A Christmas Horror Story (2015) Review – An Entertaining Festive Anthology
A Christmas Horror Story: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A fun and frequently gory holiday anthology that successfully uses an overlapping narrative to maintain a sense of festive dread. A Christmas Horror Story avoids the typical stop-start pacing of the sub-genre by weaving its four tales together, anchored by a charismatic, if slightly phoned-in, performance from William Shatner. While the individual segments vary in quality – ranging from a generic changeling story to a standout battle between Santa and zombie elves – the film remains consistently entertaining. George Buza’s badass Santa is a particular highlight, providing an action-heavy finale that elevates the entire production. The use of the Ginger Snaps location adds a nice bit of horror history, even if the actual scares are relatively sparse. This 3 star effort is a polished and seasonally appropriate choice for viewers who enjoy the “dark side” of the holidays. It may be uneven and rely heavily on digital effects, but its creativity and energy make it a solid staple of the December horror rotation.
Details: Directors: Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan | Cast: William Shatner, George Buza, Rob Archer | Runtime: 1h 39m | Release Date: 2015
Best for: Fans of Trick ‘r Treat looking for a holiday equivalent and viewers who enjoy high-concept, creature-heavy anthologies.
Worth noting: The film’s setting of Bailey Downs is a direct nod to the iconic werewolf film Ginger Snaps, sharing several of the same production crew members.
Where to Watch: Shudder, Amazon🛒, Tubi
Rating: 3/5 Stars
(A creative and energetic holiday anthology that trades traditional pacing for overlapping tales of festive terror and standout creature designs.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing A Christmas Horror Story (2015).
Table of Contents
Christmas anthology horror
A Christmas Horror Story is yet another anthology. This time it features four frightening festive tales designed to shock and delight… or, potentially, just disappoint. Each story is introduced by a wrap-around segment featuring William Shatner as a slightly buzzed radio host.
The first story follows Dylan, Ben, and Molly as they head into the basement of their haunted school to conduct a paranormal investigation. Story two sees the family of a police officer take a trip to a Christmas tree lot to start the festive celebrations, only for one of them to come back changed.
The third story sees a pair of naughty kids being hunted in the snow by something that seems an awful lot like the legend of Krampus that their grandmother told them about. And story four takes us to Santa’s village in the North Pole where Santa’s elves appear to be infected with something, placing the big man in a fight for his life.
Tied together by a connecting story… kinda
This collection of stories is set in the fictional location of Bailey Downs; a place which you may recognise from werewolf horror movie Ginger Snaps. This was an obvious deliberate choice as the director crew here (Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan) worked on that movie back in 2000. The stories here are somewhat linked together by that location.
“Unlike many anthologies, A Christmas Horror Story doesn’t present its segments as individual stories. They overlap and are not distinctly separate from each other, reminiscent of the fantastic Trick ‘r Treat.”
The teens in the first story are investigating a murder that took place in the school. The policeman in story two, Scott, investigated that murder. Stories three and four feature a recurring character, and story four also connects to the background segment that ties everything together. Characters in each segment also listen to the radio broadcast which, once again, adds a little extra cohesion.
Unlike many anthologies, however, A Christmas Horror Story doesn’t present its segments as individual stories. They overlap and are not distinctly separate from each other. Whether this works well or not is up to the viewer. It’s quite reminiscent of the fantastic Halloween staple Trick ‘r Treat though not quite as well put together.
Naturally, quite uneven
As you can probably guess, the individual segments are quite uneven. It’s the nature of anthology movies as a whole. Some of this unevenness is compounded by the timeline and switching between stories. Those little moments where the two segments blend together can be a little jarring. It’s not a massive hindrance to enjoyment, though.
The first story is fairly interesting in a sort of “Goosebumps” teen horror way. It does go in a bit of a PG-13 raunchy direction later on which is just a little bit weird but it works fairly well. The second story is pretty dull. It’s a theme that has been done to death a million times before so there’s not much you can add to it.
Third story has some promise but feels just a little usurped by the movie Krampus that came out the very same year. The wrap-around is about as tacked on as you can possibly imagine. They pretty much gave Shatner a script and told him to act like a jaded radio host. That’s it. His sole task is to make it very clear that these stories are all taking place in the same town and the same time. Still, drunken Shatner is still enjoyable.
One standout segment
The star of the show is segment four. This is the only segment I feel could be made into a full movie. It is action packed, gory, high energy and, simply, a hell of a lot of fun. It features Santa fighting back against a horde of undead elves. The concept is pretty crazy but it works incredibly well for what it is. A definite highlight, for sure.
“The star of the show is segment four. It is action packed, gory, high energy and, simply, a hell of a lot of fun. It features Santa fighting back against a horde of undead elves.”
As far as horror goes, none of the segments are particularly scary. Segment two has a few moments of domestic terror if that is your thing but it feels fairly predictable. Segment three has potential and is quite tense for a moment there but never quite sticks the landing.
The first story is a run of the mill paranormal horror that really doesn’t even fit with the Christmas theme. There’s just not much to write home about but that’s fairly typical of the format. The fact that the segments are all enjoyable in their own way makes the lack of scares much less of an issue.
Acting is fairly mixed
Acting is a bit of a mixed bag. This is, naturally, a bit of a trend with anthologies. As you can probably imagine, Shatner was cashing a cheque and, pretty much, phones it in. He is just drunk Shatner presenting a radio show and pretending to like Christmas. Zoe Maison, Alex Ozerov and Shannon Kook from the first story are all fine. Molly and Ben have a few pretty intense scenes which they do a decent job of. I enjoyed Adrian Holmes and Oluniké Adeliyi’s performances in the second story. Holmes does a nice job portraying the frustration of Scott’s situation.
The family in the third story were very middle of the road. The kids were absolutely obnoxious, as you would expect them to be given the plot. Corrine Conley and Julian Richings were fun as Aunt Edda and Gerhardt, suitably hamming it up.
The fourth story has a wide ranging cast that does the job really well given the action element at play. I really liked George Buza’s no-nonsense Santa. It’s always fun to imagine Santa as someone who can whoop some ass. I definitely think he inspired David Harbour’s performance in the enjoyable Violent Night years later.
Uneven cinematography and an okay score
Cinematography is really decent, in parts, but can be uneven; another trait of the anthology horror. Again, the last segment is probably the most interestingly shot, I really enjoyed the style of it a lot. Santa throwing his elves around and slashing them with knives is a weird sight but works surprisingly well.
“As far as Christmas horror movies go, you can do a lot worse. It’s a fairly easy watch, has a shortish runtime, and has plenty of festive feeling. The fourth segment alone is worth watching for.”
There is a distinct overuse of CG in this movie. Once again, this is very common with anthology horror, for some reason. It is particularly lacklustre in parts as well. Still, costumes for certain characters look really good. The violence and gore in the fourth segment is really nicely done, as well.
The musical score is fittingly festive. There aren’t any tunes that will stay with you but it feels like it works well with the movie. As far as festive feelings go, the fourth and second story stand out. The first story could have been set at any time of the year, it doesn’t fit the Christmas theme at all. The third story obviously has an Xmas theme but, again, doesn’t revel in it. Still, the Christmas songs that feature here and there tie the theme into the rest of the stories. Taken as a whole, it is a perfectly fitting festive movie.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Santa vs. Zombie Elves: Segment four is a masterpiece of festive carnage, offering a gory and high-energy take on North Pole mythology.
- Overlapping Narrative: The decision to weave the stories together keeps the energy high and prevents the usual anthology pacing issues.
- William Shatner: Even when he is clearly phoning it in, Shatner’s presence as the cynical radio host provides a fun and cohesive anchor.
The Bad
- Inconsistent Quality: Certain segments, particularly the police officer’s changeling story, feel somewhat generic and lack the spark of the better tales.
- Overuse of CG: Many of the visual effects look dated and lacklustre, which can occasionally pull the viewer out of the holiday atmosphere.
- Jarring Transitions: Switching between stories in an overlapping format can feel slightly confusing during the initial viewing.
The Ugly: The Ending. The final twist involving the connection between Santa and the other stories is a genuinely clever bit of writing that reframes the entire film.
Should You Watch A Christmas Horror Story?
Yes. It is a 3 star film that offers a lot of festive fun. While it isn’t particularly scary, the sheer creativity on display, especially in the Santa segments, makes it well worth your time during the Christmas season. If you enjoy the overlapping style of Trick ‘r Treat and want a holiday equivalent that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this is a great choice.
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