The Place For The Latest Movie Reviews
Cast: Dee Wallace, Geoff Morrell, Sarah Bishop, Janis McGavin, David Collins, Gerard O’Dwyer
A mother must protect her family on Christmas Day from a demented stranger who is hell-bent on tearing them apart.
"Red Christmas" tells the story of Diane who is having her immediate and extended family over for their last Christmas in her home before she sells it and goes on a long awaited vacation. Things get off to a good start as Diane works to get everything ready before the family sits down to exchange gifts but right when they are ready to do so someone is at the door. When Diane opens the door she is shocked to see a man wrapped in bandages and wearing a hooded cloak. The man is holding a letter in his hand which reads, “Mother." Concerned for his well-being Diane invites the man in so he can rest and they can find out where he belongs. They soon find out the man's name is Cletus but Diane's sympathy for the man quickly turns to rage when he says she is his mother.
It seems Diane had an abortion 20 years ago when at the same time her husband was ill. During the procedure a religious fanatic bombed the clinic and while there he found a fetus still alive which is took home with him, nursed him back to health and named him Cletus. Since his father is now dead Cletus has decided to seek out his birth mother and be apart of her loving family but when Diane rejects him all hell breaks loose.
Welcome to my Fantasia International Film Festival 2016 review of the Horror/Comedy, "Red Christmas." The film starts off by showing the abortion clinic bombing and then it fast forwards 20 years as Diane and her family settle in for their Christmas gathering. Right from the start you can tell the family is a bit dysfunctional which actually creates a lot of the film's funny moments. The film spends some time introducing us to the family members and of course introducing us to Cletus and telling some of his back story. There is also one scene of carnage early on in the film as well but once Diane throw’s Cletus from the house is when the horror an action begins and it continues all the way to its shocking ending.
I really enjoyed this film and found so much to like about it. For starters I liked the story and I thought it was both original and well thought out, you don't get to see many horror films nowadays that have a unique story to them like this one does. I don't normally give away as much about a film as I have here but the plot is no secret so I am not really giving away any spoilers here. I will not give away what happens after Cletus is tossed from the house or how the film ends but I will say this, "Red Christmas" is a horror/revenge film with lots of blood and gore, some cool kills, tons of suspense and action and one hell of an ending.
And what also makes the film so good is its incredible cast. Everyone in the film did a fantastic job playing their roles including, Geoff Morrell, Sarah Bishop, Janis McGavin, David Collins and the incredible Gerard O’Dwyer who is amazing in the film. And then we have the star, Dee Wallace who gives a powerful performance as Diane, Dee really owns the film during its final 20 minutes.
"Red Christmas" doesn't have big production values, it is not flashy or as polished as films coming out of the big Hollywood machine but it looks great none the less and the effects used in the film are off the charts. I have to admit I enjoyed this film a lot more than I expected to. As good as the trailer is, it doesn't even give the film it's due. This is a horror film that you have to see and fans are going to eat it up. It will make you laugh, cringe and it will have you holding on for dear life during the climax.
"Red Christmas" is having its Fantasia Premiere on July 23 at 11:55 PM at the SGWU Alumni Auditorium (Hall Theatre.) I highly recommend this fun horror film to all fans of the genre.
Released by Craig Anderson
**** Out Of *****