A
child named Harry Stadling (Gus Salud) is
convinced that there is a Santa although
his brother tells him there isn't.
This causes Harry to be obsessed about
Santa and tries to prove him wrong.
Years
later Harry (Brandon Maggart) is all
grown up and is working at a toy factory
but is still disturbed about what he saw
as a child.
He
decides to make his own Santa suit and
spies on his local neighborhood going on
a killing spree to decide who's naughty
or nice.
The nice people get presents (Mostly the
children) but the naughty one's are
slaughtered.
A stupid but well
done flick at the same time which reigned
as a cult classic.
This film I am convinced inspired the
cult slasher flick Silent Night
Deadly Night as that story is
almost similar but of course it was done
in better style.
It's silly but very dark and disturbing
too. There's good wintery scenes with a
nice dark horror feel to many of the
scene's that were used in the flick when
the killer is about to do someone in.
There's also an interesting en ding to
the plot which was very strange and you
will see what I mean if you check this
film out.
The acting is very
dated and very average. Brandon
Maggart did a terrific job
impersonating Santa however and really
knows how to behave bitter, disturbed and
instense at times.
Jeffrey DeMunn seems to really pull
off his part as the younger brother who
is closed minded about the Christmas
spirit.
Dianne Hull who played his wife
seems to stands out well too for her
looks in a horror film.
Joe Jamrog seems to play off well as
a sarcastic one who works at the toy
factory.
A man's eye is
stabbed and then chopped with a small axe
in the head.
A guys throat is cut open by an ornament.
Lewis
Jackson's direction is good with the
intense scene's and there's alot of
effective work from him.
He introduces and impressive beginning of
the film with child actors watching their
father dressed up in a Santa suit played
by Brian Hartigan putting presents
underneath the tree.
Then suddenly one of the kids performed
by Gus Salud spotting Hartington
still dressed as Santa being lustful with
his mother played Ellen McElduff
and Jackson definetely makes it look good
enough for a child to snap.
Brandon
Maggart shows nice insane
expressions when he thinks of the people
wanting time off and he almost loses it
while putting toys together in a factory
when the camera pans on him while doing
this. A good camera shot too showing some
effective flashbacks from a previous
discussion almost making you cringe.
There's effective camera shots on him
making a Santa suit.
lThere's a perfect and dark
moment when Maggart is spying on
a neighborhood house peeking in the
window and then hiding in the bushes.
Then suddenly child actor Peter
Neuman hearing the rustling in the
bushes and slowly walks towards the
bushes acting cautious and then Maggart
scares him which Jackson made
that moment very memorable.
We spot a bitter coldness on Maggart at
a Christmas party towards some of the
supporting actors like Owen Hollander
and Joe Jamrog as his fellow
workers and they react well to his
attitude.
A nice camera shot on him putting on a
Santa beard in a bathroom mirror laughing
insanely.
Then it looks so heartwarming when he
delivers presents to the children's
hospital as it makes Maggart
look truly caring and not such a madman
after all.
However, the next place he goes to was
greatly directed just as well when he
snaps as he is mocked by two small actors
performed by Michael Klinger and
Mark Chamberlain outside of a
church as he shows angry expressions and
they looked believeable at driving him to
snap proving that Jackson can be
versatile with his work by showing both
sides to this lead actor.
Also, the people's reactions to the murder
was believeably intense.
We spot a nice camera shot on Maggart
pointing his finger to some children
at a party as he lectures the cast
playing the children about what he would
do if they were bad as his voice sounded
almost cold.
A classic scene was when he climbs up a
roof to the chimney but can't seem to fit
in and the camera shots looked terrific.
Then Jackson makes the moment
very dark and creepy when he goes into a
house to drop off presents and then goes
in for the kill showing a cold look on
his face and has great wide eyed look
when he puts his bag on Joe Jamrog's
face in his bed to make him suffer as
it's a real cringing feeling. Small
actress Marion Vitale has a nice
shocking look to her face after she
discovers what has happened to him.
Jeffrey DeMunn was great with his
dialogue on the phone with Maggart and
does well at begging him to ask what he
will do.
The most disturbing direction of them all
was when Maggart wass in an alley and the
locals are freaking out when they
discover who he is when the children
gather around him. Then one of
the parents played by Stephen
Mendillo sticks a knife at him and
there's great reactions between both of
them and you think to yourself "You
don't wanna do that"
DeMunn shows great stern attitude
towards Maggart trying to reason
with him about his sick behavior and it
looks good when he loses his mind with
him nearly killing him.
The music is a
little rusty with the synthesizer
playing. Almost like a toned out composer
trying to make the soundtrack sound
similar to Phantasm but
however, the music in some scenes like
when the killer was climbing the roof
sounded neat.
Sally
Noland: It couldn't of have just been
a bullet-proof vest. I hit him in the
head at least twice!
Frank McCrae: Look at the marks on
your throat.
Sally Noland: I'm telling you,
Frank. His hands were so big, and they
felt like ice... even through his gloves.
He wasn't breathing.
Frank McCrae: Hah... we won't put
that in our report, huh?
Teresa
Mallory(Holding a rifle
towards Matt Cordell holding Jack Forrest
in the air): Put him down
Cordell!!!!
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