‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Slays With Bloody Holiday Fun

We take our love of horror movies critically round these components, and that features all its varied types, tones, and subgenres. On that final level, we now have a selected curiosity in Christmas horror motion pictures — we even ranked over 100 of them as a present from us to you! Each 12 months sees new entries, and whereas most are forgettable direct-to-video motion pictures (The Mean One, Curse of Jack Frost) and the one large theatrical launch is arguably not even horror (Violent Night), there’s nonetheless a transparent winner for 2022’s vacation season. Modern day grindhouse auteur Joe Begos delivers his greatest movie but with Christmas Bloody Christmas, a relentlessly aggressive story of a robotic santa with its wires crossed. Bad for the residents of a small city, completely fucking nice for followers of vacation horror.

It’s Christmas Eve in a small, snowy city, and whereas most individuals are heat and comfortable in mattress, a number of stragglers are nonetheless out and about. Tori (Riley Dandy) and her coworker Robbie (Sam Delich) shut their file store for the night time and chase it with some fleshy shenanigans, however issues take a flip when she sees a unique form of naughtiness subsequent door. It appears the RoboSanta Plus — a military-grade robotic repurposed to interchange degenerate mall santas this vacation season — is in want of a recall. The one stationed on the city’s toy retailer has come to life with a singular objective, and it doesn’t bode properly for anybody hoping to nonetheless be respiratory come Christmas morning.

Begos’ love of neon lighting finds the right setting in a small city dressed for Christmas — an absolute get for a micro-budgeted horror movie, so kudos to all concerned (together with artwork director Elliott Gilbert and manufacturing designer Adam Dietrich. It’s each becoming and appears unbelievable because the empty shops, quiet houses, and snowy, night time time streets are drenched in reds, greens, purples, and extra. Even higher for the Christmas horror subgenre, the bulbs and set-dressing are all onscreen guaranteeing Christmas Bloody Christmas is slathered in vacation spirit with each body. The mix of neon colours and lo-fi filmmaking make for a gritty, Christmas Eve sleigh trip that wastes no time attending to the great things.

Real discuss, this factor cooks. We know all we have to know concerning the Robo Santa within the first couple of minutes, we’re launched to the small ensemble in quick vogue, and shortly sufficient our killer santa is cleaving somebody in half with an axe. Heads are smashed and splashed, faces are violated to murderous levels, and our bodies are tossed by means of the air with careless abandon. This is not any low-key slasher, although, as Begos maximizes his minimal price range to pair the bloody violence with sudden motion set-pieces and stunts.

Christmas Bloody Christmas is the Terminator vacation particular you didn’t know you wanted. RoboSanta’s human facade (Abraham Benrubi) takes a beating thanks partially to Tori’s offended dedication, and shortly the steel skeleton and neon wiring (after all!) begin peaking by means of. The eventual animatronics discover satisfying life by means of minor robotics and good angles/modifying, and so they enable this unhealthy santa to maintain on trucking lengthy after a mere mortal would have referred to as it quits.

To be truthful, Tori is not any mere mortal both. Well, she is, however good gravy does she take a beating in her struggle on Christmas. Dandy makes for one hell of a ultimate lady and does the style proud as a micro-budgeted Sarah Connor. She additionally shines even earlier than the shit hits the fan showcasing sharp comedian supply and a fun-loving, R-rated charisma. If this low-budget horror profession doesn’t work out for Begos, he would possibly even have a future in romantic comedies for adults.

Begos’ script — he additionally produced, cameos as a poor sap who will get his head break up, and animates the movie’s credit — has enjoyable with fast-talking banter and film ideas (together with a stable Blumhouse slam). Christmas Bloody Christmas even makes time to hitch the #acab fray with its mixture of clueless cops (Jeff Daniel Phillips, Jeremy Gardner) who deal with Tori unfairly within the warmth of the second. Once issues kick off, Begos is sensible sufficient to maintain dialogue to a minimal and easily let the motion and carnage move to nice impact.

Christmas Bloody Christmas is an aggressively enjoyable time. It could also be gentle on fancy frills, however there’s no scarcity of true thrills right here for followers of bloody motion. Begos delivers so much on his tiny price range due to skills each onscreen and off — Steve Moore‘s killer synth score and Brian Sowell‘s handheld cinematography add to the film’s attractively uncooked however trendy vibe — with the consequence being a quick and enjoyable slice of Christmas horror carried out proper.

Related Topics: Christmas horror, Horror

Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since earlier than you had been born, which is bizarre seeing as he is so rattling younger. He’s our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists ‘Broadcast News’ as his favourite movie of all time. Feel free to say hello if you happen to see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.