This Free-to-Stream Holiday Horror Flick is an Underrated Christmas Treat
What I appreciate most about Christmas horror movies is that horror and the holidays make for such an unlikely pairing. These films tend to juxtapose a sacred holiday against bloodshed and debauchery. It’s a peculiar mashup that works surprisingly well. One such example is A Christmas Horror Story directed by Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, and Brett Sullivan. Their holiday horror anthology does a brilliant job of using the festive season as a backdrop for various forms of viscera. The picture frequently subverts expectations as it serves up a series of bite-sized vignettes that come together in one compelling package.
In the film’s wraparound segment, William Shatner plays a charismatic DJ called ‘Dangerous Dan’. The iconic actor spins Christmas records and offers up commentary on the holiday season while imbibing eggnog. Dan hails from the sleepy hamlet of Bailey Downs (a Ginger Snaps reference), which serves as the focal point that connects each of the segments.
Similar to Trick ‘r Treat, the vignettes are intertwined, as opposed to self-contained. Although I initially found the constant back-and-forth to be a little jarring, it ultimately works rather well. I came to dig the unorthodox approach because it builds anticipation. Just as things start to heat up in a particular vignette, the action shifts to another. Though initially confusing, the presentation adds a level of intensity in the long run.
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As for the vignettes, each stands out for different reasons. Screenwriters James Kee, Sarah Larsen, Doug Taylor, and Pascal Trottier craft unique and memorable stories with each segment. Every tale within brings something different to the table. And there isn’t a bad apple in the bunch.
One of the ominous vignettes sees a young boy getting lost in the woods while hunting for a Christmas tree with his mom and dad. When his parents eventually locate the child, he doesn’t speak and has a darkness in his eyes. Over time, the mother and father come to suspect that their little boy may have been replaced by a changeling.
This sequence is full of atmospheric chills. There’s a great shot where the boy’s mother checks on him during the night and we catch a brief glimpse of the reflection in his bedroom window. The likeness staring back at us is in the boy’s bed, wearing his pajamas. But it is most certainly not the young man who entered the woods earlier that day.
I also really appreciate the dinner scene in this vignette. It marks the first time we really see how disturbed the boy is following the retrieval of the family Christmas tree. That realization comes quite quickly and serves as a welcome surprise. I’ll leave it at that to avoid giving too much away.
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In another segment, a trio of students break into their high school to shoot footage for a class project about a tragic event that took place on the campus one year prior.
This sequence effectively incorporates crime scene footage to provide a backstory on the shocking act of violence the students are profiling. There’s a truly unexpected jump scare in the video that makes me leap out of my skin every time I see it.
Also impressive is the set design in this vignette. The section of the school that isn’t in use has an ominous quality, giving the impression that something scary is lurking in the shadows. That gives the vignette a sinister feel long before matters take a dark turn.
Yet another segment finds a dysfunctional family summoning Krampus during a visit to an elderly relative. On their trip home, the foursome crashes into a snow bank, finding themselves stranded in the woods.
This vignette is deliberate in its approach to introducing the evil at play. But it works remarkably well. As the family is traipsing through the woods, they encounter the Christmas devil with no prior warning. The viewer has a good idea that Krampus’ arrival is imminent because it’s foreshadowed. But there’s very little warning as to exactly when he will strike, making the mythical being’s appearance quite the shock.
This vignette is also helped by the filmmakers’ decision to show very little of Krampus until the point where he absolutely must take center stage. That allows the viewer’s imagination the chance to run wild before we finally get a good look at the merciless beast in all his demonic glory.
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The final vignette finds Santa Claus forced to contend with a zombie epidemic afflicting his elves. The jolly old soul believes that Krampus is responsible for the outbreak and gears up to battle the Christmas devil after slicing through several of his helpers.
The zombie elves transitioning from sweet and unassuming to foul-mouthed purveyors of chaos is darkly comedic. I almost spit out my drink the first time I heard one of Santa’s minions call Mrs. Clause a “reindeer-f**king snow whore”. That’s certainly one of the film’s most memorable lines. But it’s not an isolated instance. There are some great one-liners scattered throughout that serve as a nice counterbalance to the darker thematic elements.
The way this segment concludes really surprised me the first time I saw it. The bleak outcome is perfectly fitting to everything by which it was preceded and in retrospective viewing is supported by subtle cues that first-time viewers are likely to miss.
All in all, A Christmas Horror Story is a darkly comical anthology that deserves far more credit than it gets. I count it as one of my favorite Christmas horror offerings and encourage you to seek it out. If you’re curious to screen this festive treat, you can find it streaming for free (with ads) on Tubi, as of the publication of this post.
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