"Christmas evil?" I exclaimed, not knowing which one this was, all I knew was that it wasn't Don't Open Til Christmas.
That British fluff with it's head held high, and this for-sure-shot-in-the-70's movie with many a sigh.
I attended the theater with a crowd full, and there I sat waiting, while the movie started out dull.
"We're following the killer again, he's our main actor?!" I thought in my head, and I reduced the score by a factor.
The actor was okay but the script asked for a lot, didn't they know that it was overwrought?
But I gave it a chance and there I sat through it, in my opinion not worth it, cause it was bad and it knew it.
Wow, alright! That worked out fairly well. That above it to be done to the key of Twas the Night Before Christmas, by the way. And honestly, yeah that's pretty much my sum up. Mistake number one, follow the main killer, mistake number two, ask him to do a lot and ask for a broad range on a pretty slim script, mistake three have bizarre pacing, mistake four it was just bad. Just bad bad. As I watched and I heard the audience laughing at parts, I did think that maybe it was enjoyable to others...but I don't know, this one just felt bad pretty thoroughly to me.
As a child, Harry Stadling watched Santa come deliver him gifts. Then he crept back downstairs and watched Santa fondling his mom, as it was obviously his dad in a costume. This screwed him up somehow, and now he's a disgruntled toy shop employee who's got this idea of what Christmas should be, and of course no one agrees. I also loved that the flashback happens in the year 1947, then when it cuts to Harry as a man it says "present day". So present day like, now, 2018? Cause then Harry is like, 70 something years old....if he was at the youngest 6 or so in the flashback...
Anywho, Harry is taking on Santa's duty of keeping a nice/naughty list, he's upset that his job is more concerned with their company than the toys, he's taken advantage of, and it all eventually prompts him to turn himself into Santa. A Santa who rewards the nice, but takes vengeance on the naughty.
The problem is that what was for sure going to originally be a psychological almost drama got turned into a not-horror movie. I say not-horror, cause seriously this isn't even close. Harry randomly kills three people outside of a church when he begins killing, and then there's like 30 minutes before the next. I'd be willing to bet a lot that there was only one kill originally but then they added more cause it wasn't fun enough. Either way it's still not fun, and the movie just plods along.
The pacing is a serious problem. The movie follows him too much and he's not that interesting, and it for sure felt at times like we were just killing time. An hour and 40 minutes where for sure 20 or more could have been cut, it just keeps going, and every time it gets dark or good, the mood changes and we watch inept nothingness for way too long. They try to make some observations about Christmas and the nature of consumerism, but it's not well written or well performed enough and honestly it's not like they're ever suggesting any alternate ideas or bringing in anything new.
It was a cheap ticket, I got to take a nice walk first, and I enjoyed my time out, but then the movie was for sure a disappointment. I'll give it 1.5 stars.
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