Time to hang those stockings from the fireplace and get ready. Christmas evil sets up harry as being santa obsessed from the beginning. Director lewis jackson has commented himself that he felt certain aspects should have been expounded upon more, but thats the pure pleasure of revisiting this wonderfully nasty hybrid of art and exploitation. Why christmas evil is the best bad santa movie geekshizzle. For the love of christ, buddah, zeus and every deity in between, do not see this movie. The title christmas evil also released as you better watch you does not promise. Sequence 12 the greatest christmas film ever made john. Christmas evil is sad, touching, startling, and heartwarming all at once. Christmas evil is a 1980 american psychological slasher film written and directed by lewis jackson and starring brandon maggart. Christmas evil 1980 film christmas specials wiki fandom. During the film he pulls out the sewing machine and an old fur wrap. The kids trying to protect harry from their parents nightmare fuel.
Its been compared to as the taxi driver at christmas and i pretty much agree with that comparison. Not good creepy mind you, but creepy like that guy in your office with dandruff that doesnt seem to bathe. Because the film leans more toward a character study of a disturbed individual than a slasher movie with a killer dressed as santa claus, the film has amassed a small following heartwarming moment. Christmas evil is the best christmas movie ever made a true cinematic masterpiece. Its the bit where harry starts getting delusional and cutting himself on the assembly line. Forget white christmas, its a wonderful life and all the other hackneyed trash, declared auteur of outrage, john waters, go for the best seasonal film of alltime. This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total. Because most independent anthology films are usually birthed from a single story that is too. One dvd release of the film has a commentary track by john waters who claims the film to be the greatest christmas movie ever made. Any film that gets its audience as confused about the identity and ethical makeup of its protagonist, or leaves us wondering what just happened. Harry catches his mother being sexually groped by his father, who is dressed up as santa. The film had previously been released by troma in december 2000.
Vinegar syndrome is proud to present lewis jacksons cult favorite christmas evil newly restored in 4k and on bluray for the first time. If you want that movie, there is a bluraydvd combo available under the name christmas evil here on amazon. May 24, 2016 the title card has been changed from christmas evil to you better watch out. Starring brandon maggart, jeffrey demunn and dianne hull. Christmas evil centres on harry stadling maggart, a man who works at the jolly dream toy factory and takes his job very seriously. As he watches everyone around him mock the spirit of the holiday season, a seemingly ordinary man snaps and develops a murderous rage. Lewis jacksons blackly comic 1980 horror film you better watch out aka christmas evil begins like so many slashercentric shockers do, with a kid witnessing a parental sex act, here its mommy kissing santa claus. This is a disambiguation page a list of articles associated with the same title. In each scene where harry interacts with one child or a group of children, there is a noticeable lack of conviction in the child. After he dons the santa costume, harry takes an extreme approach to the role, as he rewards the nice and punishes those who mock the spirit of christmas. Dec 22, 2016 as far as christmas horror movies are concerned, i think the best and most frightening is 1980s christmas evil. The film is noted for starting a subgenre of the jolly st. The godless world decided long ago to rid christmas of christ, thus xmas was created.
Its followed by a long pause and then him laughing so it. We take a look back at the morbid holiday horror treat christmas evil starring brandon maggart. Christmas evil 1980 like eve, this american film, is known as the first of many films where a guy dresses up as santa claus and kills the locals. Now, i can barely get through silent night, and i love christmas evil because it actually has substance and is more than topless girls being hacked to bits. Making its longawaited uk bluray debut in a jingle bells and whistles edition from. Though it was the success of halloween 1978 that ultimately allowed this film to be made, it was actually written earlier. When he was a boy, little harry idolized santa claus, but one christmas eve, he witnessed something horrifying that forever shattered his innocent understanding of santa. Like fade to black, someone takes the role a bit too far.
Its a rare thing to say about the lead in a grainy, lowbudget horror movie, but despite all the insanity and the killing, he manages to turn harry into an extremely sympathetic character. Everything in harrys life is a mess all because of that one incident as a child. Christmas evil 1980 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. As of december 2014, a bluray copy of christmas evil. Dec 24, 2007 it seems wrong to criticize a childs acting abilities but in a film that puts child actors in front of the camera as much as christmas evil does, a critique must be made because the end product noticeably suffers. Troll 2, samurai cop, the miami connection, christmas evil, etc. It features audio commentary from the director and cult filmmaker john waters, who is quoted as saying it is the greatest christmas movie ever made. Santa is extra naughty in this 1980 christmas slasher. With brandon maggart, jeffrey demunn, dianne hull, andy fenwick. After being treated like garbage by his coworkers and pretty much everyone else around him for years he finally snaps and takes it upon himself to dress up like santa and go on a killing spree, brutally. Transferred from the directors own personal film elements, this version of christmas evil is the original first cut of the film containing even more scenes and neverbeforeseen footage. Christmas evil 1980 like eve, this american film, is known as the first of many films where a guy dresses up as santa claus and kills the locals christmas evil starts with the origin of main character harrys homicidal insanity. A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning santa claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a yuletide killing spree. A deranged departmentstore santa becomes a coldblooded killer in this taut psychothriller that spends time looking back at the poor fellows life.
Not a slasher film, but a taxi driveresque character study and one damn fine performance from fiona apples father, brandon maggart, as he slips into madness. Dec 04, 2014 john waters has referred to christmas evil as the greatest christmas movie ever made, but odds are youve never even seen it. Its understandable as writerdirector lewis jacksons. Holiday horror films can be presented in short or long formats, and typically utilize common themes, images, and motifs from the holidays during which they are set, often. Christmas evil slasher classics collection 42 88 films. Christmas evil has proven to be deeply divisive for three and a half decades now, but i look at it as a truly outstanding film. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film. This movie fails on every level and yet cannot even be enjoyed ironically. This is a movie that wouldve come very highly recommended regardless, but this special edition bluray release elevates into something. Christmas evil you better watch out 1980 soundtrack. Donned in his santa suit, harry starts doing his rounds on the van that he decorated with a sleigh picture, and that he believes to have been trained by santa clauss reindeer. Harry stadling brandon maggert is obsessed with christmas. In fact, its much more a dark satire than it is a horror film. Christmas evil 1980 full movie christmas evil 1980 full movie.
If you like pretentious, unoriginal community theater dribble that cannot be enjoyed on any level, i guess you can give this hunk of crap a shot. Rent christmas evil 1980 starring brandon maggart and dianne hull on dvd and bluray. Christmas evil you better watch out is the taxi driver. Harrys vow to bring bad children something horrible. Includes unlimited streaming via the free bandcamp app, plus highquality. As far as christmas horror movies are concerned, i think the best and most frightening is 1980s christmas evil.
This version is presented in its matted widescreen ratio of 1. The success of the film which is also john waters favorite holiday gem is due in no small part to brandon maggarts brilliant performance. If you have ever been in the mood for a feelgood, killer santa christmas movie, look no further than this obscure 80s slasher. Christmas evil one of the wonderful things about christmas and christmas movies at this point of accumulated history is that people with mixed, muted, or otherwise less than ebullient feelings about the holiday have a rich variety of films to enjoy that share their mindset. Its much more of a character piece than a body count movie as you watch a man slip into insanity after becoming sick of it all.
Its much more of a character piece than a body count movie as you watch a man slip into insanity after becoming sick of it all and its really lead actor brandon maggarts. Frankly, the film itself deserves only two stars, while the funpacked troma dvd is a fourstar product. Dec 06, 2015 christmas evil 1980, directed by lewis jackson. On christmas eve, while gluing a santa beard to his face, he enters a fugue state that has him convinced to truly be santa claus. Then the biggest difference is that one scene, at about 15. Dec 16, 2017 check out to get sweet christmas swag like we have in this video. The music of christmas evil is composed by the trio of don christenson, joel harris. He is obsessed with the quality of the toys that the company produces and finds himself continuously belittled and frustrated by the company management who are more interested in the bottom line. Few christians realize just how wicked the worlds celebration of christmas is. Christmas evil is a film that gets better with each viewing. There are a nice few slasher elements present in christmas evil while it also contains great psychological horror. May 27, 2016 the gore is stupid and the villain is creepy in christmas evil.
Though it is often lumped in with the santa slasher movies that popped up in the 1980s, christmas evil deserves better than that label. In december 2006, synapse films released a special edition dvd of christmas evil. The gore is stupid and the villain is creepy in christmas evil. Join us on patreon so we can make more content and get the wwam up in everybody michael. Harry is a weird and mentally unstable factory worker who is obsessed with christmas and santa claus.
Some spoilers off the wall slasher film involving this not so stable toy factory manager who got the shock of his life when, as a little boy, her saw santa and his. Christmas evil aka you better watch out 1980, usa trailer. Christmas evil 1980 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. But it would be unfair to lump you better watch out more widely known today as christmas evil together with the likes of silent night, bloody night. Im taking a look at christmas themed horror flicks this month. Horror films that are set during, or thematically involve, christmas and the holiday season subcategories. So what really happened at the end of christmas evil. Rent christmas evil 1980 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix.
The legendary finale is as wondrous as the holiday itself. The story is also titled christmas evil and terror in toyland. Christmas evil 1980 charles stabbed in the eye with toy soldier by harry stadling, binky hacked in the head with axe by harry stadling, peter hacked in the head with axe by harry stadling, frank stoller throat slit with christmas ornament by harry stadling, harry stadling chased off. Christmas evil, 1980 a psycho in a santa suit gets to decide whos been naughty and whos been nice. Nov 16, 2014 get your copy of christmas evil on bluray from vinegar syndrome. Holidaythemed horror films or holiday horror are a subgenre of horror films set during holidays. Dec 25, 2016 rare trailer for 1980 slasher christmas evil under its original title of you better watch out a strange kinetic mix of character study and slasher movie with blackly comic overtone.
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