It's been a little while since I talked about a movie, so I thought I'd rectify that. Also, I'm being seasonal here, with a Yuletide-themed film, as one can tell from the title. In my opinion this is one of the best Christmas horror movies. But, sadly, this low budget 1980 release wasn't a big success, and is only a little-known cult movie. So I'll do what I can to increase its visibility some. I'll follow my usual template of a short, spoiler-free synopsis, then a long, spoiler-rich recap, then a discussion of some of the film's strengths and themes, and end with some information about the cast and crew.
Harry Stadling likes Christmas. Actually, that's not strong enough--he LOVES Christmas, and Santa in particular. His home is festooned with Christmas and Santa decorations and toys. He even tries to embody Santa, both literally and figuratively. His career is Christmas-y as well, as he works at a toy factory. Alas, his coworkers, and his family, and his neighbors in general don't share his enthusiasm, and extreme dedication. Which bodes poorly for them--this is one Santa who does more than leave a lump of coal in the stockings of those who appear on the Naughty list.
(SPOILERS AHEAD UNTIL MARKED) "Christmas Evil" opens on Christmas Eve, 1947. Two young boys, Harry and Phil, watch as Santa comes down the chimney, eats the treats they've left for him, and then gives them their presents. However, later Harry sneaks downstairs and sees something alarming--Santa and his mother are engaging in sexual activity. Harry is extremely traumatized. Next the audience is told that it's the present, in 1980. Harry is now a middle-aged man, who lives alone in a house covered in Christmas and Santa decorations, and toys. He even sleeps in Santa-style pajamas. Then it gets even stranger. We see Harry on the roof, spying on the neighborhood children with binoculars. He knows all their full names, and carefully writes downs their deeds in thick books marked "Good Girls and Boys 1980" and a corresponding "Bad" one.
Then we see where Harry works, at the Jolly Dream toy factory. Harry has recently been promoted from the toy assembly line to a middle management, foreman-like position. His coworkers clearly find him strange, and pathetic. One of them, Frank, takes advantage and manipulates Harry into working for him by saying he has a family function. Later, Harry peers in the local bar window and hears Frank bragging about how he fooled Harry, how he lied to him. After this we see Harry spying on a family, as a father plays with his kids, and then later makes love to his wife. The next day it's seen that this father was his brother Phil. Phil thinks Harry is lame, and buffoonish. His wife tries to get him to treat Harry in a nicer way. But it doesn't really matter, as Harry calls and says he won't be coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. Periodically, we also see Harry acting bizarrely and obsessive.
Moving on, Harry is making a Santa suit, and he also paints a sleigh on his van. He's continuing his monitoring of the neighborhood kids. One night Harry goes over to the house of a "bad" boy and scares him from the bushes outside. The scene then shifts to the Jolly Dream company Christmas party. Harry acts weirdly, and doesn't connect with his coworkers. He's interested in a company plan to donate toys to a nearby hospital for mentally challenged children, but he's disappointed when the company executives don't seem to really care about it. Harry leaves the party, and then steals many toys off the assembly line.
It's now Christmas Eve. Harry, dressed as Santa, delivers gifts to his nephews. Then he drives to the Willowy Springs Children's Hospital, to deliver more toys. After some initial suspicion, the staff unloads the bags of toys, and happily thank "Santa." Then Harry drives to the church where the Jolly Dream executives are attending a night service. Outside, on the stairs, some young people tease and taunt Harry a little. He replies by brutally killing three of them with a toy soldier and a toy hammer before driving away. Next Harry spies on a local neighborhood Christmas party. Some men see him, and pressure him into coming inside. Harry gives the kids gifts, and dances with the party goers. All have a good time. The scene shifts again, quite dramatically. Harry sneaks into Frank's house. Frank's kids hear him, but are placated when they see it's "Santa" leaving gifts. However, Harry then goes upstairs and confronts the sleeping Frank. Harry murders Frank, using the present bag to partially suffocate him, and finishes him off by cutting his throat with a Christmas decoration. Then Harry flees.
It's now Christmas Day. Phil is upset, as Harry has missed Christmas, which he's never done before. Phil notes how odd and emotionally crippled Harry is. The news reports detail the Santa slayings. Harry wakes up in his van, drives to the empty Jolly Dream factory, and then destroys toys, since they weren't made properly and respectfully. The police, meanwhile, are investigating the murders, and are using "Santa" lineups. Harry calls Phil and acts strangely, almost as if it's a farewell message. Later, Harry is driving around, and gets his van stuck in the snow. He walks around the neighborhood, carrying his sack of toys. Some children approach, and happily accept his toys. Their parents, though, are troubled, and suspect that Harry is the killer Santa they've heard about from the news. One parent tries to attack Harry with a knife, but drops it when a kid interferes. The kid then gives the weapon to "Santa." Harry brushes past the parents, cutting and wounding several along the way. The parents form a mob and angrily follow the fleeing Harry. Harry manages to drive away, and goes to Phil's house. Phil confronts his brother, knowing what he's done. Harry accuses Phil of not believing in, or wanting Santa. In a frustrated rage, Phil throttles Harry, and then he drags his unconscious brother into his van. Harry wakes up abruptly, punches Phil, and drives away. However, the crowd of people catches up to him, and he drives off a bridge embankment to avoid them. As Phil watches, the van appears to magically fly away, as if it were Santa's sleigh.
Let's get the obvious out of the way--"Christmas Evil" isn't for everyone. The moments of action, excitement, and violence are few, and mostly in the second half of the movie. Viewers with short attention spans will probably be bored. But, I think the slow pace is kind of the point of it--it shows the lonely, pathetic life of the main character. It's a meditative character study of a desperate, severely mentally ill man. Harry does kill his share of people, but in no way is "Christmas Evil" a slasher movie. Of all the movies I've discussed on my blog, this one is surely the most acquired taste. So those potentially interested in seeing it for the first time are so forewarned.
I believe the major theme of "Christmas Evil" is that childhood trauma can cause arrested development. Seeing his dad as Santa having sex with his mother clearly is the most important, and devastating event in Harry's life. It's kind of a "two-fer" on important life lessons--that his parents are sexual beings, and that Santa is not real. Probably every child is confused, and initially repulsed when they learn what sex entails, and that their parents had to have engaged in such behavior. Similarly, most kids in the Western world (at least those that grow up in the Christian tradition) are puzzled and then a bit upset to learn that Santa is not an actual real figure. But, crucially, nearly all children make their peace with these revelations, and accept them, and mature normally. Harry obviously did not. Nothing we see about him indicates that he's ever had a normal sex life, or presumably any sexual outlet. He's doomed to a solitary, asexual existence. But it goes further. He doesn't ever have any semblance of a normal platonic social life. He has no friends, and his time spent with his brother is strained and awkward, only done by Phil out of obligation. Harry seems friendly with the neighborhood kids, but only in a surface way that's not meaningful. None of his underlings, peers, or bosses at Jolly Dream respect or like him. Which makes sense, since Harry is unable to interact with them except on the most basic, businesslike level. Harry is basically a seven year old child stuck in a middle aged man's body.
Then there's the whole Christmas and Santa fixation. Harry reacted to learning that Santa isn't real in a bizarre way, by trying to embody Santa's identity, and to even become a quasi-Santa. Seemingly every part of his free time is spent on Christmas and Santa-like pursuits. We don't see it, but this clearly is a year-round thing--those Good and Bad Girls and Boys books are thick, meaning he's spying on the neighborhood children all year. And those Christmas toys and decorations are surely kept up all year as well. In essence, Harry's very identity has been subsumed by the character of Santa. Since the "Santa" he knew and loved turned out to be only a human being, his father, Harry seemed to devote his life to becoming an idealized version of Santa. At the expense of his entire life. The ideals of Santa, and Christmas, are mostly positive. Being extra charitable, and nice, and generous are all things we should do. But as we become adults we also recognize the world's realities, and practical limitations, of both people and situations. Life isn't a fairy tale, and adults have to learn how to compromise, and do the best they can. Harry, though, lives in a fantasy world of black and white, and tolerates no human frailties and mistakes.
Which ends up making Harry a somewhat sympathetic character. He's not a typical evil character at all--his intentions are good, even noble. He genuinely helps out a lot of people, by helping them celebrate the holiday season and by directly giving many children gifts, including the hospital kids mostly forgotten by the rest of society. But, the other side is huge--he brutally kills four people, and injures several others. The character of Frank is a bit of an oafish asshole, but his crimes didn't warrant being murdered. And the three young people at the church were even more innocent--their "crime" was just some moderate teasing. The people Harry injures at the end aren't guilty of any "sin"--they're trying to protect their children from what they think is a crazy psycho killer (and they're right!). So Harry is clearly deranged, and should certainly not be walking the streets as a free man. But despite his massive flaws, we in the audience still kind of want him to succeed, and get away (at least I did). He has a moral code, and means well. Unfortunately, Harry's insane, and can't stop himself from committing awful acts of brutal violence. My point is, he's not like Michael Myers, or Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger, or most other cinema killers. You're afraid of him, and dread what he'll do, but you have some pity for him, and rather like him at the same time. Which makes Harry Stadling different, and interesting to watch. That's the central tragedy of the film. If Harry had just gotten significant psychiatric help as a child, maybe he could have moved past his trauma and lived a normal, happy existence.
Another thing I appreciated about this movie was its weird and abrupt tonal shifts. We go from seeing Harry do the good deed of giving toys to the needy hospital children, to the murders of the three church goers, to celebrating a neighborhood Christmas party, and making adults and more kids happy, to giving Frank's kid's presents, to then viciously slaughtering Frank, with a Christmas decoration, no less! Sometimes dramatic tonal shifts don't work in a movie, and interfere with the movie's point, but here I think it does. It leaves the viewer surprised, disturbed, and not sure how to react. Harry's good, then he's evil, then he's good again, then evil, back and forth--what to believe about him?
The music helps set the macabre scene, too. It may be stock music, given the movie's tiny budget, but whoever made it, it works. There are frequent odd, jangling tones which are appropriately unsettling. The violence and gore are sparse, as I mentioned before, but when they're done they're pretty effective, in a low budget way. Mostly quick glimpses, but convincing. Also, the look of the movie seems to benefit from the lack of funds. It all makes it seem more realistic, and correct for this movie. Something really bright, and slick-looking, wouldn't appear right for this morbid, depressing story. Its squalid, gritty feel, with a fair bit of scratches on the film stock, makes it seem like you'e watching something real, and horrible. (To be fair, my copy of "Christmas Evil" is a cheap version, as it's a combo Diamond Entertainment DVD which also includes 1973's low budget "Silent Night Bloody Night." Maybe the subsequent, larger market releases are more polished, and therefore somewhat less effective in this way.)
It's worth discussing the ending as well. I didn't realize until I did a little online sleuthing that the ending is ambiguous, almost "Inception" or "Total Recall" like. Mainly, what happened? If you review the ending moments carefully, you can hear a crashing or even explosive noise after Harry goes off the road. It can be interpreted as the sound that Phil makes as he falls down the snowy hill, through some debris and garbage, but it doesn't seem to match up right. Therefore, some viewers think that Harry's van just crashed and burned, and that he died. And that Phil's look of awe and surprise is not seeing the van fly, but the shock of seeing his brother die horribly. Which, when I think about it, does seem more reasonable. During the enfolding of the movie, there aren't any other instances of the supernatural, or magic, making Harry's Santa-like flight at the end unlikely Also unearned and weird--how could he "become" or "be" Santa if he's also a killer? (Unless actual Santa is strict, and a punisher, kind of an Old Testament-y or even Krampus-y like figure.) So, my new interpretation is that in reality Harry did crash and die, but in his dying mind he flew off, becoming Santa, fulfilling his purpose. But obviously what each viewer believes is up to them, since it's purposefully vague.
(END OF SPOILERS--SAFE FOR EVERYONE) Alas, "Christmas Evil" (which was originally titled "You Better Watch Out," and at one point was known as "Terror in Toyland") was a dismal failure at the box office. I'd report exact figures, but I couldn't find them--suffice it to say that this movie with a budget of only $850,000 was probably not profitable. It also got generally negative reviews at the time, from both professional reviewers and horror fans, many of whom wanted and expected a typical slasher film. Which is probably why writer/director Lewis Jackson's resume on IMDB is so empty. He wrote and directed "The Deviators" (aka "The Deviates"?), a comedy, in 1970, and did the same for 1974's "The Transformation: A Sandwich of Nightmares" which is a horror movie. Both of these appear to have been lost, and possibly rarely or never shown in theaters or on television. Apparently "The Deviators" was "edited into" another movie called "Forbidden Under Consent of the King" in 1972, but I don't really know what that entails. IMDB also lists him as being the associate producer and production manager for the 1974 X rated comedy "Lialeh," and as the associate producer of the 2003 horror flick "The Ghouls." But that's it. A shame, since I think he had talent as both a writer and director.
Given its budget, there weren't any huge stars in "Christmas Evil," but some of them have had decent, relatively busy acting careers. Brandon Maggart, who played Harry, was in such films as "Dressed to Kill" (1980), "The World According to Garp" (1982), and "Spiritual Warriors" (2007), and was on the television shows "Brothers" (1984-89), "Newhart" (1983), and "L.A. Law (1993). Harry's brother Phil is busy character actor Jeffrey DeMunn, probably most recognized for appearances in such movies as "The Hitcher" (1986), "The Blob" (1988, see my post on February 2, 2019 for more on that film), "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994), "The Green Mile" (1999), and "The Mist" (2007), and on such television productions as "Citizen X" (1995) and "The Walking Dead" (2012). The small role of Mrs. Garcia (one of the "bad" kid's moms) was played by Patricia Richardson, who was in such movies as "C.H.U.D." (1984), "Ulee's Gold" (1997), and "Black Box" (2012), but is surely most known for television's "Home Improvement" (1991-99). One of the men who pressured Harry to go into the neighborhood Christmas party was portrayed by Mark Mogolis, who was in such films as "Dressed to Kill" (1980), "Scarface" (1983, see my post on March 3, 2014 for some discussion about that film), "Glory" (1989), "Tales from the Darkside" (1990), "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994), "Requiem for a Dream" (2000), and "Gone Baby Gone" (2007), and in such television shows as "Oz" (1998-03) and "Breaking Bad" (2009-11). Raymond J. Barry (Detective Gleason), was in movies like "The Goodbye Girl" (1977), "Year of the Dragon" (1985), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), "Falling Down" (1993), "The Ref" (1994), and "Training Day" (2001). Finally, Danny Federici, who was part of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, had a tiny role as the accordion player in the band at the neighborhood party.
In conclusion then, if you're looking for a methodical, disturbing Christmas-themed horror movie, you might really like "Christmas Evil." It's not a fun, party movie, with lots of jump scares and gross-out violence, but it's effectively creepy, and darkly comic at times. Outrageous and notorious film director John Waters is a big and vocal fan, and even participated in the commentary on the movie's DVD release a while back. As far as Yuletide horror movies go, I think it's among the best, which would also include the original version of "Black Christmas" (1974, I can't comment on the remakes, one of which is in theaters as I write this, since I haven't seen them), "Krampus" (2015, the one starring Toni Collette and Adam Scott), and "Gremlins" (1984, admittedly more of a comedy/horror movie, but still). And for a messed up, so-bad-it's-good offering, 1989's "Elves."
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