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Plot:
Widely recognized as the best of the Christmas horror efforts, Christmas Evil is the story of a boy who loves Christmas. He is scarred as a boy when he learns that Santa is not real. Throughout the rest of his life, the toy-maker tries to make the Christmas spirit a reality. He becomes obsessed with the behavior of children and the quality of the toys he makes. When he is met with hypocrisy and cynicism, the resulting snap causes him to go on a yuletide killing spree to complete this dark comedic horror.
A User Review:
What makes a movie a cult classic? Well a lot of things really, but these type of films are only enjoyed by a certain kind of person. It's like that saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Movies like 'The Toxic Avenger' and the work of director John Waters are just some of example of films deemed "cult classics." They have some really ardent and loyal fans, but they're also not for all tastes. Now some of my favorite films, including the ones I mentioned above, fall into this category. However I don't believe that all cult films are bad ones, though some like cult sensation 'Troll 2' truly are.
Films of this genre/type/category, whatever you want to call it, are different than the norm. They show us things that more conventional films wouldn't dare. A prime example would be Horror films set around Christmas time. To date there have been several of these and just about all of them are considered cult classics. Which brings me to this film, which is one of the most well known and liked of it's kind. After finally seeing it for myself, I can see what's appealing about it, but I don't see why so many people love it. To each his own.
Pros: A good concept. Fantastic score. Good performances by Brandon Maggart and Jeffrey DeMunn. No one else is worth mentioning simply because they get so little to do. Has an unshakable creepiness about it. Moves at a slow, but steady pace. Very well done for such a low budget production. Some good disturbing moments and images that'll stay with you.
Cons: Tedious at times. Lacks someone to root for. An admirable, but not very successful attempt at a character study due to the flawed writing. Very misleading title. A lousy and very disappointing ending.
Final thoughts: I have to say I had high hopes for this one and though I found a lot to like, overall I wasn't too impressed. I wouldn't discourage anyone who likes these type of movies from seeing it, but if you do just don't go in with too high of expectations. It is really a shame though. This film had the makings of a great cult classic, but it just wasn't executed well enough. Nice try.
Trivia:
Kathleen Turner was turned down for the role as Harry's sister-in-law.
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