Ketchup on Waffles

Violence Served with a Delicious Side of Sauce.

I’d had this movie on my watchlist for so long and now that I’ve finally watched it…

Luckily it didn’t disappoint me.

The debut feature of John Theissen Jr. is a

perfect mix of “August Underground,” “Hate Crime,” “Funny Games,” and a hint of “A Clockwork Orange” for its rawness, home-invasion chaos, and performative violence.

It’s not usual for me to use so many references, but despite having seen so many movies in one, the director does an amazing job of not presenting them as simple copies or recreations. “Ketchup on Waffles” has its own identity.

And if you think pineapples on pizza is a wild combination, ketchup on waffles sounds even more disgusting.

But food tastes aside, and with its ironic and catchy title, “Ketchup on Waffles” is not really a movie about food, even if it is mostly located inside an American diner. It follows three masked psychotic guys terrorising customers late on a Friday… just for fun.

A place of comfort where everyday normality feels familiar, until it slowly becomes a space of intrusive chaos and senseless violence, making the audience feel like there is no real safe place. Safe spaces turn into places where anything can happen.

Most of the violent acts are shot off-screen. We don’t really see much, but we definitely feel the tension and brutality, mixed with an effective dark humour that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.

Despite the low budget, the movie doesn’t suffer from it, instead it becomes part of its strength, along with very solid acting.

Ian O’Boyle as The White plays a perfect balance between a problematic but charismatic character, whose behaviour feels far more disturbing than a typical extreme horror antagonist.

On the other hand, we have Abby (on a first date with a guy and the first one to encounter the trio) played by Czarissa Moreno, who brings a natural vulnerability and innocence. Her initial naive impression of these guys slowly shifts, until violence feels even more uncomfortable.

The colours of the title (blue, white and red) and the villains’ masks clearly reference the American flag, suggesting a corrupted version of a failed system.

Along with that, the main colour of the movie is a saturated yellow, creating a hostile and uneasy atmosphere that blends well with the black and white of the post-accident interview.

The movie never aims to explicitly state its intentions, and I think the director prefers to leave it open to interpretation, through its imagery and the setting of a socially familiar but emotionally detached space.

Even if we don’t know the real reason behind the violent acts these three guys are planning, and that uncertainty is what makes it unsettling, there is still a subtle critique of a system that pushes you to get educated, find a job, and follow a fairytale life we are raised to believe in, and the frustration that comes with being excluded from it.

Is it flawless? Absolutely not, but that is probably part of its strength. The found-footage-like feel, and the refusal to over-explain things make it a movie you can enjoy and maybe leave thinking about it after.

The intro with its enigmatic words on screen and its ending monologue create a clear narrative thread underneath the violence. The movie is more interested in exploring the atmosphere of alienation, anger, and social decay that surrounds these characters.

“Ketchup on Waffles” is a perversion of a classic American breakfast comfort food—just like the villains are a perversion of the American Dream.

A deeply unsettling debut, John Theissen Jr.’s film leaves a lingering, bitter aftertaste that stays with you, forcing you to look into the darker side of modern social decay.