Christmas Evil (1980)

Posted by anythinghorror on 2010-12-07 · 9 Comments 

When it comes to holiday horror flicks Christmas has had a fair share of … let’s call them “interesting” … films.  There’s the sleazy SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT (1984), and I’m not counting parts 2-5; DON’T OPEN ‘TILL CHRISTMAS (1984); the awesome BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974, not the remake); and SANTA’S SLAY (2005, which I’ll also be reviewing).  There’s also many other films designated “Christmas Horror Films” that really have nothing to do with the holiday and are labeled as such based on the fact they take place in the cold and there’s snow lying around; JACK FROST (1996) and TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT (1980) are guilty of this.  But I’m a purist; I think a Christmas horror film should have either a killer Santa or at the very least have a bunch of Santa’s getting killed.  What’s better than the image of a crazed Santa Claus running around “punishing” naughty children and adults??  Well CHRISTMAS EVIL (aka, TERROR IN TOY LAND and YOU BETTER WATCH OUT)most definitely fits the bill as a Christmas time horror flick and it’s also considered by many to be the best of the holiday slasher flicks.

The story begins in 1947 as we watch two young boys, Philip and Harry Stadling (played by Wally Moran and Gus Salud respectively), are sitting on the stairs with their mom watching “Santa”, the boys’ father, put gifts under the tree.  It’s actually a pretty heart-felt moment as we watch the family bonding and building a long time Christmas memory.  But then after the boys go to bed, Harry, the older of the two, sneaks down to take a second peak at his gifts under the tree.  But instead of gifts he finds mommy being felt up by Santa while they suck face.  Innocence is shattered as the boy realizes there is no Santa Claus.  But whereas most kids’ disappointment would be offset with the multiple gifts under the tree, little Harry is scarred by the episode and grows into a pretty twitchy adult.

Is this enough to make a kid go psycho later in life??

Fast forward to 1980 — the grown up Harry (played by Brandon Maggart) works in a toy factory and is a tightly coiled spring who does everything by the book.  He’s a shift manager at the factory and is disgusted by the quality of the toys his factory cranks out.  Add to this that no one around him seems to have any Christmas spirit and that his bosses treat the holiday as a huge tax write-off and you’ve got one disillusioned guy who is really close to his breaking point.  His brother Philip (played by Jeffrey DeMunn, “Dale” in AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD) is the exact opposite; he’s well adjusted, has a family, and a stable job.  Harry, on the other hand, spies on all the little kids in the neighborhood watching them to see if they are naughty or nice.  And yes, he even has two books titled “Naughty” and “Nice.”

“Who’s bat-shit crazy? … This guy!!”

Now this is a genre flick from the (very) early 1980’s.  It’s grainy, the soundtrack is hard to hear at times, and the story doesn’t always seem to flow.  By all accounts this should be a grindhouse flick, but it’s missing some essential elements.  The main problem I have with CHRISTMAS EVIL is that Harry’s motivations and descent into madness aren’t really all that clear.  Ok so he was upset he found out Santa wasn’t real; this happens to all kids.  Ok so his job is shitty; as are most people’s.  Ok so other adults don’t have as much Christmas spirit as he does; not everyone is a Christmas freak.  It’s just really never that clear why he’s so fucked up and has such a warped view of Xmas.  Towards the end when Harry’s brother realizes he’s gone over the deep end it seems writer-director Lewis Jackson attempts to clear things up.  It seems Philip told Harry there was no Santa when they were younger.  Again, so what?  For fuck’s sake Harry get over it!!  I just never felt like we got a good motivation as to why he becomes a killer.

He makes a good looking crazy Santa, but he’s just not crazy enough!!

Harry is also what you might call a “focused killer.”  He doesn’t just go on a killing spree slaughtering any child and/or adult he runs into (unfortunately).  His “punishments” are focused on a select few who he felt needed to be punished.  Some of his victims include his greedy bosses at the factory and a co-worker who doesn’t seem to have an ounce of Christmas spirit.  Another problem I have with CHRISTMAS EVIL is that it takes such a long time trying to set up the story that there’s not much time for bloodshed.  I don’t have a problem with a genre film taking its time “setting the stage.”  I recently watched HATCHET 2 and that one sets up characters and the story but also delivers on the gore (and boy does it).  But we don’t get any gore in CHRISTMAS EVIL until the 53 minute mark and even then it’s not exactly what you’d call a “blood bath.”  There’s a cut throat, a toy soldier’s sword thrust into an eyeball, and two people chopped in the head with a toy axe and that’s about it.  Considering this is a Troma Team Release the gore and the “sleaze factor” is very minimal.

One of the funnier moments in the film … a police line up of Santa’s!!

There are a lot of people out there who call CHRISTMAS EVIL the best of the holiday slasher pics and I just don’t get it.  There are a few shining moments (like when Harry is chased up and down some alleys by the townspeople with lit torches … an obvious homage to FRANKENSTEIN) and when Harry entertains a group of children at a holiday party.  At the end of the party just as he’s about to leave, he gathers up all the children and tells them to be good because:

If you’re bad, then your name goes in the Bad Boys and Girls Book, and then I’ll bring you something … horrible.

This was an unusually dark scene that managed to retain an edge of black humor.  Seeing the reactions of the children and their parents was pretty damn funny.

I didn’t even talk about the trippy, acid-like ending where Harry/Santa flies away in his van!!

CHRISTMAS EVIL does have a pretty good sense of humor and it never really takes itself too seriously; it’s this sense of humor that helps with the overall “feel” of the film.  With the material here you’d think we were getting a solid exploitation/grindhouse flick, but it’s slow pace, lack of gore, unambitious killer, and the killer’s unclear/confusing motives will have you checking your watch and scratching your head.  CHRISTMAS EVIL was fun to watch; kinda like watching your child take a crap in the bathtub … it’s funny the first time but then you realize you have to clean it up.  You may not have to clean anything up after watching CHRISTMAS EVIL, but you will realize you just wasted 100 minutes of your life.  This one won’t be making my list of “Must See Xmas Slasher Pics” that I watch every year.  I think I’ll stick with SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT.

My Summary:

Director:  Lewis Jackson (and writer)

Plot:  2.5 out of 5 stars

Gore:  2 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Filed under Exploitation Flicks, Holiday Horrors, New Posting