Bloody Knuckles is the outrageous debut feature film from writer/director Matt O’Mahoney. Consider it Idle Hands for the indie horror crowd, who like their violence bold and bloody and their humor vulgar. It’s an assured debut with a remarkably talented cast (despite their inexperience). Though rough around the edges, Bloody Knuckles is definitely one of the crowd pleasers coming out of Fantasia.

Not simply a bonkers horror comedy, the film also delivers a strong moral: don’t draw an underground comic about a Chinese crime lord or you’ll get your hand severed with a portable band saw. Keep that in mind, kiddies. That’s the tough lesson learned by Travis (Adam Boys), the pervert behind the offensive comic “Vulgar Invasions.” His latest issue catches the eye of Leonard Fong, a ruthless businessman and the head of a violent street gang.

One of my favorite parts of the movie are the gang members, who seemed ripped out of an ’80s movie, meaning they look awesome decked out in tank tops, bandanas, and other street misfit accoutrement. One of them even wears chainmail!

Fong doesn’t like what he sees in Travis’ comic, so he has him abducted and saws off his good hand. The severed hand is thrown into the sewer and Travis is left physically and emotionally crippled. He turns to malt liquor (a lot of it) for comfort. After one particularly drunken night out, his lost appendage returns to persuade Travis to get revenge on Fong and continue work on “Vulgar Invasions.” With a crude mind of its own, Travis’ undead hand is a friend and an enemy, always with the best intentions in mind (maybe).

Some of the funniest scenes involve Travis arguing with his hand, including great use of a text to speech program and a wicked kitchen fight. The effects for the hand look terrific too (think Thing from the Addams Family). The humor is a finely tuned blend of absurd, gross, and (at times) clever, though at times Bloody Knuckles goes a bit over-the-top for my tastes. For instance there’s a character that’s like Lord Humungus’ homosexual brother. He plays a major role late in the film and was a tad too goofy for me. But hey, that’s just me. I’m sure a lot of people will get a kick outta him. Some of the other gags felt like they were trying too hard to offend, but overall the humor consistently hits hard.

Aside from the gory and funny aspects, Bloody Knuckles has a tender story to tell in its heart. Travis’ relationship with his stepbrother is genuinely endearing as is his blossoming romance with a young journalist doing a story on his comic. Although the human relationships in the film are fully realized, its take on censorship feels kinda superficial, as Travis comes under fire for the content of his comic. I’m not familiar with censorship issues in Canada (where the film’s from), maybe there’s some struggle with free speech suppression up north I’m unaware of, so I could be wrong.

Regardless of its small blemishes, Bloody Knuckles is a satisfying, bloody, and funny tale of friendship and revenge.