It’s beginning to look a lot like nonsense.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when low-budget filmmaking meets unhinged holiday absurdity, Killer Raccoons! 2! Dark Christmas in the Dark! is your answer. This self-aware, gloriously ridiculous sequel isn’t just a movie—it’s on a mission to entertain anyone who dares to press play. It knows exactly what it is: a bonkers parody that mixes Christmas tropes, B-movie creature features, and an unapologetic love for action flick clichés.
The plot is as absurd as the title suggests. Set ten years after the events of the original Coons! Night of the Bandits of the Night, the film follows Casey Smallwood (Yang Miller), a freshly released ex-con who finds himself on a train hijacked by none other than militant, cybernetically enhanced raccoons. The train’s passengers—a motley crew of holiday travellers, corrupt politicians, and clueless security personnel—must work together to survive as the raccoons unleash their Christmas-themed terror.
The film leans heavily into its parody roots, taking aim at everything from Die Hard to Under Siege to holiday classics like Home Alone. The dialogue is packed with cheesy one-liners, the performances are intentionally over-the-top, and the special effects—while hilariously low-budget—are charmingly inventive. The raccoons themselves, brought to life with a mix of puppetry and CGI, are as delightfully absurd as you’d hope, with glowing red eyes and a thirst for chaos that borders on maniacal.
What makes Killer Raccoons! 2! work is its commitment to its own madness. Writer/ Director Travis Irvine knows exactly what kind of movie he’s making and doesn’t waste a second pretending otherwise. The pacing is brisk, the jokes come fast and loose, and the sheer audacity of the film’s set pieces—such as a fight sequence involving weaponised candy canes—keeps the energy high.
The cast throws themselves into the silliness with gusto. Yang Miller’s Casey is a perfect parody of the grizzled action hero, delivering his lines with deadpan seriousness that contrasts hilariously with the film’s ludicrous premise. Supporting players like Zach Riedmaier as Doctor Billington and Ron Lynch as General Negligence add extra layers of comedic chaos.
Of course, this kind of film isn’t without some glaring flaws. The humour is hit-or-miss, with some gags landing perfectly and others dragging on too long. The plot is deliberately nonsensical, which adds to the fun but might test the patience of anyone looking for even a hint of logic. And while the low-budget charm is part of the appeal, it’s undeniable that some of the effects and production choices veer so far into outright amateur territory, it’s almost auteur territory.
Still, Killer Raccoons! 2! Dark Christmas in the Dark isn’t here to win awards or make a profound statement. It’s here to entertain, and it does so with wild abandon. For fans of absurdist humour, B-movie antics, and holiday films that break every rule, this is one Christmas ride worth hopping aboard. Just don’t expect to look at raccoons—or train journeys home for Christmas—the same way again.
