Red Christmas

It is Christmas time worldwide, and people go insane, all over the place. So what is it that people want more than anything this Christmas ? It is tickets to David Hasselhoff Looking For Freedom Tour 2018, all over Germany. 

Really ?

Yes, because there is nothing more Christmas than a concert with The Hoff. Especially when the tour name is Looking For Freedom Tour. I have tickets, so of course i am pleased. You don´t need any other Christmas gifts than this, trust me on that. 

Christmas Eve is of course a very big holiday for all ages, and we gather with family, relatives, ex-wives, lovers, basically anything can happen. I really enjoy Christmas dinner, that´s where you get to find out all the secrets. Your Uncle turns out to enjoy visiting Transexual Clubs in Europe, and your Aunt is collecting stamps of Wayne Newton. All the Christmas movies that TV keep playing, and of course the new Hanson Christmas Album, the best Christmas album ever made ( if anyone says this is not true, they are lying ). Speaking of Christmas movies, there are so many films to choose between. I know that Gremlins and Die Hard are 2 classics that will always be appreciated. Of course the 1994 version of Miracle On 34th Street is also a film that is still loved by many people. I would like to mention one wonderful Christmas movie from 1984, called Silent Night, Deadly Night. A B horror movie that had a very special message, Santa Claus don´t like Christmas, he just wants to party. Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr., this turned out to be a Christmas horror thriller that looked very different from most Christmas movies of the 80´s. It was very brutal, but made with a heart passion for B movies. If you have not seen it, check it out on  blu ray from Shout! Factory. Christmas horror in general is usually made in a very traditional way, unless some directors like to do something different. And i came across a film this Christmas weekend, called Red Christmas on dvd. Since i am an old school horror fan, i thought it would be nice for the holiday to see something different than Home Alone. Is this Christmas horror film surprisingly good, or is this almost as bad as Kirk Cameron´s Saving Christmas ?

Diane ( Dee Wallace ) is gathering her children in her home during the Christmas holidays. It is the time during the year she can see everyone, gathered as a family again. Everyone is not happy to see each other, but they try just to please mother Diane. Suddenly on Christmas Eve, the door bell rings, and an odd looking stranger asks if he can read a letter. No one knows who this man is, but they are about to find out that a secret have been hidden, for a very long time in this family.

I thought Red Christmas might have some black comedy in here. The truth is that this is a much more serious horror film. Also, a very bizarre Christmas story, that takes on the subject of Abortions and Down Syndrome, mixed together into the plot. The film starts of pretty simple, when the family gather to enjoy Christmas together, but as the film goes on, things do turn around to a completely different story. And this is one advantage with Red Christmas, you can´t predict everything that will happen, since there is a twist behind the family secret. Legendary actor Dee Wallace ( from such 80´s classics such as The Howling, Cujo and of course Critters ), is the lead actor, and i have to say she is the right choice. She have been in plenty of horror films over the years, and she knows how to develop characters in her own way. I really enjoy the performance of actor Gerard Odwyer ( known for his beloved performance in the short film Be My Brother ). His character Jerry in the film Red Christmas, is wonderful. I would like to say that he is actually one of the few characters that you can connect with. The other characters feels pretty ordinary, and they still manage to function. The horror theme of this film does work, even if we don´t get to see much gore. There are a few scenes where we get some Christmas surprises, that i thought worked out alright. For some reason, i felt that this film could have influences from the 1982 film Basket Case. Not that these films have much in common, but when you see the forgotten child, a freak who only wants to be with his mother, you get a sense that Basket Case could have influenced the director Craig Anderson. Speaking of director Craig Anderson ( director of TV comedy series How Not To Behave ), i think he have made a Christmas movie that stands out of the ordinary Christmas catalogue. You have seen something similar before, but still the mixture of elements in here feels like a good combination. Red Christmas is not a Christmas film that will be appreciated by everyone, because it is different. But for me that is a good sign, because there are far too many Christmas films that looks all the same. So give Red Christmas a chance, after Christmas dinner, you might actually enjoy this odd horror film.

Rating: DDD