24 Days of LosMas- The Utah Cabin Murders

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the tenth night, I am posting the 2019 horror comedy The Utah Cabin Murders.

The Utah Cabin Murders (2019)

A family enjoining a lovely holiday in their cabin encounters a pair of escaped convicts who play a deadly game of life and death as they try to avoid recapture. The horrific nature of these crimes shocks the local authorities as they search for the assailants with the help of locals. The Utah Cabin Murders is a crime story based on actual events; while not a horror movie in the traditional sense, this movie does have enough tension to make it a holiday horror film. Written and directed by Andrew Jones, the film stars Tiffany Ceri, Jennifer Sim, and Lee McQueen. The movie is based on the real-life home invasion of a family in Oakley, Utah. While the names of the victims were changed, the perpetrator's names were used in the film. Despite the setting in Utah, the movie was filmed in Wales as eagle-eyed viewers may notice some UK standard plugs in some scenes. 

24 Days of LosMas- Santa Isn't Real (2023)

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the ninth night, I am posting the 2023 slasher Santa Isn't Real.

 

Santa Isn't Real (2023)

A young woman named Nikki is attacked by someone who looks like Saint Nick on Christmas Eve. A year later, she wakes from a coma and is surrounded by her friends, who suggest a holiday get-together at a remote cabin. What seems like an excellent opportunity to bond as friends turns into a fight for survival when they see Nikki attacked and kidnapped by a figure dressed as Santa. Santa Isn't Real is a holiday slasher directed by Zac Locke and starring Kaya Coleman, Scarlett Sperduto, Trey Anderson, and Cissy Ly. Unlike many holiday horror movies, Santa Isn't Real appears to have been filmed during winter months, with the snowy setting and remote cabin giving the viewer a feeling of winter chills. The rest of the film does not offer much as the small cast is shown looking for their friend and encountering the Santa-clad killer. The cast is easily the best part of this movie, as the Christmas setup seems irrelevant given the predictable slasher plot of this low-budget holiday horror movie. 

24 Days of LosMas- Granny Krampus (2024)

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the eighth night, I am posting the 2024 slasher Granny Krampus. 

Granny Krampus (2024)

Two sisters reunite with their estranged grandmother after the death of their mother and find that the old family manor they are staying in has some dark secrets. While the sisters face their own problems, a mysterious entity causes problems and endangers their lives. Granny Krampus is a 2024 sequel to the 2017 film Mother Krampus, but Jack E Bell directs it. As with the numerous Krampus movies, Granny Krampus is not related to the big-budget 2015 movie but follows the exact legend of Frau Perchta on which Mother Krampus is based. The movie does move quite slowly and focuses more on family dysfunction, with Frau Perchta feeding off the negative energy. Filmed in England, Granny Krampus has a better story than most Krampus knockoff movies but suffers from a low budget, relegating it to streaming clients for those into holiday horror movies.  

24 Days of LosMas- The Christmas Spirit

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the seventh night, I am posting the 2023 black comedy The Christmas Spirit. 

The Christmas Spirit

After ignoring his little sister's request for help hanging lights, a teen boy watches her die in a tragic accident after she slips off the roof. Years later, her death haunts him in the form of the Spirit of Christmas dressed as a masked wrestler. While he tries to live an everyday life, the spirit pushes him to seek closure by kidnapping a young girl who he claims is his sister's reborn. The Christmas Spirit is a dark holiday story directed by Bennet De Brabandere. The dark tone of this story is evident in the tragic death in the opening act. Yet, the movie shifts into black comedy territory with the perils of mental illness, social media, and toxic parenting ever-present. Stuntman Zion Forrest Lee does a great job portraying the adult Cole in a role where his delusions and longtime guilt steer his actions. Matia Jackett appears in dual roles as Cole's sister and Maggie, the girl he kidnaps. The best part goes to professional wrestler Nicolas Grimes, whose role as The Christmas Spirit helps the movie skirt some problematic subject matter while offering much-needed comic dialogue and action in this movie. While The Christmas Spirit is not the usual holiday horror movie, it entertains with comedy moments and awkward situations.   

24 Days of LosMas- The Fright Before Christmas

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the sixth night, I am posting the 2020 horror anthology The Fright Before Christmas. 

The Fright Before Christmas (2020) 

A man dressed as Santa Claus crashes a Christmas party and begins to threaten each person while sharing some scary tales. Despite the deadly intent, his comical demeanor does suggest that he is not only off his rocker but a complete sociopath. Many of the stories he shares are based on urban legends and folklore, including a lover's lane tale, a babysitter, some haunted houses, and a segment done in sepia tones to suggest an old-timey story. The stores are short, and his comical holiday threats leave the family in fear as they wonder who may be next. The Fright Before Christmas is a holiday horror anthology directed by John Johnson and featuring stories by Johnson and Royce Hobson. Despite the wraparound story's Christmas setup, most segments don't tie into the holiday and appear to be random tales of horror. That is not an issue, as the actual movie fun is watching the maniac Santa antics and his almost cartoon villain behavior.  

24 Days of LosMas- Twas the Night (2023)

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the fifth night, I am posting the 2023 horror anthology Twas the Night. 

Twas the Night (2023)

Three shady folk gather on Christmas Eve with a plot involving something sinister, but they are surprised when a mysterious woman knocks each one out. When they awaken, she confronts them for their crimes and tells each one a Christmas-related story that involves Jack Frost, a gingerbread man, and Krampus. Twas the Night is a 2023 horror anthology directed by Joe Lujan and starring Anthony Avery, Chris Ivan & Taylor Kilgore. Twas the Night is set up as an anthology with the main story of the three cons serving as the bridge for all tales. Each story unfolds as the mysterious young woman slowly reveals more about herself and what she intends to do to them. The movie is low-budget; however, the creature costumes were great and added to the look of the segments. The Krampus design is easily the best, and the segment featuring him is truly the best part of the movie. Twas the Night starts slow, but the end segment makes the film worth watching, even if the other segments are not on the same level.   

24 Days of LosMas- Werewolf Santa (2023)

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the forth night, I am posting the 2023 horror comedy Werewolf Santa.

Werewolf Santa (2023)

A small-time ghost hunter looking for an excellent cryptid story discovers an even bigger lead when they discover that Santa Claus has been turned into a werewolf. While she seeks out her family and friends to help with her video, the risks begin to get too much as the werewolf begins to threaten her community and her circle. Werewolf Santa is a found footage-style horror comedy written and directed by Airell Anthony Hayles and starring Katherine Rodden, Mark Arnold, and Emily Booth. As with many found footage movies, Werewolf Santa features an ambitious host looking for that one big moment that will catapult her to fame, even if it risks everyone around her. Katherine Rodden portrays Lucy quite effectively, bringing out toxic traits while showing her emerging concern for others. The werewolf Santa costume is simple, but the found footage style helps to overcome budget issues. One of many horror movies featuring a classic horror monster, Werewolf Santa, stands out by including an opening scene with Joe Bob Briggs reading portions of The Night Before Christmas.  

24 Days of LosMas- Santastein (2023)

I will post Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the third night, I am posting the 2023 creature feature Santastein.

Santastein (2023)

When he was a little boy, Max Causey (Jared Korotkin) accidentally killed Santa Claus, and years later, the world is a sadder place with no Christmas spirit. He tries to fix this by resurrecting Santa's brain into a fresh corpse, only to learn that he has created a monster. Santastein is a 2023 horror comedy directed by Manuel Camilion and Benjamin Edelman, who made a short film of the same name in 2018. While Max is brilliant, he is also arrogant and makes the same mistake Dr. Frankenstein makes in thinking he can control his abomination. As a member of the bullied school community, Max tries to overcome his outcast status with his creation, but Santastein's instinct to punish will make it challenging to stop him. Santastein has some great special effects gore, and the story is entertaining, making this movie a potential cult classic. In recent years, we have seen a trend of taking well-established horror characters and making a low-budget movie that capitalize on the fame of the classic monsters. Santastein stands out with its fun storyline and decent cast that pays respect to the Frankenstein story as well as Saint Nick. 

24 Days of LosMas- Creatures

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the second night, I am posting the 2021 Sci Fi Horror Comedy Creatures.

 Creatures (2021)

A college professor takes a group of his students on a field trip, but they encounter a crashed UFO that harbors some scary aliens who attack the group and turn the dead members of the party into zombies they control. Creatures is a 2021 SciFi Holiday Horror movie directed by Tony Jopia and starring Romain Barbey, Rina Saito, and Chris Kyriacou. Sci-fi horror comedies are rare and challenging to pull off without borrowing from more established films. This is evident in Creatures as it borrows heavily from Gremlins and Night of the Creeps, even featuring a cute Gizmo-like alien that appears just as innocent and adorable. The evil aliens are silly-looking puppets, but the violence is comical, with most of the kills done with a mix of CGI and practical gore effects. The movie is derivative but reasonably entertaining, even with the silly CGI kills. Overall, Creatures is a fun holiday horror movie for folks looking for a goofy movie to put on this winter season. 

24 Days of LosMas- Down the Chimney with a Shotgun (2022)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the first night, I am posting the 2022 anthology Down the Chimney with a Shotgun.

Down the Chimney with a Shotgun (2022)

This loose Christmas anthology centers on an escaped lunatic who kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage as he tells her twisted Christmas tales while dressed as Santa. Down with the Chimney has an odd assortment of hand-drawn scenes and live-action segments presented randomly as the hostage listens to her captor's tales. The tales feature live-action shorts with animated stills serving as the story breaks that often seem more interesting than the segments. One story has an abused wife taking out her spouse but facing a scarier threat. Another feature is a man receiving a creepy doll that seems to speak to him and encourage him to do terrible things. The live-action stories could be more inspired and Christmas-centered, especially the seemingly out-of-season Christmas Scarecrow. The other more Christmas-centric stories are told as cartoons and feature Krampus and Frau Perchta, but they would have been better in live-action segments. Down the Chimney with a Shotgun offers little to recommend and will fall into the abyss of holiday horror releases that seem to get dumped onto streaming platforms.