The Festive Season

"The Festive Season" is Arthur Hiller's third 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' entry, after "Flight to the East" (rather mixed, leaning towards disappointing) and "Disappearing Trick" (pretty good). Did like the premise for "The Festive Season", which did sound very creepy and very Hitchcockian. Carmen Matthews is no stranger to 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', she was in three previous episodes and made a strong impression in all and went on to star in two more after.

As far as Season 3 goes, "The Festive Season" is not one of the best or one of the worst. Personally put it somewhere in the middle, finding it a decent, above average episode that could have been a lot better considering the premise. It's also in my mind rather misleadingly titled, something that also struck me even reading the synopsis, with there being nothing festive or holiday-ish and instead a melodrama centered around unpleasant people. Not saying that that is a bad thing as such, just that it wasn't what leapt into my head reading the premise.

Did find a lot of good things in "The Festive Season". For one thing, to me it is very well acted. Matthews does controlling truly chillingly, definitely her most chilling 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' performance, and Richard Waring portrays the brooding bitterness of his character more than convincingly and with the broodiness increasing. The chemistry between them scintillates and evokes enough suspense. Hiller does direct with a quite good eye for atmosphere.

It looks pretty good, the setting being simple but not overly so and there is a lot of slickness and moodiness in the photography and lighting that enhance. The audio is suitably ominous and the series' theme music is still a classic. Hitchcock's bookending is amusingly ironic as usual and doesn't jar surprisingly with the more serious tone of the story. The episode starts off quite well and is a very intriguing character study, the characters are very unpleasant but also very interesting and with a strong chemistry.

Having said all of this, "A Festive Season" could have been more. It could have done with a lot more suspense, as the premise is one that cries out for it, as well as more dark mood (there in spurts but not all the way through), a tighter pace (the middle felt too stretched) and surprises.

Did also find it too heavy on the talk, some of it not adding much and being too wordy, and that the ending had a very run out of ideas and anaemic quality, indicative of being unsure how to end.

Overall, decent and above average but not the very good or more episode it could have been. 6/10.

A man arrives at a depressing, dark house on Christmas Eve, bearing presents. The inhabitants of the house include an aging spinster and her mentally ill brother. The brother's wife has died at some point, having fallen down a stairway, and he blames his sister. She was charged, but exonerated for lack of evidence. They continue to coexist, although he never leaves his room. John, the visitor, tries to talk sense into both of them, but to no avail. Their hell-on-earth existence is actually the glue that holds things together, be it in the sickest, most depressing way. At one point, the brother tries a quid pro quo, tying a rope across the stairs, the same way he believed the sister killed his wife. There is a lot of negotiating and John finally has to get out of there. There are a lot of questions one would ask if he or she thought for more than a few seconds. Once we find out the kicker at the end we must ask ourselves why anyone would go to that house. While pretty unbelievable, it is highly atmospheric and engaging.

This is the anti-Christmas episode which, for some reason, aired in May...not Decemher, 1958. But the setting is Christmas and the show finds a brother and sister living together...and loathing every second they spend under the same roof together. He blames her for the death of his wife and she thinks he's full of it. A friend arrives and tries to spread Christmas cheer as well as to get his friend to leave the house once and for all.

The twist in this one isn't so much scary or ironic...but more pathetic. Not a bad show at all...but one about two truly miserable and awful people...one that might leave you feeling a bit depressed as well.

If you're a long time fan of the series, you'll note Hitch favored two character studies, the more desperate the better. This definitely is as desperate as it gets, ironically set during Christmas Eve, all about a feuding sister and brother.

Carmen Mathews returns to the series, in a role made just for her, playing Celia, the elder unmarried sister to an extremely bitter gentleman called Charlie (played by Richard Waring), and with a big chip on his shoulder. It's long been his belief Celia killed his wife and he may be next -- unless he does something about it. Hoping to mend fences is family attorney Edmon Ryan, and good luck with that chore.

The surprise here; the ending is not quite what you would expect -- without giving too much way, but is fairly strange. Directed by Arthur Hiller, known for LOVE STORY. It's a tossup as to who outdoes the other, Mathews or Waring.

I agree with the last reviewer; the episode was NOT originally aired during Christmas. Hmmm? Although, if you ever have the chance to watch this story during the holidays, you may come away a bit depressed, but with a great deal of respect for the actors. They're dynamic.

Hitch blowing up his tv set at the end WILL make you chuckle. Seasons Greetings from the master of suspense.

From SEASON 3 EPISODE 31 remastered box set. 5 dvds. Released 2007. All seven seasons are now on dvd in a single box set. Released 2023.

I don't know what this solid drama, family feud plot, involving a brother and his sister, has to do in this series. I don't understand. There is not even a twist ending, and that's precisely that I wonder why it is shown here...But it remains an iinteresting tale, only it should have been proposed in another anthology show, such as CHEVY SHOW or RICHARD BOONE SHOW; excellent series indeed. But certainly not in the AH PRESENTS show. Perfect acting. Good stuff.