Acknowledging "Deathcember's" low-budget background, I still thought it's going to be a somewhat of a hit with me. Its closest relative, "The ABC's of Death" franchise, although always a violently shaken mixed bag, has been quite fine by me. And I love seasonal horror movies very much. However, "DeathCember" ultimately had a little more charcoal than gifts.
24 short films from 24 directors internationally, all horror, all tied to Christmas one way or another, smaller or bigger. A present wrapped in a rather enormous runtime of 2 hours and 25 minutes. A couple known directors include Lucky McKee ("May", "The Woman"), Polyanna McIntosh ("Darlin'"), Ruggero Deodato ("Cannibal Holocaust") and Julian Richards ("The Last Horror Movie"). The rest I had never heard of before. A few familiar faces from the horror world glimpse through too, including Barbara Crampton, Matt Mercer and AJ Bowen.
It really is a very mixed bag, and unfortunately for the pacing, to me it felt like it used up most of its big, flashy fireworks before halfway through. Out of the 24, there were about 6 that I'd say I liked and really enjoyed, 10 more sliding up and down on the line between "alright" and "mehh", and the rest were simply misses for me. There was at least one short that had absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, winter, or any element of this season. But, there is gore, there is violence, there is sci-fi, there is silent cinema, a western, criminal schemes, cannibals, killer deer, all kinds of mischievous ghouls and, of course, santas. And more. There is fun to be had, if you keep in mind that, on many levels, a lot of them are hard not to describe as cheap.
I'm quite sure I'll never re-watch it, but I'm glad I watched it, because it would torture me further sitting on the watchlist. Anthologies always win me. If you are a true seasonal horror maniac and brave, too, then check this out. It's on Amazon Prime. My rating: 4/10.
