A Christmas Horror Story

A Christmas Horror Story

The four stories in A Christmas Horror Story take place in the fictional town of Bailey Downs on Christmas Eve, perhaps a happy accidental nod to the George Bailey character in the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life. They are woven together by Dangerous Dan, a local radio DJ played by William Shatner who works as a narrator of sorts for the film. This character is much like the Adrienne Barbeau character in another recent holiday horror anthology, Tales of Halloween.

Each story in A Christmas Horror Story seems to be created for true horror fans. They are dark and detailed with often brilliant color schemes that highlight both the classic feel of Santa Clause and the underlying evil of Krampus, both of whom play roles in the film.

The stories include a family looking for the perfect Christmas tree in a not so perfect place, a not so joyous Christmas spirit, a student documentary that turns Christmas Eve into a not so silent night, and a North Pole zombie fest full of not so friendly elves. The theme throughout the film is “not so”. These characters experience a not so merry Christmas, and it's not that they asked for it or wanted it, but they did unknowingly bring it upon themselves by making not so good decisions that underline the fragility and weakness of the human condition. These back stories and character flaws are introduced as each story unfolds and the characters find themselves in hellish and unimaginable scenarios. The film is well written and well made with a variety of horror stories that are as different from each other as Santa Clause is from Krampus. The cast in each segment all give solid performances and this is a major win for the film as it plays it's horror straight and not for laughs. One weak performance can throw off the believability or wreck the suspension of disbelief in such genre films.

I've heard this film referred to as a comedy-horror, but I found it to have a quite serious tone. Sure, Santa fighting zombie elves that speak insults like a possessed Regan from The Exorcist is amusing, but every aspect of these stories aren't played for laughs, they are played to frighten and thrill. And that is exactly what they do! A Christmas Horror Story manages to be a horror movie that is entertaining, full of surprises, has a strong focus on horror, and is a lot of fun! There are several strong moments that kept me thrilled and smiling including a bloodthirsty Elf using a tree as a battering ram to break down a door, a (not so) dead girl makes a startling first appearance, and an epic battle between Santa Claus and Krampus, the ultimate showdown of Good Vs. Evil!

I highly recommend this movie to every horror fan. Instead of the family, feel good movie or holiday slasher classic, watch something different and new this Christmas and check out A Christmas Horror Story and have a merry and gory and fright filled Christmas!

Charlie's Farm

Charlie's Farm

Charlie's Farm tells the story of four friends who are looking to do something different, looking to go on a little adventure. One of them gets the idea to go see Charlie's Farm, a homestead in the middle of nowhere that was the site of a murderous, cannibalistic family (headed by Bill Moseley in his usual, scene stealing performance) who were killed by a mob of local townsfolk many years before. The family's son, Charlie, was never seen after that night and while many believe he is dead, some say he still wanders the farm to this day.

Charlie's Farm begins with a great opening sequence showing two hopeless victims who are trying to escape a killer. The two are trapped in a basement and the scene is lit with a dingy green light that gives the picture a dirty and eerie feel as we hear heavy and fast footfalls above; this killer is a big guy. When the two meet their inevitable demise it's rough and quick and brutal with wonderful blood splatter sounds.

Unfortunately, that's the best part of Charlie's Farm.

We cut to a group of friends who are bored and decide to go see Charlie's Farm, the infamous scene of gruesome killings. What follows is a generic road trip sequence, complete with goofing around in the car as happy, upbeat music plays, as they travel several hours to the farm.

The idea of going to the legendary farm becomes almost an obsession with Jason and Mick (Dean Kirkright & Sam Coward), but it is never really understood why. Other than being bored and hoping to see “some cool shit,” no reason whatsoever is given for their sudden and strong desire to see the place. It's not as if they are counselors at a camp or break down near the farm or get lost on it, no, they just choose to go there. With no conceivable connection between the characters and the location that is the name of the film, I as a viewer felt a bit lost during Charlie's Farm with nothing to really latch on to or care about. Even with several warnings not to go to the farm, including some resistance inside the group from Natasha (Tara Reid), they are blindly determined to see it and push on. And with no one or nothing to ultimately root for, Charlie's Farm feels like a flat and lifeless picture.

The movie isn't without it's bright spots. The dialogue is written and delivered the way people speak and this helped the characters seem like actual people and I appreciated that attention to detail. Another part of the film that pays attention to detail are the special effects. There are some creative kills with solid practical effects work, a job well done by the effects team! And while the group is exploring the farm there are some beautiful shots of the surrounding scenery like old farm equipment, rusted fencing, and twisted up barbed wire.

When Charlie himself shows up (Nathan Jones), he is a big friggin dude. He looks like a hillbilly version of a possessed Sabertooth from the X-Men movies. Charlie grunts and yells throughout his killing spree and I found him a lot more effective in that opening scene where his quick, menacing, and heavy footsteps was enough to be terrifying.

And Kane Hodder shows up in a throwaway and meaningless role.

While Charlie's Farm isn't a terrible film, the good aspects of the movie aren't enough to save it, as it is a by the numbers slasher flick that doesn't try to offer anything new, it just...is.

Krampus

Krampus

While Krampus isn't exactly an “independent” horror film, I still found it necessary to review for a few reasons. One, it is the horror genres big offering for the holiday season. Two, it was written by Micheal Dougherty who is responsible for the cult, horror hit Trick r Treat. And three, it just looked awesome!

Krampus tells the story of Max, a pre-teen boy who wants Christmas to be like it used to when he was a younger child. While holding onto a belief in Santa Claus and the magic of the season, his family seems to have lost touch with the Christmas spirit. When relatives come to visit, the family dysfunction comes to a boil and Max loses hope and gives up on Christmas cheer thus unleashing the evil spirit of the holiday, the shadow of St. Nicholas, Krampus!

From the opening moments of Krampus, I knew I would love this movie. The opening credits play over slow motion filming of mad and frenzied holiday shoppers tripping over each other, trampling store employees, and fighting over items they want to buy. The silent scenes are accompanied by comforting Christmas music that plays over the juxtaposing crazed images. This opening sets the tone for the entire rest of the film: it's funny and terrifying, and brilliantly mixes a holiday horror story while relaying a classic Christmas message of family at the same time.

Krampus works so well because it is a a film that pays attention to detail. With a character based depiction of the average family, the stress and nostalgia of the holidays, and a blatant admiration for classic holiday movies, Krampus creates an atmosphere that almost every movie goer can relate to. A brilliant homage is paid to classic Christmas specials with a flashback sequence that is told using CGI that simulates the look of Rankin-Bass stop animation. The film also has the shadow of Gremlins hanging over it with the murderous little toys brought by Krampus squealing in high pitched mischievous giggles like the Gremlins themselves and the young Max (Emjay Anthony) resembling a young Zach Galligan.

The entire cast is spot on here and the comedy plays well within the horror. Adam Scott and David Koechner play off each other nicely as the two fathers with opposite view points on almost everything while Allison Tolman is very effective and funny in a subtle and strong performance. But it is the always great Toni Collette who stole the show for me. She plays the mother of Max as caring and sensitive and doing her best to have a nice holiday. But when the evil Krampus and his sack of killer toys come down the chimney, her performance takes on a tough edge that I found captivating.

Krampus moves at a quick pace and it doesn't take long for the horror to settle in. The film is filled with random, loud noises when Krampus comes to town that are truly terrifying! The sounds swirled around the theater like the snowstorm on the screen and filled it with roar like screams and bangs and thuds and stomps that sounded like an intensified and possessed version of Jurassic Park. Giant killer Jack-in-the-boxes, little murderous gingerbread men, demonic dolls, and ghoulish elves invade their house and fill the screen in a holiday horror masquerade massacre of a climax that is an absolute balls to the wall blast to watch. Computer graphics are blended well with the many practical effects to give Krampus and his tidings of evil the look of a 1980's creature feature while the music of the film reflected the mayhem and horror of the situation with a touch of evil playfulness.

With Trick r Treat and now Krampus, Micheal Dougherty is 2 for 2 with creating classic movies to represent a holiday. Krampus is a big movie in every way, big on fun, big on detail, and big on storytelling. I'll find my way back to the theater to see it again before Christmas and it will find it's way into my regular yearly rotation of holiday must watches!