Nerdly » ‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Review (Shudder)

22nd Nov2022

‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Review (Shudder)

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Dora Madison, Jeremy Gardner, with Jeff Daniel Phillips, Abraham Benrubi | Written and Directed by Joe Begos

I’ve been a fan of writer/director Joe Begos’ work ever since I saw his first feature, Almost Human, back in 2104 at Frightfest. My love of his work was cemented by The Mind’s Eye, Bliss and VFW. One thing his films are known for are the various influences that 80s cinema has had on his work – from The Mind’s Eye being inspired by Scanners; Bliss feeling like the brethren of Near Dark by way of To Live or Die in LA… Begos’ films tend to take on different cinematic horror tropes, whilst harkening back to the 80s, in both style and substance.

For many of us, the 80s is an era where ideas were allowed to run rampant, mainly in part due to the explosion of the direct-to-VHS market and a burgeoning, if not rabid, fan base for horror movies on tape who would watch literally ANYTHING they could get their eager hands on. And Begos’ films reflect that – he runs with any idea, no matter how crazy and makes it work.

Case in point, Christmas Bloody Christmas.

It’s Christmas Eve and fiery record store owner Tori Tooms just wants to get drunk and party, until the robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and makes her night more than a little complicated. Santa Claus begins a rampant killing spree through the neon-drenched snowscape against a backdrop of drugs, sex, metal and violence, ultimately forcing Tori into a blood-splattered battle for survival against the ruthless heavy metal Saint Nick himself.

So we’ve got a robot Santa killing folks at Christmas, all filmed in 16mm. Talk about harkening to the past! Christmas Bloody Christmas feels like The Terminator had a lovechild with a myriad of Christmas horrors – in particular the sleazy Silent Night, Deadly Night – and Begos then put his neon-strewn, ultra-stylized stamp on it! In fact, Begos revealed that this film was apparently born out of a failed pitch for an actual Silent Night, Deadly Night sequel. Now THAT I would [also] like to see! There are also shades of Chopping Mall in the film too, especially with an out-of-control robot on the loose; though with a TV news report referencing the animatronic Santa’s having “reverting to their Defense Department firmware” this could very well be inspired by Short Circuit!

Much like Bliss, Christmas Bloody Christmas succeeds thanks to its leading lady, actress Riley Dandy. Dandy has plenty of experience with Christmas movies, having starred in a number of those Hallmark-esque romantic comedies US television churns out every holiday season. However… here she channels a fantastic mix of manic-pixie dream girl meets final girl by way of ass-kicking Sarah Connor. But it’s the ass-kicking you’ll remember Dandy for when the film is over – she really holds her own in this one, her character Tori going toe-to-toe with the killer robot Santa (what a great phrase to have to write… “killer robot Santa”) and saving the day when the cops – which include genre regular Jeremy Gardner – can’t.

Special mention HAS to go to the film’s effects work from Josh and Sierra Russell, who’ve worked with Begos and in the genre plenty of times before but who have only recently been flung into the spotlight with their work on the new Hellraiser movie. Between the excess 80s-esque gory kills and the ever-decaying robot Santa – who gets more and more robot-like as the film progresses – it feels, much like the film itself, like a throwback to the heyday of effects-led horror. And that, for me, is a REALLY good thing!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if ever there was a filmmaker I felt made films especially for me (and my raised on VHS, transitioning to DVD generation) it’s Joe Begos; and Christmas Bloody Christmas once again confirms that… If you’re a fan of Christmas shockers, 80s horror and everything neon-soaked in between, then this is a must-see!