers and voice actors who, even in the depths of anonymity, contributed an almost manic energy to the film. The cast, from the space worm Yomi who’s searching for her mind to bizarre figures like Uncle Donny, dove headfirst into the absurd with a lesson in sincerity: it’s often the daftest of daft moments that make for the most lasting cult followings.
A Narrative That Represents a Folk Story Under the Surface
ThanksKilling 3 is a satire, but its plot is utterly absurd: while Yomi goes on a quest for self, Turkie goes on a murderous spree after copies of a cursed movie. Still, it somehow manages to capture the essence of fears that Indian people can relate to. The concept of a destructive force trying to erase stories is akin to the oral history of the traditions that some villages have managed to sustain despite the ravages of time and power. Yomi’s search for her “mind” is self-explanatory, but it is a theme that rests at the core of several Indian stories and legends.
ThanksKilling 3 is fundamentally the same, mixing absurdity with profound stories, but only to a degree and in a somewhat modernized manner. The film’s puppetry and handmade aesthetics also call to mind India’s own folk traditions, like Kathputli (string puppetry in Rajasthan) or Tholu Bommalata (shadow puppets in Andhra Pradesh). Indulged in humor, as well as, with some fine, moral tales and offended imaginations, the art forms have maintained some decency.
An Indie Oddity Provoked With Buzz
It is not solely due to the film’s rooster that it raised 100,000 dollars on the Kickstarter’s campaign: it’s outrageous marketing of “the first movie to skip its own sequel” has also aided in pulling the film significantly forward, with reports on it pouring in from every part of the world untouched. With the figure’s story as the lens in focus, it’s awe-inspiring for any era.
Discussion about audience takeaways was a mixed bag. On the one hand, several fans of the original cult film anticipated a simplistic and tacky attempt at humor. Others, on the other hand, questioned whether the creators would attempt to elevate the underlying concept. Instead, they received a novelty that was more strange and ambitious – a combination of satire, psychedelic imagery, and puppetry. Through the outrageously bold and bizarre, along with the astonishingly incoherently told, audience reactions diversified. Much like the word-of-mouth exuberance that characterizes Indian B-movies, ThanksKilling 3 carved a niche for itself during late-night screenings, and more recently, along with the growing monstrosity of meme culture, through online forums.
Gaps Between Fans and Reality
For most casual viewers, the focus was so laser-like on the shock humor that they seemed to completely lose sight of the film’s underlying narrative, which was a satire on the all-encompassing society of consumerism, as well as the culture that surrounds it, and the ever-evolving take on media. The inner narrative of the film contains scenes with Turkie, where his fixation on the obliteration of all copies of ThanksKilling 2 personifies the actions of corporations that, due to the obscene nature of the narrative, attempt to erase “uncomfortable” art to gain complete and utter dominance over the narrative. The film’s commercials that intervene the narrative serves to mock the disparity between American culture and the so-called “entertainment” that loses all essence for the sake of profit, and growing concern over global cinema and the Indian film industry.
The puppet designs, as ridiculous as it may be, illustrate the point that talking rapping turkeys and other bizarre figures, along with the crudity of low budget creations, can surpass Hollywood’s glimmering aesthetic reputation with respect to cultural impact. Much like Indian street theater, the naiveté of the production becomes an asset, rather than a flaw, and the charm is insurmountable.
Behind the Puppet Strings
The filming process was anything but glamorous. The crew was forced to create over a dozen puppets by hand, shooting as best as they could with the money they had on Kickstarter, and performing special effects, building sets, and performing post work on a shoestring budget. Downey has mentioned in interviews how some puppets would break mid-scene and they would have to improvise. Others needed multiple puppeteers to work in cramped, chaotic spaces that eerily represented the chaos of the movie’s plot.
Another in the shadows of the world of puppets reason lies the fact that the creators painstakingly crafted hours of footage that, to the displeasure of some, didn’t make the final cut. ThanksKilling 3, as with most of the series, was stitched together in the editing room and put together like a madman with a patchwork quilt. Fans that delved into the extras on the DVDs seemed surprised that the versions of the films released lacked a great deal of the unusual footage.
When Indie Hustle Meets Cultural Resonance
The crew and cast viewed ThanksKilling 3 as more than just the next sequel in the series. To them, it was a bold means to snatch a piece of history for themselves. The film’s journey is all the more impactful considering the case of independent filmmaking in India which is almost reliant on crowdfunded and guerrilla style shooting. In contrast to the creators delving into the project with a need to impress, the movie had a genuine sense of excitement in it. The film was a testament to the sheer fact that films have the ability to go beyond studio boundaries and star driven narratives if only they are crafted with passion, a community, and ever readiness to embrace strangeness.
For audiences, the movie evolved beyond a mere a midnight joke. It became a cult artifact – a film that one friends dares another to watch, a movie that incites secret conversations on the intersection of art, business, and self buried under layers of kitschy comedy.
Absurd and meaningful, the turkey tale ThanksKilling 3, like a Kathputli performance, offers insight that is buried under layers of seeming nonsense. Puppets in her shows dance, clash, and share truths she does not express.
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