Christmas Evil

CHRISTMAS EVIL was released under two alternate titles - TERROR IN TOYLAND, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT.

What really sets this movie apart from other similiar ventures is its intelligence and genuinely disturbing elements that may be a bit to "real" for some to handle. It is the films realism that gives it power.

As hard as it may be to believe, this movie is actually packed Christmas spirit! It is a true holiday movie, albeit a holiday film for those that enjoy anything but conventional. This is not a slasher movie though, it is a psychological thriller. The emphasis is not on killing and gore (there is actually very little), but loneliness, childhood trauma, and the commercialization of Christmas. There is plenty of "evil" in Christmas Evil, but not what you would think.

A true cinematic masterpeice of the highest order that deserves to be seen by any true movie fan! Thank Troma for having the guts to give this wide distribution.

The DVD has several extras of merit, and the menus are a joy to look at. The film transfer is rough at times, but this only adds to the tension of the film.

Great movie, great DVD! From Troma...of course!!!

Character actor Brandon Maggart--who, by the way, was a member of the original cast of TV's SESAME STREET and is the father of pop singer Fiona Apple--portrays Harry Stadling, a sexually repressed middle-manager at the Jolly Dream Toy Factory who is haunted by a childhood incident in which he saw Ol' Saint Nick joyfully boffing mommy amidst the presents under the tree on Christmas Eve. One nasty Noël, the blatant commercialistic attitudes exuded by his family and coworkers burns at his psyche until his subconscious finally boils over, and Harry then blithely dons the red and white and hunts down both the naughty and the nice to mete out their just deserts. To the innocents and the kiddies, he delivers dreamy delights; to the cruel and calloused, he doles out death!

Now, a story with a serial-killer Santa is a delightfully twisted concept that offers lots of opportunity for dark humor and satirical subtext. Alas, CHRISTMAS EVIL simply falls flat. The ineptly handled schizophrenic shifting between chills and chuckles makes for confusing viewing, leaving one tempted to conclude that the screenwriter is just as loony as Harry Standling himself. And to top it all off, the film's feel-good surprise-ending is glaringly out of sync with the overall tone of the rest of the film.

To be fair, it must be said that CHRISTMAS EVIL does contain a few items of merit. In spite of the mediocre material he has to work with, Brandon Maggart does a great job as psychotic Harry Stadling. Maggart is an offbeat but interesting actor who adds a little consistency to an otherwise arrhythmic flick. And one of the few really good scenes in CHRISTMAS EVIL is a delightful homage to James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN (1931) in which Harry--in full Santa regalia--is chased through the streets by angry citizens carrying fiery torches. For genre fans with a good sense of humor, this scene is a real knee-slapper that just begs to have a better movie built around it.

And the DVD from Troma? Well, the digital transfer isn't of the greatest quality, sometimes displaying the type of jittery edges and ghost-like artifacts that leaves one wondering if the much-lauded re-mastering of CHRISTMAS EVIL was done on VHS video tape. However, the extras on the disc are actually better than the movie itself. There is an optional feature commentary with star Brandon Maggart and director Lewis Jackson, as well as individual video interviews with each. A nifty storyboard-to-film utility allows you to first view the director's hand-drawn concept for each scene, then it lets you jump over to view the scene as filmed. Another cool feature allows you to "flip" through the comment cards that members of the audience filled out after a test-screening of the flick. And best of all, each time you select an option at the main menu, a close-up of Santa's face fills the screen as he wickedly utters "Ho-Ho-Ho" before engaging your selection. Fun stuff!

CHRISTMAS EVIL review in short: Frankly, the film itself deserves only two stars, while the fun-packed Troma DVD is a four-star product. The average score, then, is three stars.