KETCHUP ON WAFFLES (2025)

New On Demand on Amazon Prime from Cranked Up Films!
Directed/Written by John Theissen Jr.
Check out the
trailer here!!

A trio of masked teenagers only identified as the color of their masks; Red, White, and Blue, invade a small diner with guns and a video camera.

The film begins with a warning that the following film contains some fucked up shit and they weren’t lying. KETCHUP ON WAFFLES is about as disturbing as they come as a trio of kids take their frustrations out on a diner full of people in violent and extremely disturbing ways. This isn’t Hollywood cleaned-up violence. This is savage and right up in your face with it.

Usually, I steer clear of these extreme horror films as they feel too real and often, makes me wonder if the cast and crew aren’t just getting off on what they are doing a bit too much. There is a perverse nature to KETCHUP ON WAFFLES, but amongst the violence and depravity, I feel director John Theissen Jr. might actually be saying something. First and foremost, the colors of the flag are represented in the three masks the kids wear. It feels like Theissen is saying this is the youth of America. Look at them. They are impulsive. Violent. Monstrous and selfish. They film everything they do with a video camera and most likely will callously post these heinous acts online. This is what America, with its media obsessed culture and screen babysitters have produced. This is the next generation of America.

These themes are supported in a later monologue where White has a sort of monologue where he says a lot of stuff we’ve seen in other films before, specifically NATURAL BORN KILLERS and the Joker’s motivation from THE DARK KNIGHT, about the media’s influence on the populace, chaos vs order, disruption, and even talks about who should play him in the movie made from these events. It’s a decent monologue, but nothing particularly fresh or new.

Out of all of the actors in KETCHUP ON WAFFLES, Ian O’Boyle who plays White is the true standout. Even with his mask on, he has an intensity and conviction to his words that isn’t really seen in most actors this young. The final monologue O’Boyle gives is a few minutes too long, but it is apparent that the guy has chops. And while this may not be a movie he will want to be known for, O’Boyle does give a memorable performance that elevates the film quite a bit.

But I don’t think I can stress this enough; this movie is bruuuuu-talll. KETCHUP ON WAFFLES is a heinous, offensive, and unapologetically crude movie that is going to be too much for most viewers, but nevertheless, it seems to have something to say, and I can sift through the carnage to appreciate that. Recommended but no joke, steel yourself before you watch this one.