HO-HO-HORROR FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Christmas Evil (1980)

Running Time: 100 minutes

Release Date: November 1980

Review by: Stacey

 

A majority of the Christmas horror films on my list to watch this month are ones that are mostly obscure and first-time watches for me.  That brings us to the cult classic, Christmas Evil (or You Better Watch Out OR Terror in Toyland), which actually featured a deranged, killer Santa Claus BEFORE Silent Night, Deadly Night.  Released on DVD by Troma films in 2000, I wasn't quite sure what to expect other than a typical holiday slasher.  John Waters has actually stated that this is the greatest Christmas movie ever made and whatever that dude backs, I back.

Every Christmas Eve, alongside his mother and brother, Harry Stadling would sit on the stairs and see Santa come down the chimney and eat the milk and cookies they would leave out.  Exciting, right?  Later that evening, Harry sneaks back down the stairs only to see Santa getting down with Harry's mom which understandably so traumatizes the kid.  

 

33 years later, you see how witnessing a beav hungry Santa groping your mom can make a man go crazy.  A now grown Harry (Brandon Maggart, yes, Fiona Apple's dad) is full on obsessed with Christmas, so much so that he has a "naughty and nice" book which he writes the names of neighbor kids in when spying on them from his apartment rooftop.  After several run-ins with assholes from work and everyday life, Harry finally snaps and goes full on Santa Psycho and begins paying visits to the naughty and nice of the town.

This movie is pretty goddamn weird.  I'll say that right up front.  I initially thought I was walking into a slasher, as mentioned in the beginning of this post, but what I watched was more of a dark, bizarre comedy.  Yes, there are several great kills in the film, including an awesome scene with a toy soldier's sword, but it seemed to focus more on the mental decline of Harry.  We take that journey with him from quirky weirdo to straight up nutjob.  It takes away that warm fuzzy feeling we all get when we think about Christmas.

One of the only and last films Lewis Jackson directed, Christmas Evil had a measly budget of $400,000 but was surprisingly not a poorly made film.  And the casting of Brandon Maggart as Harry was a great choice; it looked like he embraced the role and created a sympathetic (but still creepy as fuck) character who made us, the audience, actually try and justify his actions.  I mean, all he wanted was for people to not be assholes.  Oh! There's even a young Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale from The Walking Dead) as a grown up Philip Stadling.

 

There's a nice homage to Frankenstein complete with townsfolk chasing him through the streets with torches.  At this point, the entire film takes on an almost fantasy/dreamlike feel that leads to an ending that made me snort with laughter like a fucking jackass.  Basically, the ending ruled, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Let me tell you, Christmas Evil isn't going to be loved or even liked by a lot of people but if you're into bizarre and ridiculous horror movies about killer Santa's, I will highly recommend this one.  I loved Christmas Evil and I won't deny that at all!

3/5 Christmas hatchets to the head

  

Check out the trailer for the Vinegar Syndrome blu-ray release of Christmas Evil!