Chainsaws Were Singing, an Estonian film that screened at the 2024 Fantasia Film Fest, is the smartest, funniest, goopiest horror musical since Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Cannibal! The Musical. Filled with slapstick and running jokes, Chainsaws Were Singing attacks the slasher genre with open arms and a whimsical side eye, slapping standard story beats into something hilarious, jaw-dropping, and memorably silly.
Tom (Karl Ilves) is ready to end it all by leaping off a nearby bridge into the shallow waters below, much to the chagrin of the fishermen beneath him. His suicidal plans are disrupted by the sudden appearance of the beautiful Maria (Laura Nils). Maria has had a terrible day and wants to be alone. Tom is immediately smitten, and he pulls Maria out of her funk. As they spend a pastoral day together, Maria is abducted by Killer (Martin Ruus). With the help of the annoying Jaan (Janno Puusepp), Tom chases after Killer to rescue Maria from a terrible fate.
That doesn’t sound funny, but it is. Writer/director/photographer/editor/composer Sander Maran fills every sequence with sight gags and clever dialogue. In one scene, a bloody Killer pours water over his head in an attempt to clean up. In the next shot, we see Killer’s white van which is almost completely covered in blood. Killer throws a little water on the window and tries to wipe off the gore with his hand. It’s a hopeless endeavor, reminiscent of Buster Keaton bits.
Every musical needs memorable songs and Chainsaws Were Singing delivers. Maria’s love song about Tom focuses on his least attractive features, including his “completely unshaven pubic area.” Killer has the most heart-rending songs about his terrible childhood and how he grew up to be a cannibalistic chainsaw killer. But nothing prepares the audience for the funniest song ever written about bukkake. If you don’t know what that is, wait until you get home to Google it.
Chainsaws Were Singing took more than a decade for Maran to complete. As a result, the movie is a fine-tuned singular vision. Even with a running time of almost two hours, Chainsaws Were Singing zings along through scenes of realistic menace and eye-popping absurdity. It’s hard to imagine what madness was removed from the final cut.
In a different era, Chainsaws Were Singing would have been prime material for the midnight movie circuit. Although the film is in Estonian, English-speaking audiences may find themselves singing along, poorly and phonetically, with the songs. This movie needs to be seen more than once, memorized as well as possible, and then quoted in public to people who have no idea of the context. It’s that much fun.
If you consider gallons of fake blood and exploding vehicles to be joyous, then Chainsaws Were Singing is the movie for you. Decidedly unserious, Chainsaws Were Singing kicks any arthouse aspirations to the curb. It’s an insane combination of Grease and H.G. Lewis movies. Most importantly, Chainsaws Were Singing is unafraid in its approach to the subject matter, throwing shit against the screen to see what sticks.
Filled with references to horror movies like (obviously) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Wrong Turn, and House of 1,000 Corpses, Chainsaws Were Singing is a glorious tribute to the genre. Add wonderful songs to that mix, and you have a movie that revels in its silliness.
Chainsaws Were Singing is nothing but fun. So far, it’s the best movie I’ve seen from this year’s Fantastic Fest. Here’s hoping the film gets picked up for wider distribution. [I wouldn’t be mad about a 4K Blu-ray for my collection.] Chainsaws Were Singing deserves to be a phenomenon.
Chainsaws Were Singing received its International Premiere on July 23 at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. The film received a Special Jury Mention in the New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature at the festival. For all our Fantasia coverage, watch this space!
