This was a film that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Shirly from Studio Dome Press. What intrigued me was the title as I knew this was going to be a Christmas horror film. It seemed as well that this was going to be a slasher as well. I've seen more films that fall in this sub-genre and use this niche, so I was curious as to what we'd get here as the holiday season approaches.
Synopsis: Chester returns to his home after seeing his parents' murders 17 years ago by a killer dressed as Santa. A new Santa killer begins picking off his relatives. Chester questions if the original has returned or if a more terrifying truth exists.
We started this back in the late-50s or the early 60s. We're in the home of Nathan Van Buren (Scott Bolger). He's there with his wife, Lila (Reagan Kelly). Upstairs is their son, Chester (Will Pealer Jr.). His uncle, Nick (Scot Spurlock), is telling him stories. Chester wants one more and things get dark. It makes the boy uneasy. This ominous feeling grows as over the radio they hear about a serial killer who escapes from prison. What I'll say here is that Chester's parents are murdered and he sees it.
This then shifts to 1980. It is December 23rd. Chester is now an adult, played by David Lenik. He meets with his doctor, Landry (Nicholas Vince), who thinks he's ready for release. There is a regiment of medication he must take to help keep his nightmares and visions in check. Chester leaves and outside is his girlfriend who is waiting. Her name is Afton (Nellie Spackman). They're heading to the house that everything happened in to spend the holidays.
Staying at this house is his Aunt Marion (Caroline Williams). Her son, Burke (Cedric Gegel), is also there with his girlfriend, Melody (Natalie Veater). Burke is a jerk so we see Chester and him take shots at each other. He goes outside to get away from him and gets a pleasant surprise. When he was a child, he was friends with a neighbor named Eden (Peyton Michelle Edwards). She brings home wood for a fire with her stepfather, Dick Galveston (Tom Moynahan). Chester and Eden plan to see each other the next day.
Our lead starts to question his sanity that night as he finds a note from the killer in his room. When he tries to show it to the others, it is gone. This makes us wonder, was it there? Things aren't as they seem here though and not everyone cares about Chester as well as his mental state. There is a person in a Santa suit that is lingering around. Is this someone who is trying to crack Chester or is this killer back?
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is confirming that this is a slasher film that has someone in a Santa outfit as the killer. What comes along with that is that we have kills to start this movie then it slows down to set up the situation as well as our characters. It is a slow burn until things ramp up to the climax. If you know me, I'm not always the biggest fan of this style of film, unless you have good characters or kills. The ones with both tend to be my favorites. I'll go into what my thoughts were.
Where I want to start then would be with the story. This opening sequence is borrowing from Silent Night, Deadly Night where Uncle Nick warns Chester about being asleep on Christmas or Santa might kill you. I do love that mean-spirited idea, especially to set the tone here. It is from there that it feels a bit like Cult of Chucky where we have these family members who don't have the best interests at heart for Chester and we don't know who all is in on the plot. When people start to die, I even got vibes of My Bloody Valentine where Chester is convinced this killer is back, but there could be more to what is happening. I'm not comparing this as a slight, because to be honest, credit to them for borrowing elements that work to craft this story. They work seamlessly.
I do have a gripe here that hurts the pacing for me. There are a few times where we have characters just telling stories to help fill in backstory. Chester tells things to Afton. This is the first information dump. Then from there, another time was Eden and Chester talking, to let us know that they were friends as kids. There was another one or even two that we got. It just was bogged down with dialogue there. I prefer being shown over being told, but I get why we can't every time. Just something that didn't necessarily work here for me. Fans of this sub-genre might feel the same.
Let's then delve into what I look for with the characters. The acting performances are fine. Lenik is a bit wooden, but I'm forgiving. He is mentally unstable. He is on medication so I just figure that he's not as used to interacting with people. It is a rough time for him which would make sense. Edwards is cute and I like her as the only one who seems to have Chester's best interests at heart. She is interesting though since Chester does have a girlfriend. Spackman is fine there. She is more interesting as we learn about her. Gegel fits as this jerk cousin. Veater was also solid as his girlfriend. She isn't given much to work with. I did like seeing Williams as well as Lauren-Marie Taylor having cameos here. The rest of the cast are fine. There are characters here for cannon fodder, which I appreciate.
All that is left then is filmmaking. I'll need to talk about the kills here, because this goes brutal at times. Our killer is using an ax, which I did like to see. I also love that there are Christmas related items used to kill people. That adds charm and character. I'll say that the cinematography and framing were good to help hide the seams since they went practical with everything I can see. That's another perk. They don't use the time it is set all that much, but I know it is set in the 80s to not need technology. I'm glad it isn't in your face as it has a timeless feel. Other than that, the soundtrack didn't stand out. I'm surprised they didn't use more holiday music, but I'm also glad they didn't go over the top.
In conclusion, this is a solid lower budget slasher with the Christmas theme. We are getting elements from other movies that fall in this sub-genre, but I did like how they're used here. This is well made enough. I thought that the cinematography, framing and effects were good to make the kills look good. The acting was solid. No one is great, but I don't have a gripe there either. Even though I'm not a big slasher fan, I did enjoy my time here. I would recommend giving this a viewing to fans of these types of movies.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.
