‘The Banana Splits’ Are Being Rebooted As A Horror Film

Tra la la, la la la la, tra la la, la la la la…

If you’re old enough to know who the original Banana Splits are, I have now hopefully gotten the original show’s theme song stuck in your head. For those of you unfamiliar with the 60’s Kroft brothers series, keep reading.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and SYFY are reportedly bringing back “The Banana Splits.” The original series ran from 1968-1970 and featured an anthropomorphic musical group who hosted a kids variety show. Though the show lasted only two seasons, it would set the stage for future series from the Kroft brothers you’ve likely heard of like “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “The Bugaloos.”

But Warner and SYFY is taking the series in a very new direction. Rather than being a group of fun-loving musical animals that look straight out of an acid trip, the property will return as a horror thriller.

According to Deadline, The Banana Splits will debut initially as an original movie released via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment that will be followed a debut on SYFY. The show’s synopsis is as follows:

“In the upcoming horror thriller, a boy named Harley and his family (brother Austin, mother Beth, and father Mitch) attend a taping of The Banana Splits TV show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for Rebecca, the producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn — and the body count quickly rises. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape?”

The Banana Splits revival stars Dani Kind (Wyonna Earp) as Beth; Finlay Wojtak-Hissong (The Kindness of Strangers) as Harley; Romeo Carere as Austin, Steve Lund (Schitt’s Creek) as Mitch, and Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries) as Rebecca. Danishka Esterhazy (Level 16) is directing the horror project from a script by Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas (Raven’s Home).

I’ll be the first to admit the concept is a bizarre one, but in a world where “Five Nights at Freddy’s” a game that basically turns the idea of a Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant into a total nightmare, I guess this is doesn’t feel that far off.