Horror Movie Review: Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

Joe Begos (writer/director) delivers mayhem with Christmas Bloody Christmas. A thoroughly enjoyable festive horror that stars Riley Dandy, Sam Delich and Abraham Benrubi.

Garishly delightful, unrelentingly bloody and intensely entertaining, Christmas Bloody Christmas is a riot from beginning to end. It sees small town record shop owner Tori (Riley Dandy) closing up shop on Christmas Eve. She has a Tinder date but is convinced to go out drinking with her employee Robbie (Sam Delich) instead.

On the way to the local bar, they stop at the toy store to share a quick drink with workers Jay (Jonah Ray) and Lahna (Dora Madison). This store houses a robotic Santa that was designed to replace the everyday Mall Santa. However, an issue with the artificial intelligence has resulted in a recall.

An issue that sees this particular robot Santa activate, pick up an axe and paint the snow red. It’s beginning to look a lot like a Christmas, a very bloody Christmas.

Christmas Bloody Christmas is a fantastic festive horror. One of the most enjoyable ‘unchain your brain’ festive horrors seen in a very long time. This is all the more impressive when you consider just how many killer Santa horrors have been made. It’s no surprise that this film started life as a potential Silent Night, Deadly Night remake. So, to come up with something so fresh and exciting is so very impressive.

Part of the reason why this is such an enjoyable film to watch comes from the cast. A strong cast overall that includes the likes of Jeff Daniel Phillips, Jeremy Gardner and Graham Skipper in smaller but notable roles. However, the stars of this film are Riley Dandy’s Tori and Sam Delich’s Robbie.

Their characters are incredible likeable and they have a fantastic amount of chemistry. Their banter is on point and their foulmouthed conversations are extremely entertaining to listen to. Like friends, drunk friends, they bicker and tease each other to an incessant amount. Arguing over their respective love lives, music, and films. All while harbouring their own potential feelings for each other.

Then, as the film progresses, Tori steps into the heroine role and does it with aplomb. We’re talking Sarah Conner stuff here, which is fitting as the robotic Santa certainly has some things in common with The Terminator. Seriously, that’s not hyperbole and the latter portions of the movie are downright insane. This is a gory movie and the effects are strong.

Why does the robot Santa go on it’s killing spree? Who cares! It’s a malfunctioning robot Santa and there’s killing to be done this season. Christmas Bloody Christmas wants you to have fun and fun you will have. Especially as it’s garishly festive and shot in such a way that Christmas is always at the forefront. In fact, with the combination of an excellent synth-heavy score and vivid lighting, the movie has a surrealist feel to it. It really shouldn’t work, but it does because so much effort was clearly put into making it.