VOD of the Dead - SANTA ISN'T REAL (2023)
Santa is one scary sunvabitch. Based on the myth, he knows what everyone does and passes judgment on whether the act was “naughty” or “nice”. Then, he decides if you get a fossil fuel or a present for the holiday, effectively putting “naughty” kids on the express train to serial killer stardom with Christmas being their trigger. Still, Santa is a staple of the holiday season whether you love him or loathe him. He’s also a great character to make the focal point of a horror movie. From Krampus to Silent Night, Deadly Night the genre has plenty of examples of how Santa can go from merry to macabre. In Santa Isn’t Real, the newest holiday horror film from Zac Locke and XYZ Films viewers will see if Mr. Claus is here for yuletide cheer or yuletide fear.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
After suffering a brutal attack on Christmas Eve, a young woman, Nikki, struggles to convince her friends that the assailant was Ol' Kris Kringle. When Santa returns to terrorize the group, Nikki and her friends must fight to stay alive.
HOW IS IT?
Holiday horror movies are like the comfort food of the genre. They appease two things at once by marrying the horror we love with the holidays that we love to hate. Effective holiday horror movies juxtapose the innocence and picturesque holiday landscape with the polar (pun intended) opposite aesthetic of blood and violence. Santa Isn’t Real tackles this head-on by taking the figurehead of the holidays and turning him into a murderous myth, or is he? Like many other horror films in the last 10 years, Santa Isn’t Real presents two options to the viewer; is Santa real and out to kill us, or is our main character simply mentally unstable? While the film takes more time than it should to get going, once it does it is a better-than-average holiday slasher with a few tricks up its festive sleeve.
After a really strong opening scene involving everyone’s favorite gifter attacking Nikki, we learn that she has been in a coma for a year and comes to precisely 12 months later days before Christmas. Is it coincidence, or just bad luck as Nikki tries to resume life as she knew it while it seems like her friends and family have moved on and left her behind? What Santa Isn’t Real does best is present a truly terrible set of circumstances for Nikki, the kind that may even cause someone to lose it, and demonstrate the horrors of living through a traumatic event and now losing your support network. Bringing this to life are Nikki (Kaya Coleman), her boyfriend Nathan (Trey Anderson), and her two friends Jess (Scarlett Sperduto) and MJ (Cissy Ly). The dynamic between these characters is serviceable, and in some cases intentionally distant, but there are a lot of times when you feel bad for Nikki simply because those around her just don’t act like they’re trying to be her friend. Regardless of performances, the biggest issue with Santa Isn’t Real is that the titular character isn’t as present as you might think.
Santa as a killer is a concept that doesn’t get old. Like zombie movies, there is something inherently entertaining and evergreen about Old Saint Nick mowing down the naughty and the nice. Santa Isn’t Real has some decent action and kills, they are just kept until the last 15 minutes of the movie. While there are some moments of tension leading up to these final moments, mostly trying to deduce who is attacking them, the majority of the runtime is just the four friends and their drama. Even at a brisk 75 minutes, there is a noticeable drag in the second act that would have been better served with a higher body count. But what Santa Isn’t Real achieves is one helluva great holiday spirit with the location and production design. This movie feels like the holidays and the Santa costume is creepy in that vintage doll way, so despite some pacing issues, it does deliver the goods when it counts and certainly ticks a lot of the “holiday horror” boxes.
LAST RITES
Santa Isn’t Real starts with a bang, and drags in the middle, but redeems itself with a bloody ending that will deck your halls with ho-ho horror!
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
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Where can you watch it?
“Santa Isn't Real”. A Thrilling Holiday Horror From Writer-Director Zac Locke Coming to VOD and Digital Platforms December 8th from XYZ Films
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