Horror Movie Review: Ugly Sweater Party (2018)

Written/directed by Aaron Mento and starring Felissa Rose, Sean Whalen, Kevin Caliber, Lara Jean, Hunter Johnson, and Charles Chudabala. Ugly Sweater Party is a Troma-esqe horror comedy. In that it’s absurdly silly, utterly offensive in the best possible way and low-budget trash.

It’s awesome… for two-thirds of its runtime.

The movie begins with Declan Rains (Whalen), a serial killer who murdered four families one Christmas, being interrogated by Detective Brolin (Brad Potts). Seeing Rains as nothing but evil, especially as he blames his crimes on the pentagram-embroidered ugly sweater he is wearing, Brolin dishes out his own type of justice. Namely wrapping Rains’ head in Christmas wrapping paper and caving it in with a baseball bat.

However, that just allows Rains spirit to leave his mortal shell and inhabit the sweater instead. Kind of like Chucky but with an ugly Christmas sweater instead.

Some time later, best friends Jody (Johnson) and Cliff (Chudabala) are on their way to a Christmas party to hopefully get laid. On route to the party they realise it’s an ugly sweater party and neither of them of wearing one. In the case of Cliff, his smart wear makes him feel like an idiot so when they run into a hobo carrying a truly ugly sweater, he wants it.

The hobo is Detective Brolin who has dedicated his life to protecting the sweater after he killed Rains. He refuses to give it up but encouraged by the glowing spirit of Rains, Cliff beats him down and steals the sweater.

Once it is on, the sweater begins to take over the mind of Cliff encouraging him to kill. Should he kill three innocents, his transformation will be complete. Where’s he going to find three innocents though? Good thing, this Ugly Sweater Party is taking place at the Christian camp, Camp Mandix.

Yes, Mandix. Run by Mr and Mrs Mandix. It’s this sort of film.

Cue genitals being torn off and the spewing blood being drunk thirstily, cloth-based tentacle stabbings, hungry demons, witches, the Mandix Mambo dance, satirical references to suppressed gay feelings, time-loops, alternative realties, lasers and a heavy metal band with blood sprinklers coming out of their heads.

It really is as stupid as it sounds.

Yet, it is thoroughly enjoyable… up to a point. The problem is that it eventually, in the last 20 or so minutes, jumps the shark. Going from absurdly silly to bat-shit insanity, the latter far less fun to watch and near impossible to follow.

The jokes begin to fall flat, the sleaziness disappears and it begins to try too hard to be offensive. Low budget gory practical effects are swapped out for lower-budget CGI and the humour gets steadily worse and worse. It’s almost they ran out of ideas but had a specific run-time they had to meet so just kept throwing shit at the wall hoping it would stick.

It’s shame as for two-thirds of its run-time, it is entertaining stuff. Yes, it is rough and ugly looking but like the sweater in question, you can’t help but admire it. However, it’s something you wear once then bury in the bottom of closet afterwards.