Back in February, we passed along the news that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Syfy will be bringing us a new original film based on the cult favorite children's series The Banana Splits... but with a horror twist. And today we have word that the film will be going full-tilt boogie with the horror as the MPAA has just slapped the movie with an R-rating for "horror violence and gore."

The upcoming horror thriller centers on a boy named Harley who attends a taping of The Banana Splits TV show with his brother Austin, mother Beth, and father, Mitch. It was supposed to be business as usual for the producer of the series, Rebecca, and a fun-filled birthday for young Harley. But things take an unexpected turn - evidently filled with horror violence and gore - and fittingly the body count quickly rises. Will Harley and company survive? And if so, what will be left of them? I guess we'll have to find out later this year.

The characters were first introduced back in 1968 as the anthropomorphic hosts of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour variety program. The costumed hosts of the show were a beagle named Fleegle who played guitar and provided vocals, a gorilla named Bingo who played the drums, a lion named Drooper who played the bass, and an elephant named Snorky or "Snork" who handled the band's keyboards and effects. The characters were created for Hanna-Barbera by the Krofft Brothers and the live-action/animated NBC show originally aired from 1968-70 producing 31 episodes altogether.

Now while I'm by no means familiar with this property, as a fan of Five Nights at Freddy's, I can't help but see the comparisons. I'm sure you understand them too. But that said, this movie is not that story and thus should not be judged as such. I say we all just make room for this movie to finally hit later this year and make a night of it. I mean how can a flick about a bunch of scary-ass kid's show host running amuck - with horror violence and gore to boot - be a waste of time, am I right? Exactly. So I don't know about you, but I'm entirely on board with this horror version of The Banana Splits. At least it will do until the powers behind the scenes on that planned Five Nights at Freddy's movie can get their act together.

Level 16 director Danishka Esterhazy is at the helm of this horror adventure from a screenplay written by Raven's Home screenwriters Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas. The revival stars Dani Kind (Wynonna Earp) as Beth, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong (The Kindness of Strangers), Romeo Carere as Austin, Steve Lund (Schitt's Creek) as Mitch, and Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries) as Rebecca. Blue Ribbon Content produced this The Banana Splits revival in association with SYFY and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The original movie will hit home video via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment later this year and will be followed by the television debut on Syfy. This update comes to us via the MPAA.