Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Well, that was disappointing. So, someone took the worst parts of Glee, High School Musical and every show on the CW and ripped off Shaun of the Dead. Groundbreaking. This movie needs to get off my lawn.
It is a very well made film. The songs are fine but instantly forgettable. But the story is hackneyed, the comedy isn’t funny, the zombies aren’t scary.
I really wish I’d liked this more because at times it melds Christmas and horror fairly well but I dislike every character and hate the script, so this isn’t becoming a holiday tradition at Casa Kringle anytime soon.
Silent Night Bloody Night (1972)
Offbeat, slow-moving early 70s indie with a slight underground flavor including appearances by a handful of Warhol day players and the unaccountably beloved, in certain circles, Mary Woronov. The most interesting thing is the score by Gershon Kingsley and that’s only because the film is so un-engaging I paid more attention to the soundtrack just to pass the time.
Not the worst low budget axe killer movie you’ll ever see, so there’s that. Though John Carradine’s appearance in the cast list should give you some idea what you're in for.
There’s a fair amount of Christmas in the production design, but it’s not very Christmassy, what with all the bloody murders and all.
Home for the Holidays (1972)
Another holiday thriller from ‘72 is this ABC Movie of the Week starring Sally Field, Jessica Walter, and Julie Harris, among others. It’s not brilliant but it is a solid made for TV effort from back in the days when even Aaron Spelling put a modicum of effort into producing compelling content.
A dying patriarch gathers his four estranged daughters to his deathbed to make an extraordinary request. I don’t want to spoil things but there is a lot of melodrama, a body count, plus Sally Fields screaming, a lot.
Not very Christmassy, mostly incidental decor, but that’s hardly surprising given the familial tensions involved.
Holidays (2016)
Mediocre horror anthology, redundant I know, featuring a number of holiday themed shorts. The Christmas segment, directed by Scott Stewart and starring Serh Green, is okay but pretty predictable.
