Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
December 9, 2022 9:17 AM - Subscribe
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
Starring Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray, Dora Madison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Abraham Benrubi, Jeremy Gardner, Kansas Bowling, Graham Skipper, Joe Begos, Josh Ethier, Matt Mercer.
Written and directed by Joe Begos (VFW, Bliss).
Sitting at 78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Currently available as a Shudder original. JustWatch listing.
Starring Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray, Dora Madison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Abraham Benrubi, Jeremy Gardner, Kansas Bowling, Graham Skipper, Joe Begos, Josh Ethier, Matt Mercer.
Written and directed by Joe Begos (VFW, Bliss).
Sitting at 78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Currently available as a Shudder original. JustWatch listing.
I have a lot of thoughts on this one, having just watched it, but my prevailing feeling is it's two movies, and -- YMMV -- but to me, the first half is a lot better than the second. Riley Dandy really gave all as a final girl, I'm 100% impressed, but the movie feels kind of rote as a straight up stalk and slash. I was digging the funny and sexy vibe of the first hour, and I would have liked to see it continue. Killer robot Santa is an inherently comic idea, in my opinion.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:30 PM on December 11, 2022
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:30 PM on December 11, 2022
This script began life intended as an entry in the Silent Night, Bloody Night series. When that didn't happen, Begos reworked it into this.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:34 AM on December 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:34 AM on December 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
I saw it last night and myself and the group I saw it with enjoyed it. I loved the saturated colors/lighting and the soundtrack. Some of the soundtrack reminded me of Suspiria.
I actually didn't like the first half of the film and neither did most of the people I saw it with. The dialogue was just so relentless that it seemed forced. Once Psycho Santa engages, I was all in.
Also I was not expecting Jonah Ray!
posted by miss-lapin at 5:59 PM on December 15, 2022
I actually didn't like the first half of the film and neither did most of the people I saw it with. The dialogue was just so relentless that it seemed forced. Once Psycho Santa engages, I was all in.
Also I was not expecting Jonah Ray!
posted by miss-lapin at 5:59 PM on December 15, 2022
This is, as noted twice above: two movies. The first movie is a patented Joe Begos drugs/booze/fringey rock n' roll weirdos movie. Ass eating and talking about rock music. People chugging whiskey, arguing about Pet Sematary 2 and doing rails. The second is the killer robot Santa pic. I signed up for the second one.
The thing is, the first part is the most engaging version of the standard Begos thing yet. I think if he decided to take a break from horror, he could make a pretty good talk-heavy indie scumbag comedy. If that had been a whole movie, I would have liked it.
But here, as a water-treading thing before we got to the promised Christmas horror movie, it was frustrating. It did not belong here.
This is maybe the least effective Joe Begos movie yet, because it fails to unite the two halves of his schtick at all. But, in doing so, I think it also demonstrated to me that I'd like either of those vibes better if he presented them it in its own movie. He usually weaves them together seamlessly... but I also don't like his movies a ton, even if I get why other people do. But even though I liked this less than any of his other druggy, boozy scumbag horror movies, it turns out if he made a movie that was just druggy, boozy scumbags or just horror, I think I'd like it better than anything he's made yet.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:06 AM on December 17, 2022
The thing is, the first part is the most engaging version of the standard Begos thing yet. I think if he decided to take a break from horror, he could make a pretty good talk-heavy indie scumbag comedy. If that had been a whole movie, I would have liked it.
But here, as a water-treading thing before we got to the promised Christmas horror movie, it was frustrating. It did not belong here.
This is maybe the least effective Joe Begos movie yet, because it fails to unite the two halves of his schtick at all. But, in doing so, I think it also demonstrated to me that I'd like either of those vibes better if he presented them it in its own movie. He usually weaves them together seamlessly... but I also don't like his movies a ton, even if I get why other people do. But even though I liked this less than any of his other druggy, boozy scumbag horror movies, it turns out if he made a movie that was just druggy, boozy scumbags or just horror, I think I'd like it better than anything he's made yet.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:06 AM on December 17, 2022
I've heard a lot of people complaining about how, in the second half, over and over again, the robosanta seems to die then reboots. I think that is totally fine for the genre, but the score fucks it up by coming in like it's the end each time. If it had gone like T2 did with similar beats, getting tense in a contrasting way to the maybe-they're-safe-now visuals, that would have worked fine.
The way it plays here is less like the robot is awesomely relentless and more like the movie won't stop faking endings.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:42 AM on December 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
The way it plays here is less like the robot is awesomely relentless and more like the movie won't stop faking endings.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:42 AM on December 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by miss-lapin at 9:38 PM on December 9, 2022