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 CHRISTMAS
EVIL (Synapse
Films) 1980. Aka You Better Watch Out. Horror/Thriller.
95 Minutes. Rated R.
As a young child, Harry
(Brandon Maggart) discovers the truth about Santa Clause and is not
pleased. Although initially
angry, Harry becomes obsessed with Christmas as he grows older.
Now a slightly deranged man, Harry attempts to share his tune with
the rest of the world, whether they like it or not.
Follow Harry as he rewards those who have been nice and punishes
those who have been naughty.
This is certainly one of the most bizarre movies I have ever seen,
and it is definitely the strangest Christmas movie I’ve seen.
Christmas Evil is similar to the movie Maniac, in that it follows a man who has “snapped,” although it
is nowhere near as disturbing. When
I wasn’t severely confused by what was happening on screen, I thoroughly
enjoyed the mental breakdown and odd/creepy antics of Harry; in particular
how Harry watched the neighborhood children from the roof and recorded
their names and actions in a naughty and nice book.
Even though the killing and gore are kept to a minimum (only 2 kill
scenes, so don’t think this is a thrasher movie), I found the movie to
be interesting and unintentionally humorous.
Although not my favorite Christmas movie, that credit is reserved
for Jingle All the Way, Christmas
Evil ranks near the top. The
DVD
is loaded with extras including director’s commentary, which is very
useful in figuring out what is going on, and hilarious comment cards from
moviegoers. The movie also
stars Jeffrey DeMunn and Dianne Hull.
Christmas Evil is good, I
like. – C
Clark
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