December 10th, 2011
Jack Frost (1996)
Directed by Michael Cooney
The town where I grew up had two places you could rent movies: the grocery store and the gas station. Both tended to get the most popular new releases, but the gas station always seemed to have a wider selection. This was because they had a bunch of movies nobody ever rented in addition to those new releases, and I would see the same ones on the shelf all the time. The two VHS tapes I remember seeing time and time again were Jason Goes to Hell and Jack Frost.
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December 9th, 2011
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
Directed by Jalmari Helander
It seems like great horror films are few and far between in the United States, yet there were two great Christmas horror films that came out in Europe last year alone. Both Sint and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale offer a twist on Christmas different from what we’re used to. While Sint features Sinterklaas as a murderous bishop back from the dead, Rare Exports shows us a Santa Claus who’s something much worse.
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December 8th, 2011
Elves (1989)
Directed by Jeff Mandel
Whether you consider yourself a diehard or casual horror fan, chances are you’ve never heard of the film Elves. I hadn’t heard of it until I started working on the 13 Nights of X-Mas, but the little bit of information I found told me Elves would be worth tracking down. Multiple reviews refer to this film as a kind of Christmas version of Troll 2. That’s a pretty accurate description, and it should tell you exactly what to expect.
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December 7th, 2011
Black X-Mas (2006)
Directed by Glen Morgan
Following the success of remakes like The Amityville Horror and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, studios began remaking any horror film they could get the rights to. They haven’t stopped since, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Not all of the remakes, however, have been successful. In 2006, the original Black Christmas was remade as Black X-Mas. It was disliked by critics and audiences alike, and it’s since been all but forgotten.
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December 6th, 2011
You Better Watch Out (1980)
Directed by Lewis Jackson
Sometimes, for a wide variety of reasons, films are known by multiple titles. Black Christmas was also released as Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger in the House. Sint is also known as Saint and Saint Nick. This film, which director Lewis Jackson originally titled You Better Watch Out, is better known as Christmas Evil. It’s unfortunate that one film uses two of the best possible names for a Christmas horror movie. Then again, if any film deserves two great names, it’s this one.
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December 5th, 2011
Sint (2010)
Directed by Dick Maas
Sint is not a Christmas horror film, but a Dutch film based on the Sinterklaas traditions of the Netherlands. The Santa Claus we all know and love, the one who puts presents under our trees and in our stockings every year, is based on Sinterklaas. In the Netherlands, the feast day of Saint Nicholas is celebrated every year on December 6th (or the night before on December 5th, much like celebrating Christmas Eve on December 24th). Like Santa, Sinterklaas brings presents to good girls and boys. His helper, Zwarte Piet (or Black Peter), stuffs bad children in a sack and takes them to Spain.
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December 4th, 2011
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Directed by Nicholas Webster
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a bad movie, if you couldn’t tell from the title. It’s been featured on both Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Elvira’s Movie Macabre, two programs dedicated to making fun of the films they showcase. It attempts to take classic science fiction elements and mix them with holiday cheer, but it fails miserably. Much like chestnuts, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is perfect for roasting on an open fire.
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December 3rd, 2011
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Directed by Henry Selick
During the 100 Days of Halloween in 2010, I lamented the fact that there are few great children’s Halloween films and television specials. Christmas, on the other hand, seems to have countless favorites (and new ones each year). One of the best Halloween children’s films by far is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The only problem is that the movie focuses more on Christmas than Halloween. Luckily, that makes it a perfect film to include in the 13 Nights of X-Mas.
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December 2nd, 2011
Gremlins (1984)
Directed by Joe Dante
It’s hard to believe I haven’t written about Gremlins before now, because it’s one of my favorites. I think that, because I’ve been planning to write a series about Christmas horror films, I was saving it for this. In spite of featuring Christmas prominently in the story, Gremlins is not typically remembered as a Christmas movie. It could have something to do with the sequel, Gremlins 2, having nothing to do with the holiday. Then again, it’s the original that tends to be remembered. So why is the Christmas element forgotten?
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December 1st, 2011
Black Christmas (1974)
Directed by Bob Clark
I thought it would be best to begin the 13 Nights of X-Mas with the film that arguably started the slasher subgenre: Black Christmas. It spawned countless imitators, including Halloween and Friday the 13th, and led to every holiday-themed horror film from My Bloody Valentine to Leprechaun. It established a number of elements that would later become horror clichés. Black Christmas is not just a landmark film within the horror genre, but an important piece of film history in general.
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