Powerful

Let's be realistic.

Good concept, poorly executed.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Christmas EvilSanta Claus tells burglars that home invasion is okay so long as you bring a gift.Regrettably, the only gift the malefactor in this horror movie bares is a swinging axe.Toymaker Harry (Brandon Maggart) takes his job so seriously he believes he's destined to be Kris Kringle. Wearing the red and white costume and compiling a nice/naughty list of his neighbours, Harry dispenses his brand of Christmas justice upon them.While some get gifts from him, others - like his shiftless coworker (Joe Jamrog) or mouthy hipsters – get a taste of Harry's hatchet.Originally titled: You Better Watch Out, this B-Movie from 1980 set the standard for the seasonal slashers that started appearing shortly after its release. Cheesy, but tinged with social commentary, this Christmas story straddles the line between goodwill and pure evil. Still, the creepiest thing about Santa remains his fixation with having children sit on him.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Christmas Evil begins with an introduction, where a young boy cuts himself with a piece of broken glass- from a snowglobe he smashed- after discovering his mother receiving oral pleasure from a man in a Santa costume.This causes him to forever associate the pain he felt from this trauma, with Christmas (you'd think this would turn him into a full blown misogynist, but it doesn't). Rendering him all stalky- with a particularly keen interest in the neighbours...and a Santa fetish, of course.He takes this role very seriously, too. Keeping tabs on all the local children (via voyeurism); documenting their good and bad behaviour.One Christmas, after witnessing the greed of management at the toy factory where he works, he snaps, and fully embraces his Santa alter-ego, on the one day of the year that the rest of the world might accept it.Everything goes well for him at first. He even comes off as benevolent for a while. But things start to take a darker turn when people start to mock and belittle him, after which he starts to get all slashy...and it's all downhill from there.But he never comes off, truly, as a monster. Rather, someone who is mentally unstable, but well meaning, acting out, out of frustration.You can make of that what you will, but it ultimately leads to the film's conclusion...which is both bizarre and wholly unexpected.In fact, I think it might be one of the weirdest conclusions I've ever seen in a horror flick. But the whole thing is pretty weird, in an awkward sort of way, so I guess it is a reflection of that too.The whole thing plods along pretty slowly, and comes off more awkward than it does entertaining (probably due to the absence of gore, in this gore-saturated day in age), but it's watchable. And it's certainly something different than usual...so there's that.5 out of 10.

Okay, "Christmas Evil" aka "You Better Watch Out" (which IMO is a better title) is a film I approached expecting something "slasher" in nature. It is not. I would probably describe it as a movie about a man who is losing his mind due to an obsession with Santa and Christmas. And we get to witness this firsthand. This does not make it a bad film. I actually liked it somewhat. The lead character is pathetic. He is a man who was traumatized as a child when he found out that Santa Claus was make believe. As an adult, he is seen living in a kind of Christmas Fantasy world at home and trying to influence others around him to be kinder,etc.He is played by veteran character actor Brandon Maggart who is excellent in the role. You will see a number of familiar faces in this one too. It seems a bit TV movie like and I think this makes it even more interesting. NOT a horror film but a look at a man basically losing his marbles to a Christmas song.

"Christmas Evil" is one of those little classics that has gained a cult following and has managed to keep a low profile through the years. It is not so much a horror movie, as it is a dark comedy about a man's journey into insanity. This is not the typical movie in the common sense of the word, both in his method of operation and the fate of the character. The most infuriating thing about the whole film is the fact that it has so much potential...The story is clearly very far-fetched but enjoyably so, it is a dark story but it does have some dark yet amusing humour (the final scene is a hoot). The movie looks great and far outweighs its low budget expectations, sets and effects are good as is the make-up. The films biggest problem is the pace, for the first 50 mins very little of importance happens, dare I say it becomes a little tedious with all the set up for the final 30-35 mins, but when it does liven up its a great fast paced horror with some exciting sequences. Overall, Christmas Evil is a decent "horror" film but I personally don't think it's all that a lot of people are making it out to be. The plot and acting is acceptable, but it's just the ending that leaves you scratching your head and wondering how, where, and why it fits in with the overall story. Still, this is a decent Christmas slasher oddity that's always worth a look.Overall rating: 6 out of 10.