Review of Christmas Evil (1980) by Steve M — 04 Dec 2005

'Tis the season for Christmas movies! I just wish I'd started with something a little more traditional, because "Christmas Evil" stinks worse than eggnog left in the back of the fridge since last year.

[b]Christmas Evil[/b].

Starring: Brandon Maggart and Jeffrey De Munn.

Director: Lewis Jackson.

As a young child, Harry (Maggert) saw mommy kissing Santa Claus... and then doing him with wild abandon under the mistletoe. Scarred for life by this sight, he eventually snaps and starts dressing up like Santa. He gives out toys to those who are nice, and murders those who are naughty.

This COULD have been a gory slasherflick, but all it has are three rather lame kills. This COULD have been a spoof of slasherflicks and Christmas movies, except it's played straight, badly written, and badly acted. (Of course, it could be a spoof, and I just didn't get it. That would explain the torch-weilding mob that takes to the streets of New York in search of the Killer Claus when Harry's murders come to like. And when I say "torch" I don't mean flashlights... I mean the sort of things angry villagers storm Castle Frankenstein with. It would also explain the truly bizarre ending to the flick... where madman Harry is apparently transformed into the real Santa Claus and his murdermobile flies off toward the North Pole!).

Yeah, I just gave away the film's strange, completely nonsensical twist-ending. Consider it my Christmas gift to you. You won't feel tempted to bother with "Christmas Evil" should come across it.