Christmas Evil (1980)
December 17, 2019 11:55 PM - Subscribe
A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon seeing his mother with Santa Claus, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.
Originally titled You Better Watch Out and also known as Terror in Toyland, Christmas Evil has a similar premise to Silent Night, Deadly Night. While it preceded SNDN, Christmas Evil managed to avoid controversy.
Tom Huddleston of Time Out Magazine wrote, "In contrast to most slasher flicks, this isn’t about anything as simple as revenge. Jackson’s concerns are bigger: social responsibility, personal morality, and the gaping gulf between society’s stated aims at Christmastime—charity, hope, goodwill to all men—and the plight of those left on the outside: the children, the mentally ill, the ones who don’t fit in. It’s a great-looking film, too: one shot of a suburban street lined with glowing reindeer looks more like Spielbergian sci-fi than low-budget horror. Bizarre, fascinating, thoughtful, and well worth a look"
Originally titled You Better Watch Out and also known as Terror in Toyland, Christmas Evil has a similar premise to Silent Night, Deadly Night. While it preceded SNDN, Christmas Evil managed to avoid controversy.
Tom Huddleston of Time Out Magazine wrote, "In contrast to most slasher flicks, this isn’t about anything as simple as revenge. Jackson’s concerns are bigger: social responsibility, personal morality, and the gaping gulf between society’s stated aims at Christmastime—charity, hope, goodwill to all men—and the plight of those left on the outside: the children, the mentally ill, the ones who don’t fit in. It’s a great-looking film, too: one shot of a suburban street lined with glowing reindeer looks more like Spielbergian sci-fi than low-budget horror. Bizarre, fascinating, thoughtful, and well worth a look"
Fun fact: the lead actor in this film is the father of Fiona Apple.
Also: this movie is charmingly batshit.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:43 AM on December 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also: this movie is charmingly batshit.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:43 AM on December 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by roger ackroyd at 11:53 AM on December 18, 2019 [2 favorites]