Directors: Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan
Notable Cast: William Shatner, George Buza, Percy Hynes White, Olunike Adeliyi, Rob Archer, Jeff Clarke, Jessica Clement, Zoe de Grand Maison, Amy Forsyth, Adrian Holmes, Shannon Kook, Debra McCabe, Michelle Nolden, Alex Ozerov, Alan C. Peterson, Corinne Conley
The horror anthology film is not something that is all that
new and the style has gone through spurts of popularity throughout the years.
Since the (long awaited) release of Trick
R Treat in 2009 though the style has seen an upswing of popularity. The ABCs of Death franchise, the V/H/S franchise, and just this year we
had Tales of Halloween for the season
of spooks to keep it moving. However, the latest horror anthology to feature a
holiday theme, entitled A Christmas
Horror Story, might be one of the better ones I’ve seen lately. Similar to Trick R Treat in its attempts at using
the tone of a holiday as a launching pad for its four interweaving tales of
Christmas terror, A Christmas Horror Story
ably navigates a solid variety of different horror genres in its quick hour and
a half run time and it effectively comes off as a fun and entertaining film
that works on almost all levels.
It’s Christmas Eve and it’s a time for good cheer and
excitement for most people. For a small group of people in the same town
though, this year is going to be a frightmare of shock and terror. Whether it’s
the haunting ghost of a young girl at the school, the mysterious return of a
lost child from the forest, a family stalked by a vicious monster, or a Santa
who has to battle off ‘infected’ elves, this Christmas is going to be one for
the books. Just not for merriment.
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| Look out for paranormal activity! |
The best aspect about
A
Christmas Horror Story is that it gets four very different style horror
stories into the mix of the film. A ghost tale, a monster flick, a zombie saga,
and a killer kid story all make for a well rounded horror viewing experience.
While the connections between the various tales are fairly surface level at
best and lack the inter-connectivity that
Trick R Treat pulled off so well, the
stories themselves are pretty well developed and fun. Even the William Shatner
powered framing device, which seems detached from the rest of the stories
initially, makes a wicked comeback spin to fit right in as a solid twist in one
of the stories and it might be the best surprise that this film has to offer.
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| There's...something on the...air. Some...thing. |
There is always going to be spikes and dips of quality in
any anthology film depending on each story. It’s no different in the case of
A Christmas Horror Story. The Santa Vs
Zombie elves piece is the most memorable story with a fun performance, swearing
zombie elves, and a final fight that any B-grade action fan will be excited to
see, but the other stories can be a bit more hit and miss. The ghost story
delivers some great atmosphere and some gruesome bits although it’s a bit
cliché, the Krampus attack lacks a bit of build for us to care entirely about
the family (although it works in the kind of humorous gimmick that made
Tales from the Crypt episodes so much
fun), and the ‘what’s wrong with my kid’ portion tends to end with a whimper
compared to how well built it was for a short film. Luckily, none of the
stories are a dud, but only the Santa one is the outrageously fun one that is
given a home run by a great finale.
 |
| Beast mode. |
All in all,
A
Christmas Horror Story is a blast to watch though. The stories are all well
done for the most part and they hook the viewer as the film leaps between
stories to keep the structure of the film as a whole moving in the same bursts
and build for the audience. It’s not a perfect anthology flick, but four
diverse stories partnered with some great Christmas atmosphere make for a very
entertaining film that ought to become a holiday favorite for genre fans.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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