Christmas Horror Short Review: Jingle Bell (2020)

From writer/director/editor Xavier Moiny comes Jingle Bell. A festive horror short that was created during the COVID lockdown and proves just how a negative thing can produce positive things.

A young woman at home is setting up the last of her decorations which include putting a hanging bell inside her bird’s cage. She retires for the night but is disturbed by the sound of the bell shaking and rattling. She goes to check out the bird, finding it fine and then leaves. The camera focuses on the bell sitting on the table.

Spooky things are afoot.

A little later, the bell begins to ring again. When she goes to check, she sees the bell floating in the air being rung by something unseen. A bit freaked out, she seems to think the bell is cursed or something so hits it with her shoe before dumping it in the bin.

As she walks off, she hears the bell ring again…

Just who or what is the errant bell ringer? Check it out yourself below to find out.

Is it worth it? Yes, just about. Jingle Bell’s problem is that we’ve seen it all before and its scare tactics lack bite. Mostly, it seems designed to make you jump and the music/sound effects really hammer that home. We’ve seen shorter shorts have more atmosphere than Jingle Bell manages.

That being said, it will get its desired effect if you’re susceptible to jump scares.