Are you exhausted of seeing people pretending to be Santa in retail outlets? Thanks to the U.S. Defence Department and a trillion dollars, young children are now safer than ever due to the new RoboSanta+. Initially built to be deployed overseas against America’s worst enemies, the robot has now been remade into the RoboSanta+ and looks human despite being built with military-grade construction. As a bonus, it has a vocabulary of over 90,000 words. Now RoboSanta+ has replaced all Santas in shopping malls making the world safer and more incredible.
On Christmas Eve, Tori (Riley Dandy) was planning to spend Christmas Eve meeting with a stranger, hoping to get laid. But instead, Robbie (Sam Delich), a co-worker from the record store, convinces her to spend the evening with him and have a wild time getting drunk. However, as the late-night drinks continue, a RoboSanta+ at a nearby toy store starts to play up and begins a murderous rampage on anyone in sight. Soon Tori and Robbie become targets and are trying to survive the killing spree. Can Tori and Robbie make it alive to see Christmas Day, or will they be crushed into pieces like an old fruit cake?
Are you someone who loves violent films with grindhouse and retro vibes? If so, I present to you Christmas Bloody Christmas. There are plenty of fun aspects here, and you can’t help but admire it for the most part. The premise is an excellent idea; it’s a new concept and fun. Have we ever seen a murderous Santa Robot in cinematic history? I think not! But thanks to writer and director Joe Begos, whose work includes VHF and Bless, horror buffs are in for a solid surprise.
Visually, this film is pleasing. Sure, it’s dark, but there is an excellent use of colours even though the movie is set at night. Green, Red and Blue are used with intense saturation throughout the film, and the gore, blood, and violence is an applaud worthy factor. As for the killer RobaSanta+, I love the look, sound, and even some of the electronics we see during the film; however, most viewers won’t accept the robot entirely. Some of the movements and even the face needed to be more convincing. Consequently, the scare factor of a killer robot transforms into viewers thinking (on multiple occasions), “Oh, it’s just an old dude pretending to be a robot”. Sadly, it’s not as convincing as Terminator on a mission, but it’s still impressive and acceptable, especially given the grindhouse themes and crazy plot outline.
The pacing is questionable. I found the first half of the film uninteresting and lacking substance; however, I’m proud to say how much I adored the second half of this film which is where the fun is genuinely had. In the first half, we witness loads of babble and drippy dialogue from characters Tori and Robbie. I’ll admit that both characters walking around talking loudly, being rude to each other, and overusing foul language in their conversations did nothing for me and felt highly unnecessary. Also, not a great deal happens in the first half, and the introduction lacks character development. Thankfully, once RobaSanta+ catches up with the leads, there’s a far greater film here, and the ending feels more exciting and worthwhile. Is it because the main characters are talking less and now are required to run and fight more? I’d have to say yes. It’s almost as if the first half and second half are two completely different films.
Overall, it’s great to see writer and director Joe Begos returning to deliver yet again something that horror fans have yet to see- this time; it’s a murderous killer Santa robot in the style of a classic grindhouse film. There are many aspects to praise, but sadly, I found some disappointing things too. The entire movie has excellent lighting and strong visuals, but the first half consisted of lots of loud nonsensical dialogue from the leads, which I struggled to enjoy. The second half is the real entertainment and is packed with blood, solid kills, fantastic practical effects and brainless horror entertainment. It’s almost as if there are two separate films here and the real excitement and joy kicks off at halftime, saving the movie from what could have been a major disaster. I have more considerable praise for this film because I stayed with it. Hold on for your “deer” life because this is a Santa you’ve never seen in the cinema before.
6.5/10
5th December 2022
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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