Director: Todd Nunes
Year: 2015
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: A Nightmare Christmas
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Agreeing to help out a neighbor, a woman and her friends agree to spend the night at the house finishing the Christmas decorations which causes them to stumble upon a maniac in a Santa costume rampaging through the area killing everyone he meets including them, forcing the group to try to get away.
Review:
There was a lot to like with this one. One of the strongest aspects to like here is the fact that the seasonal holiday takes a very large and prominent part of the film. Not only is the killer decked out in a truly creepy and impressive Santa mask and beard that looks incredibly imposing, but the continuous use of decorations and lighting makes for a wholly immersive holiday feel that truly brings the setting to life. With all the lights strung up along the inside and outside of the houses but all the inflatable’s, dolls and ornaments decked out everywhere, there’s a fun holiday atmosphere to go along with the manner of deaths being committed by a clever and disturbing use of seasonal objects being turned into weaponry as well as the continuous music pumped out throughout the scenes.
As well, the film has a lot to really like with the general slasher setpieces in theory. The idea of the killer walking around with that mask and outfit adds an eeriness to them that matches the brutality factor quite well as the weapon of choice being hedge clippers adds a nasty edge to everything. When it comes to the stalking scenes, the film is exceptionally enjoyable with drawn-out sequences including the opening ambush on the babysitter, a brutal double-killing of the couple relaxing in the bedroom, another couple getting frisky while attempting role-play in their bedroom and the attack on the friends left looking after the house as they each get splendid sequences. With a stellar finale that gives the film a darker turn than most slashers go for including some fantastic twists and outcomes alongside the great gore, there’s plenty to enjoy here.
There isn’t much really wrong with this one. Most of the film’s troublesome areas are due to the rather silly concepts for the death scenes that come off somewhat comical in the way they’re carried out. Rather than screaming in terror, running away or trying to defend themselves as all options would be far more helpful, the characters here tend to simply react with incredulity when presented with the killer’s handiwork or the killer himself. These are quite hilarious to watch play out in that manner which causes them to feel far less intimidating than they really should be based on the gruesome actions on display beforehand.
The only other issue here is the rather complex backstory for the characters that adds more to this than necessary. Focusing as heavily as it does on the relationship not only between the girl and her boyfriend is increasingly cloying and guaranteed to put him in jeopardy for no reason into the situation as there’s nothing brought up that adds anything to the story that couldn’t come from the later confrontations. The backstory itself is also completely unneeded, rendering what could’ve been a chilling effort about a mysterious killer targeting a woman and her friends with useless overly complex nonsense about secret affairs, mysterious alliances and a twist that feels completely unnecessary as the idea of what transpires removes so much of the impact from what came simply for the shock of it happening to surprise everyone. These here are what hold this one down.
Overview: ***.5/5
While it stumbles somewhat slightly in the third act with some twists and actions that aren’t really needed, the rest of the film is a fun, brutal fast-paced slasher with plenty of holiday cheer and setups. This is really recommended for hardcore holiday horror fans or those looking for a fun-filled slasher while those turned off by the flaws should heed caution.
Comments
Post a Comment