Horror Short Review: Humbug (2016)

Humbug is a seven-minute (ish) Christmas horror that opens with a goth-looking woman (Scarlet) finishing her picture of a decapitated Santa by cutting her hand & dripping blood on to it. Hearing the sound of sleigh bells, she looks enraged before screaming the word ‘fuck’.

Knocking on her neighbours door, Scarlet is extremely abusive to the woman (Betty) who answers. Betty is a woman that embraces all that Christmas is about until Scarlet goes too far. Betty then tells her that they’ll just have to do things the hard way. Then she zaps Scarlet with a stun gun.

Yeah, Humbug doesn’t go where you might expect it.

Scarlet then wakes up tied to a chair inside Betty’s house (with Christmas lights of course). Wanting to know what’s going on she is informed that she needs to get the humbug out & all it takes is some holiday spirit.

What follows can be best described as ‘Christmas torture’. Eggnog poured down the throat, fingers in a nutcracker and a kiss under the mistletoe.

In an amazing turn of events, the torture works revealing that Scarlet actually had a ‘humbug’ inside her!

Humbug is a fun short, one with an original idea that is played for cheesy laughs but doesn’t skimp on the gore & bad language. Scarlet & Betty are polar opposites but play off each other well, the Christmas references making Betty seem way more unhinged then she actually is.

The ending is a surprise & very satisfying. Check it out yourself below!