In the midst of Christmas, record store worker Tori (Riley Dandy) prepares for holiday entertainment. Together with employee Robbie (Sam Delich), the girl goes to a local bar to get pretty drunk. At the same moment, in a nearby store, the Santa robot goes out of control, in which a deadly rage turns on. An encounter with an unstoppable killing machine leaves the pair instantly sober and trying to find ways to survive.
Christmas and horror cannot be called a productive genre union. Memorable horrors that occur in the midst of holiday magic are the exception rather than the rule. But attempts to endow Santa Claus with evil powers and “spoil” the celebration for everyone, of course, do not stop to this day. “Christmas Bloody Christmas”, in its uncomplicated title and stubborn disregard for good taste, immediately warns that it is still vulgar entertainment. Instead of a magical Santa – a killer in a red and white robe, gifts – an ax, and a festive mood in the light of garlands – bloody-acid flashes. Adrenaline madness and a complete lack of compromise give reason to call the tape not just a slasher. The Joe Begos film goes further and ruthlessly uses all the tools that are subject to the genre. Here they are being pursued in vehicles, using piercing-cutting weapons, shooting indiscriminately from a shotgun and trying to stop a dynamo – either the T800, or Michael Myers, dressed in a festive Santa suit.
It cannot be said that director Begos is only passionate about a thoughtless hack. He takes his time and puts on a fascinating exposition for half an hour, where employees of the music store discuss rock records and favorite films in detail and with taste. And this, I must say, is a good recipe to rid the tape of the dominance of sexual obscenities, which are also shed here in buckets. “Christmas Bloody Christmas” tries to reveal the magic not so much of a holiday as of homemade micro-budget horror films – Begos also appeals to them, stuffing the film with grotesque and deliberately cheap tricks. Although in some places “Christmas” tries to take the echelons higher and turn to the classics of John Carpenter and Joe Dante, the overall drive and unbridled violence are largely due to such tapes as “Friday the 13th” and “Terminator”. The film’s staging and art design strive for the variety that all horror fans are accustomed to: the sound of heavy metal cuts the ears, giving way to a cold retro synth, the frame is flooded with purples, pinks and blues, wrapping the visuals in solid psychedelia.
But will Christmas Bloody Christmas be the perfect or, say, just an edible holiday dinner? A fan of the genre is ready to welcome all the tinsel that adorns the film: from lustful stupid teenagers, and an ingenious attempt to turn a killer into RoboSanta, and grotesque violence in the spirit of Rob Zombie, and a solemn tribute to old-time slashers. Another thing is that there is no inspiration in Begos’ tape, so many scenes turn into a boring autopilot, and even worse, into a mechanical killer of your time in the manner of a raging Santa robot.
