Holiday horror movies tend to lean towards the absurd. Yes, they want to scare audiences, but it is just as important to have fun. Christmas Bloody Christmas is a great example. Tori Tooms (Riley Dandy) is a record store owner who just wants to get drunk and party on Christmas Eve. Everything is going fine, until a robotic Santa Claus goes on a yuletide killing spree.
Unlike most presents, there is no mystery as to what you are getting. The film is silly, over the top, and well…bloody. There is not much in the way of backstory. Robot Santa Plus displays are being used in stores around the country to spread cheer to kids of all ages. A helpful news report informs the audience that these robo-Kringles are malfunctioning. It is never revealed what caused the issues or if Christmas Bloody Christmas is one story in a much larger problem, but it is all writer-director Joe Begos (VFW) give viewers to work with.
Entertaining fluff is the best way to describe the movie. There is little in the way of plot and it is very much a case of “what you see is what you get” with the characters. (Robot Santa Plus is a neat mix of the Terminator and Saint Nick and gives Santa Bot from Futurama serious run for his money as the best evil robotic Claus, however.) In other words, it is like all horror movies that want to provide visceral thrills.
Romantic comedies and lessons about the true meaning of the Christmas are perfect for this time of year. Nonetheless, this does not mean that a movie cannot do away with deeper meanings and just have holiday fun. Christmas Bloody Christmas is that film. This is not a story that can be told any time of year; it has a distinctly Christmas feel beyond the killer Santa. It just spreads cheer in its own way.
Christmas Bloody Christmas comes to theaters and Shudder December 9
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