If you have ever wondered what would happen if the beloved Santa Claus were a killer robot, you’re in for a festive treat! The 2022 Shudder originalChristmas Bloody Christmasseeks to answer that question. Set over one Christmas Eve, theJoe Begos-directedfeature follows Tori (Riley Dandy) as she settles for a lonesome evening of drinking and hooking up with a stranger. Chaos soon erupts as her neighbors are slaughtered by an android Santa carrying a bright red axe.Killer Santas seem to be all the rage, withStranger ThingsstarDavid Harbourrecently taking on the role withViolent Night,but whileChristmas Bloody Christmasmay not become a Christmas classic in years to come, it is certainly arefreshing take on this growing subgenre of holiday horror. Leading from the growing fear surrounding technology that was heightened withThe Terminator,Christmas Bloody Christmascreates a seemingly unbeatable antagonist with no consciousness. This allows for Robo-Santa to become a ruthless killer, with the movie capitalizing on gory and gruesome kills. With less than a 90-minute runtime, it’s a feature to add to any Christmas horror watch list.
Christmas Bloody Christmas
It’s Christmas Eve and Tori just wants to get drunk and party, but when a robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and begins a rampant killing spree through her small town, she’s forced into a battle for survival.
What Is ‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ about?
The climax of this, as Tori realizes the reality of the situation, is a drastic change of pace. The steady, carefree pacing immediately shifts and everything spirals out of control at a rapid rate. The tonal contrast aids in highlighting the helplessness and extremity of the situation.In thesame way thatFreshso successfully presented itself as a potential romance moviebefore flipping halfway through,Christmas Bloody Christmasfeels like a less glamourized version of this.
‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Killer Santa Is a Mix of The Terminator and Slasher Icons
Deadly Santas have been a trope in the horror genre for decades, from the Santa-suited killer inSilent Night, Deadly Nightto David Harbour’s vigilante Santa inViolent Night.The evil Santa caricature inChristmas Bloody Christmasstands apart from the others and aligns with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. He is purely mechanical, from his green laser eyes to his robotic movements, there is no humanity to this killer. The ruthlessness of both killers is evident in the way they don’t hesitate to kill anyone and anything that stands in their way, with parallel scenes depicting them disposing of an entire police precinct without much resistance.
However,what truly madeThe Terminatorso terrifyingwas the fact he seemed impossible to defeat, and it seemed every time he was knocked down he simply rebooted, sat up, and carried on. Even when his human shell was destroyed, his robotic interior was even stronger and more sinister. This invincibility is replicated inChristmas Bloody Christmas, and considering the usual jovial nature associated with Santa Claus, this evil android is such a cold contrast. It takes the fear associated with The Terminator and applies it to the innocence of the festive season. Our killer Santa has many more similarities to slasher juggernauts such as Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees; his stature, his tendency to constantly stalk our final girl, and his total dominance.He appears from nowhere andkills with no sense of rhyme or reason.Christmas Bloody Christmasborrows a lot ofideas from classic slashers, and this is most obvious in its killer.
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Aside from his physical appearance, there could not be a bigger difference between the robot Santa and the real deal.Christmas Bloody Christmasforces you to take childhood adoration of Santa Claus and throw it out the window. He cannot be reasoned with and he has no remorse. At one point, following the death of his entire family at the hands of the android,a kid asks Santa where his mom is, and the movie doeswhat other horror movies are sometimes scared to do; it kills the kid. This movie could easily veer toward poor taste, but it is very clear everyone is aware of the absurdity. If it teetered on the line of seriousness,Christmas Bloody Christmaswould likely get lost in thesea of 2023 horror. However, the insanity of the whole movie allows it to become a compulsive festive treat and its robot Santa stands up against the other killer Santas in cinema.
‘Christmas Bloody Christmas’ Gives Us the Perfect 21st Century Final Girl
Singlar in its approach,Christmas Bloody Christmasdoesn’t overcomplicate itself, we are not given the space to get overly attached to anyone other than a handful of characters. Most of those we meet are disposed of almost instantly, andthe viciousness with which this happensis a major reason for the success of the movie. However, the one character we do spend a lot of time with is our obvious final girl, Tori.Dandy perfectly plays a modern final girl, moving away from the girl next door, an innocent persona associated with the trope when it was first conceptualized.Instead, Tori echoes Grace (Samara Weaving) fromReady or Notand Maxine (Mia Goth) inX.She is capable, sexually liberated, and astute. Rather than being sheltered from the world, she tackles it head-on and her combat with robot Santa doesn’t feel helpless. The fact we are seeinghow the final girl trope is beingmolded to evolve with societal attitudes,even in smaller horror movies, highlights how the horror genre grows with time.
Christmas Bloody Christmaswill likely not be revered as a classic festive movie. However, it is unlikely that was the intent of the filmmakers. Instead, itbasks in its absurdity and allows itself to push every boundary.It’s steady in its build-up, but that allows for the growth in the momentum that climaxes in a whole hour of gruesome and relentless kills. Itborrows aspects ofThe Terminatorand gives us a fresh take on the killer android subgenre.Perfect for anyfestive horror movie night,Christmas Bloody Christmasis certainly worthy of a spot among other holiday horrors.
Christmas Bloody Christmasis available to stream on Shudder in the U.S.
