A Creature Was Stirring is not just the silly holiday horror movie it sounds like. Faith (Chrissy Metz, This Is Us) carefully watches over her sick daughter (Annalise Basso, Slenderman). When two strangers break into her home during a brutal blizzard, Faith is forced to face a dark family secret.
The Christmas spirit is felt from the earliest moments. Red and green lights fill the house that, aside from a blue tinge, has little other lighting. Even as subplots are introduced and twists are revealed, A Creature Was Stirring never loses its Yuletide feel. This is more impressive than it sounds as there is a lot going on.
An argument can be made about its surprising ending, however. The final moments offer a huge revelation that goes a long way to explaining everyone’s motivations. It is also the one part of the film that has nothing to do with Christmas. Though it will be polarizing, the last few minutes bring the whole plot together. A big part of A Creature Was Stirring is the relationship between Faith and her daughter. It is a tense pairing that sees the two get into some heated exchanges and all but forces the audience to pick a side. It is an unexpected layer that elevates things beyond just another creature feature.
A Creature Was Stirring does not ignore the more visceral scares, though. There are some impressive special effects that range from scary to just plain disgusting. In another nice touch, the monster is based on something that is terrifying in its own right but rarely seen in horror. It is familiar while still being unique and ends up being one of the better monstrosities seen in recent years.
Halloween has taken over Christmas as the most decorative time of year and it now looks like holiday horror is creeping in on all the Hallmark movies that take over screens in December. The holiday vibe and interesting Big Bad make A Creature Was Stirring a worthwhile addition to the sub-genre.
A Creature Was Stirring releases in select theaters December 8
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