The Horror Show
A Christmas Story
by Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan
I had seen the cover for A Christmas Horror Story a little while back but I wasn't all that sure what it was about. From the awesome cover it seemed like something involving Santa fighting Krampus. This is technically part of it, but there are so many more elements to talk about so I should just dive right in.
I was extremely pleased to discover that this film was an anthology of sorts. Not in the typical sense of story in a chronological order but all the subplots do their own thing and tell complete stories. Almost like a Christmas Trick 'r Treat but not quite. The stories move back and forth regularly and are all interesting in their own right. The film begins with a radio DJ played by William Shatner taking on the role of being the voice behind the holiday cheer. As he does his thing, a series of events forming their own stories play out.
The subplots are all wonderfully different but connected in their own way. We deal with a family visiting an elderly aunt who may have upset a dangerous legend. We have young people investigating a murder site and a family that should have found their Christmas tree in a more conventional way. We are also treated to the battle of Santa Claus who discovers his elves have been somehow...infected.
The movie did a great job keeping things moving. It knows what it's doing with all the moving parts and it never feels choppy or uneven. All the talent involved played their parts well and the music and effects all blended together into a smooth project that I found myself impressed with. Parts of the movie I thought could be their own entire project. Not because they didn't work perfectly well in short form but I was just that interested in the concepts. None of it felt underdeveloped in practice, though, and the movie seemed to have just the right amount of everything.
The ending was fantastic and I won't say any more about it I will say that I would certainly call it memorable. While I was left with some overall questions, the mystical nature of the film keeps me from feeling truly confused at all and I feel all the emotional notes struck the right chords. I was never bored for a second and there were some great moments that stuck with me.
All and all, I would definitely recommend A Christmas Horror Story. I went in expecting to enjoy it and I still was pleasantly surprised. It was a fun flick all the way through and never dipped into a bad spot. So if you're in the mood for some Christmas with your terror or just want to see a quality flick than I say check out A Christmas Horror Story.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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