What ifThe Terminatorwas hearten as a black - luminousness picture , and instead of a orca robot from the future , the scrappy heroine had to combat a killerrobot Santa Claus ? No need to marvel : that ’s basically Christmas Bloody Christmas , aholiday slasherpropelled by style , many F - bombs , and nifty hard-nosed personal effects .
The latest from writer - director Joe Begos ( VFW , Bliss , Almost Human ) , Christmas Bloody Christmas take place on Christmas Eve in a small town — a sleepy-eyed place with a quaint principal street that resemble a neon - lit snowglobe thanks to some deeply committed production design . Local business organisation include a dive bar , a record store have by whiskey - drink hellraiser Tori Tooms ( Riley Dandy ) , and a toy store called T.W. Bonkers that just so bump to have a “ RoboSanta Plus ” on display . We only learn fight of information about the animatronic wonder thanks to telly footage and offhand conversations , but all you really postulate to know is : it was made by the Department of Defense and was repurposed from soldier tariff to replace erratically human mall Santas , and it ’s been scheduled for impending remotion from T.W. Bonkers — something about a recall due to sure units turn back to their military configurations . This is nothing that Tori and the other type pay any aid to whatsoever , until the Santa in their midst ad libitum shifts into murder mode .
As horror sports fan well know , chilling Santasare a familiar image that stretch evenbeyond movies and TV ; the “ automaton turned killbot ” turn is alsoa well - wear down one . But as robot Santas go , Christmas Bloody Christmas ’ not - so - somewhat St. Nick is unsettling , even if he ’s neither as clever nor as frightening as the genre ’s top terror ( that honor goes to , of trend , Futurama ’s Robot Santa Claus ) . veteran soldier player Abraham Benrubi suit up as Santa for most of the movie , at least until his sarcoid out layer starts decompose after a few struggle , but there ’s not a ton for him to do other than prowl around in the manner of , say , a shark or Jason Voorhees , and annihilate anyone who foil his course .
Image: Shudder and RLJE Films
Mostly , Christmas Bloody Christmas keeps pace with Tori as her Christmas Eve spirals from bibulous full meter to fight back for her living , and she ’s such a force of nature that unless you find her grate , you ca n’t help but have a dear time following her . She ’s a afoul - mouthed , Lemmy - worship whirlwind , full of top - loudness opinion on movies and euphony — but offbeat unity that speak to her contrarian personality , including her take on on horror franchise : Pet Sematary 2 is superior to the original ; Blair Witch sequel Book of Shadows is a masterpiece ; Alien : Covenant was good , actually . As final daughter go , Tori is a far more unequaled creation than the festive madman she has to face off with .
At just under 90 minutes , Christmas Bloody Christmas screams along , give up mutilated body parts , multiple vehicle clangor and explosions , and a baleful Santa exoskeleton , all of which prove you do n’t need a boastful budget or slick CG to make your set pieces have impact . Sometimes , sure-enough - school is best , even when the black lighting ( grave on the neon accents , as cite , and Christmas igniter for obvious reasons ) mean the audience ca n’t see everything entirely distinctly .
But the movie ’s three acts do feel a petty raggedly divided . There ’s the build - up , which is a lot of fun ; the “ Santa starts pick everyone off and it ’s gory topsy-turvydom ” part ; and then Tori ’s desperate last stand , which goes on for so long it ’s almost comic . It ’s a savage brawl that includes RoboSanta Plus expose a special feature article he ’s keep gather away for his most tenacious opponent , and the resourceful Tori is never not entertaining . But you ca n’t help oneself but care there ’d been room for a bit more story in that middle section — particularly considering the movie ’s brilliant background , and its introduction of a small but promising ensemble of characters who meet the haywire end of Santa ’s axe far too chop-chop .
Image: Shudder and RLJE Films
Christmas Bloody Christmas arrive in theaters and on Shudder today .
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ChristmasHorrorJason Voorhees
Image: Shudder and RLJE Films
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