Holidays (2016)
Starring Kevin Smith, Lorenza Izzo, Seth Green, Clare Grant, Michael Gross
Directed by Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, Scott Stewart, Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, Sarah Adina Smith, Nicholas McCarthy, Adam Egypt Mortimer, Anthony Scott Burns
Anthology horror, as we all know, is back in a big way over the last few years; and as each signature installment weaves into the next ad infinitum, it becomes more and more apparent that the format is the best way for directors to explore their creativity and strengthen their voice in the genre. The latest shorts offering, Holidays, proves that every special occasion has a sinister side and that each director is just as diverse as the holidays we celebrate throughout the year. I only hope that next time, Garry Marshall will get a call; he loves the holidays!
Using some twisted, cursed version of an advent calendar, each installment of Holidays follows in chronological order, starting at the beginning of what will prove to be a very bad year. “Valentine’s Day,” directed by Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kölsh (Starry Eyes) follows a pre-teen outcast who has an unhealthy attachment to her swim coach. After being teased to the point of no return, she decides to commit a grand, romantic gesture that could surely help her taboo crush in a time of need. Out of all the possibilities for a Valentine horror story, Widmyer and Kölsh go an unexpected route that still manages to have a lot of heart.
Warwick Davis and Silver Shamrock, Inc., are nowhere to be found in Gary Shore’s (Dracula Untold) “St. Patrick’s Day,” centering around a lonely schoolteacher with dreams of becoming a mother. Determined to make one of her very weird students crack a smile, she winds up in a downward spiral as a fertile recruit in a bizarre, seemingly ancient Irish ritual. Starting innocently on a playground, “St. Patrick’s Day” eventually devolves into a countryside trip filled with lasting images of a reptile-worshiping cult. It’s dream-like and deviously off-putting.
Moving quickly (okay, running) into April, Nicholas McCarthy’s “Easter” features the best prosthetic makeup of the bunch and is sure to please those looking for a memorable creature in Holidays. It perverts the religious aspects of the holiday without bastardizing it and also manages to deter any kid from ever wanting to go on an Easter egg hunt again. A twist on waiting up for Santa on Christmas Eve, it’s an effective cautionary tale to remind kids to always go to sleep when it’s their bedtime.
“Mother’s Day” by Sarah Adina Smith (The Midnight Swim), in some ways, plays like an opposite to Shore’s entry following Kate, a woman who becomes pregnant every time she has sex. It’s slowly driving her crazy, and in an act of desperation, she abandons Western medicine for a fertility ceremony in the high hills that looks like it’s located somewhere between Salem and Sedona. Instead of finding answers, she finds baby-obsessed wackjobs that wind up regretting their seancé once Kate finally comes to term. The ending is abrupt, but it did remind me of Takashi Miike’s Gozu so that has to be a win.
Anthony Scott Burns’ “Father’s Day” feels like a David Lynch fever dream. A mysterious package on a doorstep containing an ‘80s tape recorder lures an abandoned daughter named Carol on a surreal trip down memory lane to find her long-lost father. As Carol listens to the tape on a pair of old, orange Sony Walkman headphones, she finds herself stuck somewhere between childhood and adulthood, doomed to discover the truth.
From the first shot of “Halloween” inside a convenience store, you’ll know who directed it. Kevin Smith employs his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, to co-star in a surprisingly satisfying story of a group of gullible girls forced to be cam-sex workers for a slimebag named Ian. It takes place on Halloween, but that’s only casually mentioned. Instead, the girls take revenge on their employer in ways that only Smith’s brand of juvenile genius could think up. It feels like Kevin Smith, and because it’s a short, the story stays on track and doesn’t veer off in order to amuse Smith’s constantly changing stoner state of mind. It’s charming and satisfying and will definitely play to his fans as Smith continues on his quest to become this generation’s Lloyd Kaufman.
“Christmas,” starring Seth Green and directed by Scott Stewart (Dark Skies,) is the most forward-thinking installment, dealing with a father’s desperate search to find the UVU Virtual Reality headset for his son. He acquires one at great cost, only to find that the viewfinder shows the viewer his/her deepest secrets and darkest fantasies. It’s the “Twilight Zone” episode of Holidays. Just remember to always log off before you let the next user try out your gear.
Note: Holidays also has a real Virtual Reality component tying into the story that can be seen during the Tribeca Film Fest. Many more VR horror experiences will also be able to view as well!
Wrapping up the year is Adam Egypt Mortimer’s (Some Kind of Hate) “New Year’s Eve.” That night can be the loneliest time of year so why not go on an online date rather than sit at home watching the ball drop? But what if your date has something else in mind entirely once your apartment door closes behind you? Once things get rolling in this, it’s close-quarter anarchy; and I only wish it could have been extended a little longer. But hey, that’s a short film for you. Definitely a good way to bring in the new year and end the demented calendar year of Holidays.
In the world of horror right now, putting together these kinds of projects is a win for everyone involved. A producer can pitch a concept, directors can stretch their legs in between features, and it can be an easier sale to distributors. More importantly, how these directors work together to form a collective strengthens the horror community in general. Each entry dovetails into the next in Holidays, and because of the format, the viewer doesn’t know whether the next few minutes will be filled with a high-concept social commentary, a crude comedy, or a visually striking, strangely beautiful experience that reminds you horror is an art and not a tweenage cash grab.
I’m not going to list them, but think about all the genuine “WTF” moments you’ve had watching anthologies over the last few years and compare them to the features you’ve seen. Holidays proves that the most visionary work in the genre world right now is happening in the realm of anthology horror.
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