24 Days of LosMas- The Killing Tree (2022)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the seventh night, I am posting The Killing Tree.

The Killing Tree (2022)

Christmas horror films often feature an innocent symbol of the holiday being turned into the villain as it seeks to kill the holiday crowd. Some popular entries include killer snowmen, killer Santas, and even Krampus. The Killing Tree, directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, is a movie featuring a killer Christmas tree as one of the craziest holiday villains. A widow uses dark magic to resurrect her deceased husband, who was executed for murdering a family the year prior. The spell goes wrong, and he comes back as a Christmas tree and wants to seek revenge on the Final Girl who defeated him. The Killing Tree is a horror comedy in the tradition of Jack Frost and follows the same pattern of kills using tree limbs and Christmas lights. Unfortunately, the killer tree doesn't tell as many silly jokes, and the film relies on too much hokey CGI for some of the kills and borrows too much from Jack Frost. The Killing Tree isn't terrible, but it lacks the cult appeal of Jack Frost and seems like a ripoff of that film.   

24 Days of LosMas- Satan Claus

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the fifth night, I am posting the horror film Satan Claus

Satan Claus (1995)

A serial killer dressed as Santa enjoys murdering people and taunting the authorities in New York City as he collects body parts for his creepy Christmas tree. Fortunately, the police are determined to stop him, along with a man dressed as Santa and his voodoo-practicing friend. Satan Claus is an ultra-low-budget slasher directed by Massimiliano Cerchi and written by Simonetta Mostarda. While the film is only an hour long, much of it suffers from poor lighting, making it difficult to watch. The special effects are also terrible, with body parts being mannequins and fake blood. The film has a decent story idea but falls apart due to issues with editing, terrible acting, and an ending that makes no sense. As a result, there isn't much to recommend about this movie except for a crash course on not lighting a horror film, especially if the highlight nude scene is too dark to showcase. 

24 Days of LosMas- He Knows (2022)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the fifth night, I am posting the horror film He Knows. 

He Knows (2022)

A young girl witnesses her family being murdered by a person dressed as an elf; years later, she fears he may have returned, looking to make her daughter his next victim. He Knows, a 2022 holiday horror movie directed by Steven Morris and featuring horror icon Lynn Lowry. The villain in He Knows looks excellent; the Elf borrows a little from Art, the Clown, and it comes across as a twisty take on the Elf on the Shelf. The story does seem routine but is better than most other holiday horror movies that rely on a deadly version of Christmas characters.  

24 Days of LosMas- Psycho Santa (2003)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the fourth night, I am posting Psycho Santa.

Psycho Santa (2003)

While taking a holiday drive, a man tells his girlfriend, some terrifying tales about a killer Santa that committed a series of murders in the community they are traveling to for Christmas. This holiday slasher is set up as an anthology, but the stories needed more structure, with two serving as nothing more than to show gratuitous nudity. In addition, we see very little of the Psycho Santa until the later segments, so someone must have remembered they needed a Psycho Santa. Otherwise, this forgettable holiday slasher will only draw viewers during the Yuletide season. 

24 Days of LosMas- Nutcracker Massacre (2022)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the third night, I am posting Nutcracker Massacre.

Nutcracker Massacre (2022)

After catching her partner cheating on her, a young woman takes an early holiday trip to visit her aunt and purchases a handcrafted nutcracker for her. While there, she and others are creeped out by the lifesized wooden nutcracker that becomes possessed and seeks revenge on those who cross it. Nutcracker Massacre looks good, and the cast is decent, but the film can't decide if the villain is supposed to move or kill out of frame. For a movie with Massacre in the name, it is surprisingly lacking in the level of gore you would expect to see in a holiday slasher. Despite this, Nutcracker Massacre features an original take on a classical Christmas decoration and one of the season's best-looking posters.  

24 Days of LosMas- Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1992)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the second night, I am posting the almost final entry of the SNDN series.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1992)

A crazed toymaker decides to make killer toys that turn on their owners. Is it me, or does this sound similar to Puppetmaster and Halloween III? Mickey Rooney appears as the old toy maker named Joe Petto (Pinocchio for those literature-challenged folks) who crafts evil little toys that are pretty creative. Meanwhile, a widowed mother fears her son may be the target of a mysterious man who is also interested in Petto's creep toys. Silent Night, Deadly Night 5 takes the story of Pinocchio and turns it into a twisted tale that makes this film the strangest of the series. Likely this was an independent film that was included in the series to add another entry to this dubious franchise. This film was the last official SNDN film until the 2012 remake Silent Night was released. 

24 Days of LosMas- The Christmas Season Massacre (2001)

I will be posting Christmas-themed horror films over the next 24 days of LosMas; for the first night, I am posting The Christmas Season Massacre.

The Christmas Season Massacre (2001)

Ultra-low budget slasher about a group of friends who become victims of a bullied classmate who thinks he is a pirate. While the film bills itself as a Christmas-themed slasher, it was filmed in the spring or summer and had no look of winter except for some Christmas ornaments. The cast includes amateurs who perform stereotypical roles along with an attractive woman who, of course, is shown nude. Hard to find and not currently streaming, The Christmas Season Massacre is the perfect piece of coal to ruin a holiday season.