Dec 2018
Hey, it's Christmastime everyone - there needs to be a Christmas themed horror movie thread here at Trash Epics, right? RIGHT???
So this is it here. Post whatever you want about Christmas horror movies.
With Christmas being my favorite holiday, and horror being my favorite movie genre, it would only make sense that, when the two merge together, it has the potential to cure CANCER. No, I'm kidding. Just thought it'd be funny to say "CANCER" in a holiday-themed thread.
I love this time of year, I really do, and get all gushy over lights and decorations and yes, even the dreaded Christmas music. Call me a masochist, but I love that shit. And then there's the food. Oh boy. The food.
But back to movies. I watched Christmas Evil aka You Better Watch Out (I like this title better) the other night. I really enjoyed it, probably even moreso than the one time I saw it however many years ago. The movie isn't your traditional slasher flick, despite the fact that it's sometimes lumped in as one, and I think that's what I admired so much about it this time. If viewed as a twisted black comedy it seriously rocks. Brandon Maggart, the main dude who wants so badly to be Santa Claus and just make kids happy, is great in the role. I never knew this until recently, but he's Fiona Apple's dad, which I found interesting, for no particular reason really.
Anyway, I liked the film a lot, enough to possibly start including it in my yearly watches 'round this time of year, next to unbeatable classics like Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night.
So...post anything you want about Christmas horror films, recommendations, traditions you have with your own personal movie viewings, etc. Whatever.
So this is it here. Post whatever you want about Christmas horror movies.
With Christmas being my favorite holiday, and horror being my favorite movie genre, it would only make sense that, when the two merge together, it has the potential to cure CANCER. No, I'm kidding. Just thought it'd be funny to say "CANCER" in a holiday-themed thread.
I love this time of year, I really do, and get all gushy over lights and decorations and yes, even the dreaded Christmas music. Call me a masochist, but I love that shit. And then there's the food. Oh boy. The food.
But back to movies. I watched Christmas Evil aka You Better Watch Out (I like this title better) the other night. I really enjoyed it, probably even moreso than the one time I saw it however many years ago. The movie isn't your traditional slasher flick, despite the fact that it's sometimes lumped in as one, and I think that's what I admired so much about it this time. If viewed as a twisted black comedy it seriously rocks. Brandon Maggart, the main dude who wants so badly to be Santa Claus and just make kids happy, is great in the role. I never knew this until recently, but he's Fiona Apple's dad, which I found interesting, for no particular reason really.
Anyway, I liked the film a lot, enough to possibly start including it in my yearly watches 'round this time of year, next to unbeatable classics like Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night.
So...post anything you want about Christmas horror films, recommendations, traditions you have with your own personal movie viewings, etc. Whatever.
It's a pretty interesting movie. I think I know what you mean about classifying it... it's hard to know exactly how to lump it with other movies. You definitely could call it a black comedy though. That works... In some ways it could be seen as just a completely objective, neutral, clear-eyed depiction of mental illness, combined with some commentary about what Christmas means, what we think it means, what it should or could mean, etc. I am not totally sure I perceived everything the director and actors intended very well, because I watched it so late at night. But, I liked the way they went back and forth between showing him being a psycho slasher maniac and then suddenly having a scene where he interacts happily with people celebrating Christmas, and everything, on the whole, works out very nicely. Even in those scenes, they do show a few people who can tell there is something VERY seriously wrong with this guy, but enough people just get caught up in the Christmas spirit with singing carols, etc, that they just accept his behavior as being Christmassy.
The ending is... I think that's what "magic realism" is supposed to be, isn't it?!? I don't know if I should give spoilers. But, I just mean what happens at the very end. That was a cool twist. He could still have been totally crazy the whole time, but maybe his form of insanity just matched up well with some Powers that Be, behind the universe, running everything and judging the good and bad.... not sure.
I also liked seeing Jeffrey DeMunn in it. It was one of his first movies! He looks so young in it, I could hardly recognize him. He did a good job, of course.
So anyway... yeah! Good stuff.