Your Christmas Movies! Whatcha' Watchin' this Christmas season?

[MrBarlow]

Don't Open Till Christmas. 1984.

A spate of murders happen around London during the festive season.

We have had people as Santa knocking off innocent people, here the British reversed it, someone is knocking of Santa's with some strange ways. Early British horror with good kills, nice amount of blood and Caroline Munro shaking her booty in a cameo role. The twist in the story...or basically we know who the killer is out of two people and why someone is hating Santa was part of the twist. The acting may not be it's best but you can tell there was a budget as the wall paper in two scenes seems to be the same.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Don't Open Till Christmas. 1984.

A spate of murders happen around London during the festive season.

We have had people as Santa knocking off innocent people, here the British reversed it, someone is knocking of Santa's with some strange ways. Early British horror with good kills, nice amount of blood and Caroline Munro shaking her booty in a cameo role. The twist in the story...or basically we know who the killer is out of two people and why someone is hating Santa was part of the twist. The acting may not be it's best but you can tell there was a budget as the wall paper in two scenes seems to be the same.

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My favourite Christmas horror. There's a murder every seven minutes. No time to get bored.

Closely followed in second place by Sint.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

My favourite Christmas horror. There's a murder every seven minutes. No time to get bored.

Closely followed in second place by Sint.

First time seeing this in years and certainly won't be the last.

Sint and Inside has got to be two of the best foreign Christmas films that should be on everyone's watch list.

[MrBarlow]

Fred Claus. 2007.

Santa's big bitter brother needs money, in exchange he has to go to the North Pole and work for it.

Vince Vaughn plays the older jealous brother of Paul Giamatti who plays a decent Santa and like every other family have sibling rivalry which leads to a good snowball and snowmobile fight. Although this is a kids film their is some adult humour thrown in to the mix, just a shame Rachel Weisz didn't get more screen time, at least Ludacris and John Michael Higgins do pull it off being elfs. Kevin Spacey manages to pull it off being the a''hole in the film that you certainly want to punch and like Scrooge manages to see what Christmas means to people.

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[MrBarlow]

Anna And The Apocalypse. 2017.

During the festive season a group of high school teens fend off a zombie hoard while trying to reach their families.

Glee/High School Musical meets the Zombie franchise, blood, gore, comical moments and a bunch of singing with some good songs. There is mentioning of the CDC/W.H.O. and a bit of time before we see a zombie but the kills are definitely not to be taken seriously but some ingenious kills are shown.

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[Susan Foreman]

You can keep all yer saccharine sweet films where everyone has a good time and wrong-doers see the 'error of their ways'

I'd rather have something true to life, featuring a spooky Santa, bratty "I want, I want, I want" children, spousal abuse, animal cruelty and black-on-black blaxploitation violence!

[MrBarlow]

The Polar Express. 2004.

Good classical Christmas film by Robert Zemeckis who brings Chris Van Allsburg book to life and uses first digital capture to bring the characters to the screen and Tom Hanks who provides a few voices and shows a young boy the meaning of Christmas and having friends. Hot...Hot Chocolate anyone.

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[MrBarlow]

A Christmas Carol. 2009.

Second Robert Zemeckis film of the day, This Time with Jim Carrey providing additional voices along with Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and the late Bob Hoskins and nicely made. Carrey's performance is very much close to Alistair Sim's portrayal of the same character but may also appear darker but not really frightening except when we see Marley's ghost appear on the door knocker, some adaptations we see the hearse carrying a coffin but this version it was filmed but deleted.

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[MrBarlow]

The Legend Of Hell House. 1973.

You got a story based on a book by Richard Matheson, six actors, 4 main stars and two cameos and a extra small appearance by Michael Gough, one creepy house, splice them together and you get this chiller film.

Clive Revill plays Physicist commissioned to prove that there is life after death in a haunted house, along with his wife Gayle Hunnicutt and two mediums, Pamela Franklin and Roddy McDowell. From the opening credits to the first glance at the house, you know it's one not to step into, Middle of nowhere shrouded in a dense eerie fog that partially covers the house.

This did mixed reviews about the ending and Matheson who wrote the screenplay toned down a lot from his own source novel with the sexual nature and violence. It does keep in the dark(ish) mood of the plot that can keep you entertained as well the actors doing a great job. Always enjoyable to watch.

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[MrBarlow]

Inside. 2007. (À l'intérieur)

We have had Killer Santa's, people killing Santa's, Sorority Sister's being killed off in their house, French writer and director team Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury decided to go one up, one heavily pregnant woman alone in a house on Christmas Eve and one deranged woman wanting her baby.

The idealistic setting is a normal house on a quiet street, nothing too fancy and not a big mansion but what ensues is a cat and mouse game of a mother protecting her unborn child. The plot doesn't seem that interesting but it has it's tense moments, claustrophobic atmosphere and brutality mixed in. Seen this a few times and still cringe at it. Alysson Paradis and Béatrice Dalle play the two main female leads and both are brilliant to watch.

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