As Christmas gets closer, we are all trying to get our shopping lists finalized and to make sure that everyone we are giving our presents to are nice, not naughty. Getting a piece of coal for Christmas could be one of the most demoralizing things for anyone. Being nice throughout the year is key to avoiding this, but most of us have to make the tough decisions that could make us act just a little naughty.

In a small town, Deputy Aubrey Bradimore is trying to sleep in on Christmas Eve. Receiving a call from the Sheriff, she is forced to come in to work on her day off as one of her fellow Deputies has flown the coop with his new love interest.  Reluctantly, she goes to work and has to prepare for another day of writing parking tickets and dealing with upset citizens as the holiday has gotten to everyone and brought out the worst in people.

When stopping and speaking with the Mayor on her drive in, Aubrey finds out there is a lot of tension between him and his eldest daughter. The town will die without another artery running into it as their current road is closed to the outside world. Having the biggest Santa Claus Parade in the state should be enough to keep the community in the black for the next year, but since no one from the outside is able to get in to see it, the need for the road is essential. 

Having Santa’s from the community and others coming in is a joy for the small town, but when you sit and talk to them, they are all as anti-Christmas as they can get. Not loving the holiday for what it is worth and tired of having the kids tell them what they want, the Santa’s are all on the brink of losing it and one has. Taking it to the next level, there is a Santa killer on the loose yielding an axe and using anything Christmas oriented to kill his victims. This Santa has his naughty list and is using it to take care of the undesirables in the community.

Silent Night follows Deputy Aubrey Bradimore as she is called into investigate some strange killings around town on Christmas Eve. With her Sheriff nipping at her heels the entire time, they are trying to find the most likely suspects to lock up before the entire town is notified of the local deaths. Not being able to find a probable cause for a couple of Claus’, Aubrey is concerned that their main suspects are not the killer and more people will die as she finds that every one of the deceased has received a little red and white box. The marks are all tied together, but the issue is finding out why.

The night Santa went crazy would be a better way of describing how Silent Night takes you through the homicidal rage Santa unleashes upon this small town. Having the naughtiest being taken out by a type of serial killer may seem good to a point, but the Sheriff’s office will still have to take care of business as there is no moral dilemma being posed to them. It is a stroke of genius having all of the Santa’s being upset as the season is upon them to be nice. That is what makes this movie really move and be believable. It is hard to get into and to stay in the holiday spirit, but as long as you are able to stay somewhat cordial, it makes all the difference in the world. Happy Holidays and Stay Scared!

​All parents understand the importance of getting the right toy for their child at Christmas. The last thing any parent wants to deal with is a screaming child over the holidays when they did not get exactly what they wanted. We have all been there one time or another when what you really wanted was a Gizmo doll but instead, you got the creepy Teddy Ruxpin. Finding that perfect toy for your child is key, and to leave them in wonder for days, weeks or months to come is magical…until the next hot one comes out that is.

Derek Quinn is so happy that the Christmas season is underway and is trying to figure out what his parents have gotten him for the holiday. Being two weeks before Christmas, his imagination is running rampant with the thoughts of what is hidden under the tree. One night, the doorbell rings and his parents neglect to answer.  Investigating who was at the door Derek finds a nicely wrapped present addressed to him. Being curious, he starts to unwrap his gift from the unknown sender, but his father catches him in the act. Sending Derek back to bed, his father is also curious as to what is inside of the box and unwraps it himself. What he finds is a gift that will change his family’s life forever. 

Derek watches as his present comes to life and attacks his father. Not being able to help his old man, Derek cries as the toy kills his father, then goes back to its neutral state on the floor. Being traumatized before Christmas is not something Derek or his mother Sarah had envisioned for the holidays. Not talking after the attack, Derek takes to listening to his tape player and sleeping with his mother on a nightly basis. Sarah tries her hardest to break her son out of the state of shock by taking him to the local toy shop, Petto’s, but Derek is not willing to play with or even look at a new toy that he is unfamiliar with. 

Joe Petto’s son, Pino is very interested in the boy’s wellbeing as well and tries to find something special for the boy, but when interrupting his father’s sales pitch, Pino is sent away. A stranger is watching as all of this transpires in the toy shop and is very intrigued by the toys, along with the Quinn’s. The stranger returns to his hotel room and takes some of the toys apart and reassembles them there when the supervisor comes to collect money for the past week. Not having any current funds, the stranger gives the supervisor a toy for payment, but the toy does more than bargained for as it attacks the old man on his drive home. Toys that are meant for young Derek are killing the people that receive them instead, but someone is targeting the boy and nobody knows why.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5 follows Sarah and Derek Quinn as they try to make it through their first Christmas with no father in the house. With their neighbors giving ideas of what to do and an old toy maker trying his best to amuse the boy, no one seems to be able to get the smiles back on their faces. The stranger, Noah, is doing his research on the Quinn’s, but also is looking into the Petto’s toy shop with great interest as someone there is making Christmas very unhappy for some of its customers. Joe Petto and Pino are working through the nights to make sure that every present is up to par with their standards, but with someone new lurking around, the surprises the toys possess may be more than what their customers are bargaining for. 

With someone trying to take Christmas away from unsuspecting families with killer toys, this is by far one of the more disturbing Christmas horror movies. Silent Night, Deadly Night 5 is on its own as you are trying to figure out who the killer really is and what each of his killer toys can do. All of the main characters are utilized in the storyline in order to keep you guessing, even Kim from the previous feature is included for a small role. A strange conclusion to the Silent Night, Deadly Night saga and it will keep you wondering if there could possibly be another installment as tensions continue to grow during the holiday seasons. You never know. Happy Holidays and Stay Scared!

Everyone is looking for a good way to get promoted these days. If you are going above and beyond at your current job or trying to find a new way to get noticed in the workplace, that's the honest and best way to do it. But some people are extremely sneaky and are able to capitalize on someone’s downfall or lack of persistence. Not always having the insight to what employers are looking for so you can advance in the workplace is one of the hardest things for everyone to deal with, but if you see that opportunity present itself, you have to jump on it. 

Kim is looking for the inside track when it comes to moving up at her newspaper. Being a low-level employee and working on the classifieds along with the calendar, she is ready for something much more challenging. Seeing a strange story hit the wire at the office about a burning woman jumping from the top of the tallest building in the town, Kim is ready to take her shot at becoming an investigating reporter. Without permission from the editor, Kim takes to the street and is ready to make a name for herself. 

While trying to determine if anyone in the area knew the flaming victim, Kim meets a very nice women named Fima that runs the local book shop. Although Kim has her sights set on finding the reason why the deceased was only burned from the waist down, Fima is trying her hardest to befriend the young reporter. Giving Kim an old text about symbols and sacrifices, Fima is more than willing to answer any question that comes her way, but something strange is looming around the bookstore and the owner.

Kim works every angle she knows when pursuing her investigation, but seems to be lost when just walking down the halls of the building, missing all of the symbols on the walls. Arriving home, she is met with an onslaught of bugs in her normally clean apartment with some of the symbols from the book being recreated right in front of her eyes. Without understanding what is really happening, she tries to turn to her boyfriend for reassurance that she is doing the right thing, but he seems to be focused on one thing only in their relationship and that is not going to help Kim.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 takes a different spin as you are introduced into a local coven of witches that are focused on bringing Kim into the light. Led by Fima who has been missing her daughter for many years, she sees that Kim appears to be a woman with strong morals and an imagination that can be swayed to seeing the right ways of living. Along with her coven, Fima works every friendship angle possible to turn Kim against the norm and bring her into the realm. When Kim tries to back out of the rituals being performed upon her, Fima uses her strong witchcraft powers against her causing all kinds of problems for the young woman.

Talk about taking a page out of the series and just writing a new one, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 has no feel of the first three in the series. Only referencing one of the previous films in passing, this is really a stand-alone Christmas horror flick. Witches trying to strengthen their coven with a new addition, along with a young woman’s faith being challenged like no other will keep you shaking your heads. Not a slasher movie, but more of psychological thriller that leaves you wondering what really happened and what was only happening in Kim’s mind. Watch at your own risk as this movie diverges from the original Santa Killer story line and adds its own mark to the series. Happy Holidays and Stay Scared!

​One wish that everyone has for Christmas is to know what they will get under the tree. Most people have to wait and see, but if you have some sort of psychic ability, you may have an unfair advantage to the wrapped secrets that are awaiting you. Although being surprised is one of the greatest things on Christmas morning, most of us still would like to know what our gifts are going to be, that is why we are always searching the house for hours on end, trying to find the presents our parents have hidden throughout the year.

Laura, a young psychic who also happens to be blind has no problems knowing what the holiday will bring her. Being part of an experiment Dr. Newbury is conducting involving transmitting dreams from one person to another, Laura is privy to seeing things that no one should see. The test subject that she is attached to is Ricky Caldwell, the younger brother of Billy who is better known as the Santa Killer. Although Ricky was gunned down while trying to instill his morals taught to him by Mother Superior a year before, somehow he is still alive, but in a coma.

When Laura sees everything that has happened via dreams from the deranged mind of Ricky, she is no longer willing to be part of the ongoing experiments with her special abilities. Having developed this psychic ability, along with her blindness at the same time, she wants nothing more than to live her life and not to be a burden to her younger brother Chris. With it being Christmas Eve and getting very little respect from the hospital staff where the tests are being conducted, Laura sees more than she has bargained for as Ricky starts to awaken from his yearlong slumber. 

Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!  takes place one-year post Ricky Caldwell’s escape from the asylum. Having been shot many times and ending the life of the one person he blamed for his brother's demise, he had nothing else to live for. Dr. Newbury had a different idea when Ricky’s next to dead body was delivered to the hospital. Trying to see inside of the mind of a killer, the doctor goes for psychic links between a volunteer and Ricky. Laura was the perfect candidate, having little to nothing left after a tragic accident that left her parents dead and her blind. As the psychic link grows stronger between her and Ricky, she sees more than her fair share of horrible things, but the link goes both ways and now with Ricky awake, he knows where to find his next victims…and to Grandmother's house, he goes.

As the saga of Silent Night, Deadly Night grows, the movies become extremely different. Still following how the Caldwell boys have changed the outlook of Christmas, no one is willing to except that they or their powers could continue to wreak havoc, even after death. With Lt. Connely trying to figure out where Ricky could be going, or how he could know where to go after being gunned down so long ago, Connely discovers that the powers of psychics are real and something new to be feared. With Ricky trying to find his way back to Grandma’s house, he won't be stopped by anyone that gets in his way and is determined to find the person who woke him.

Not the best of the movies by far, but the third installment will keep you on your toes as you get plenty of laughs from Laura ragging on her younger brother's new girlfriend. With all of the killing happening in the background, the hospital staff failing to stop what appears to be a zombie is humorous, but also sad and realistic. But having someone that has been a vegetable for the past year that has regained more motor functions than most elderly people and is able to kill, drive and kill some more makes for an unbelievable ride. You had better watch out, as Santa Claus will be coming to town soon enough. Happy Holidays and Stay Scared!

Having family around for the holidays seems to just make us all feel a little bit happier. For there is laughter that is shared by all, especially when your crazy aunts and uncles start telling stories about your parents that should never have been repeated. Or when your brothers, sisters or cousins of the younger generation make fun of all of the grownups, and all of this is in good fun and all that joy comes to a peak when you finally get to open your presents.

Ricky has no family anymore, his mother and father were killed by Santa Claus many years ago. His brother went off the deep end and killed naughty people while dressed up as Santa himself and now Ricky is committed to an asylum for the insane. With his only visitors being psychologists, Ricky is sick and tired of answering the same questions over and over again. 

The next psychologist brings in his recording station and starts to ask the common questions of Ricky once again. Being Christmas Eve, Ricky decides to give Doctor Bloom one last thrill and starts walking him through his life, step by step. Recounting his mother and father’s murder and all of the punishments his brother encountered in the orphanage, Ricky has an exact detail for every event to deliver to the shrink. Then moving to when his brother Billy went on his Christmas Eve massacre, Ricky could not bring himself to blame his older brother for what he had done.  

​With the focus turned off of his brother and turned to himself, Ricky sits back and brings forth the details from his first murder, to his first love. Being brought up by Mother Superior, same as his brother, Ricky had a strict set of morals he would live by and being naughty in any way, shape or form would not go without a punishment. He was thanked for the first punishment he administered, and it was not even on Christmas. Making it through life and finding a young woman that could make him feel whole was all he ever wanted, but there are so many naughty people out there that require punishment.

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 follows the same family as the first one does, but his time around Billy’s younger brother Ricky is telling the story. Since his older brother was held responsible by the law for things the nuns had taught him, Ricky is looking to even the score. His brother had done nothing wrong, Mother Superior had installed this moral code on to all of the kids at St. Mary’s Orphanage and in no way should anyone not be punished for being naughty. When finding out that the love of his life was naughty as well, Ricky flipped and went on a little massacre of his own. 

What can you say about the second installment of the Silent Night series? Well, it gives you enough background from the first film, since the first half of the movie is basically the story of Billy being re-told by his younger brother. Once Ricky gets to telling his own part of the story, the movie takes off and becomes a little bit more like the first. Holding onto his lifelong hatred of St. Mary’s Orphanage keeps Ricky focused on his overall goal. Punishment must be delivered to those who are Naughty and he is able to find a Santa Claus outfit and an axe at the end, just to make it feel right. Happy Holidays and Stay Scared!

One of the most traumatizing times of the year is Christmas, especially for the young ones. If Santa does not bring them that one gift they really, really wanted, their year and in that moment, their lives, will be ruined. We all know that is not the truth, but at that time in our lives, it sure felt that way.

Young Billy and his family are up at the retirement home visiting his grandfather on Christmas Eve. This is something the family has done for a couple years, but grandpa does not seem to notice them, being in a catatonic state and all. This year, grandpa wakes up and tells young Billy that ‘Christmas Eve is the scariest damn night of the year.’ Listening to every word, Billy waits for his grandfather to finish, then tells his parents it is time to go, because grandpa said so. No one believes Billy that grandpa woke up, much less delivered a warning about the Eve, but they leave just the same.

On the other side of town a small-town gas station is getting ready to shut down when a man dressed up in a Santa outfit comes in to pick up some items for his Christmas joy. The clerk starts to give the man a hard time, until he sees a gun pointed at his chest. He is being held up by Santa on Christmas Eve. Santa escapes with his liquor, along with a tank of gas and starts his trek out of town until his car breaks down. An unsuspecting family, Billy’s in fact, pulls up next to the stranded Santa and offers their assistance, it being Christmas Eve and all. Santa says he will take anything they would be willing to give him, then pulls the gun out once again. Shooting Billy’s father in the head and slitting his mother’s throat, Billy will never be able to ask Santa for anything, for the rest of his life. 

Two years later, Billy and his little brother Ricky are at the St. Mary’s Orphanage trying to grow up and forget what has happened in their past. Billy would do anything not to be naughty at this point, but Mother Superior is not willing to let anything slide when it comes to this troubled youth and she punishes the young man constantly, event for things that are out of Billy’s control, and this gives Billy a very strict set of morals that he will live by for the rest of his life.

Silent Night, Deadly Night follows young Billy as he grows into a man. Trying as hard as he can not to be naughty, as Mother Superior has taught him, Billy makes the best of working in a local toy shop without one complaint. Being one of the best employees in this shop is great, but on Christmas Eve, the regular Santa breaks his leg and Billy volunteers to take his spot for the night.  Having flashbacks to his youth, Billy knows what is done to the naughty and that is what Santa must do on this Eve of Eves. After dispatching the staff at the toy shop, Billy focuses on his old home, the orphanage to take care of the naughty that live inside of its walls. 

Christmas Horror movies would never be the same again after Silent Night, Deadly Night hit the screens. Having an axe wielding Santa running around town screaming ‘Naughty’ and ridding the world of those who he was taught were bad people certainly makes for a unique horror film. Making sure that you are not on the naughty list seemed to be very hard for everyone in the toy shop, but being taught at a very extreme level by a hard nosed nun, Billy would never know the difference, he only knows of how to inflict the punishment. Not even Frosty is safe in this flick as his lifeless head is chopped off by the vicious Santa killer. Try to stay off the naughty list, and if you can’t, make sure if you see Santa with an axe on Christmas Eve…RUN! Happy Holidays and Stay Scared!

​What I’ve come to find truly fascinating about the horror genre as a whole, is how it has fallen into a strange sense of routine over the past decade or so. Because there really is a manufactured feel to a lot of horror films out there, since the market has been flooded with a glut of big-name remakes and stories that follow a specific structure and it is that structure that fascinates me the most. For this push to make a ‘perfect’ horror film has in turn pushed the genre into formula, where you can expect to find similar ideas and tropes when you settle in to watch a scary flick.
 
But my fascination doesn’t lie within the fact that studios are trying desperately to make the genre a simple product, it’s that filmmakers aren’t conforming to that push. Because over the past couple of years, I’ve started to see more abstract horror hit the market, providing the audience with films that remind everyone that horror cannot be contained within a formula, it needs to feel organic and it needs to explore dark places our imagination would prefer not to go and to see this kind of push back is beautiful to say the least and thanks to Shudder, I was able to watch a horror flick that defies every ounce of convention hanging over the industry in Mandy.
 
Now, this is a film that received an insane amount of buzz over the past few months and I now understand why, because this is a motion picture that is unlike any other in the industry right now and well, we won’t talk much about the plot today because it is this film’s structure that needs to be celebrated, starting with the fact that this horror film takes its time in telling its story, something vacant from many films in the genre right now. And being able to get to know Red and Mandy is actually quite the blessing since we come to know this couple in subtle fashion and uncover the fact that they are good people who find themselves in a bad situation and oddly enough, this character courtesy is extended to the baddies since Jeremiah’s troupe of twisted cult members are put on display for the audience as well. 

​Which makes the unfortunate encounter between these people all the more powerful and tragic since this collision course is what drives the darker aspects of this film and well, what I appreciated about this part of the story is the sheer fact that any mystic air surrounding our villains is removed here and we see them for the cruel and ill monsters that they are and this entire sequence and everything that follows puts on display the greatest monster of all in this world, the cruelty of mankind. And the savage quest for revenge that Red goes upon is just as disturbing and twisted as the actions of the Children of the New Dawn, but you want to see Red enjoy his sense of justice and watch these people suffer, giving the film a solid Last House on the Left vibe.
 
In fact, there are a lot of homages to be found here since Writer/Director Panos Cosmatos pays tributes to all the greats with moments that instantly remind you of Romero, Carpenter and Hooper and Craven. But thankfully, those moments are far and few between and Cosmatos puts his own mark on this story by providing us with haunting and twisted visuals that in many ways make this film feel as though you’re experiencing a terrifying nightmare, one that you cannot wake from and that makes this movie an ethereal experience, one that is of course covered in blood and fury and sorrow but one that definitely leaves you satisfied when the end credits roll since it is in fact a tale that gives our characters a complete journey when all is said and done.
 
But of course, none of this works without a stellar cast and the actors here shine in every single role, but let’s be honest, it’s Nicolas Cage that steals the show in this one since he gives Red incredible depth with his subdued and powerful performance, the kind that helps us to understand that Red is a man filled with rage, who only found peace with Mandy in his life and having that robbed from him created a firestorm that no one could survive and perhaps that’s the film’s greatest trick, that it offers up a great beauty. Because there is something uplifting to be found in the fact that a man as dark and troubled as Red can find peace within the confines of love. Either way, this is in fact, a brilliant film, one that I highly recommend every horror fan out there see as soon as possible. Because it really is refreshing in every sense of the word and honestly, it’s one I need to revisit and soon since I get the funny feeling, there’s more to be found in this complex and haunting tale…

As I started my voyage through some of Stanley Kubrick's body of work, I found myself excited and anxious to power through his earlier films so that I could revisit the movie that introduced me to his genius in the first place, one that has stayed with me ever since I saw it, The Shining. Because this incredible film of his is truly unlike anything else in the horror genre and it's one that I  honestly revisit often because I find myself drawn time, and time again to Stanley's iteration of Stephen King's novel, and my desire to watch this movie yet again got me to thinking...what is it about this particular version of this iconic story that has allowed for it to endure after all this time? 

Because for a horror film to become timeless is quite the accomplishment and Kubrick's Shining has achieved just that. This is a film that has been picked apart in every sense of the word. Every potential theme examined, any meaning poured over, or in some cases manufactured and this is a motion that has even prompted a documentary regarding its power. Which in and of itself is amazing, simply because we cannot forget the fact that the author of the original story himself decried this version of the film, citing the lack of character development and focus upon Jack's madness without properly letting him descend into said insanity. Yet, the irony is, King's chief complaint is really what gives the film its strength and power. 

Stanley Kubrick's vision of The Shining is indeed a stripped-down version of the novel, but with good reason. Kubrick saw an opportunity to tell a different kind of ghost story. One that focused less on the why and the how of things and locked in on one important factor...the experience of pure terror. On the technical side, it is well documented how much poor Shelley Duvall and Scatman Crothers went through in order to achieve the perfect take for their director for one simple reason. He needed these talented folks to convey true fear, the kind where the audience would believe that something awful was about to happen and that the character's lives were genuinely in danger, and well...that incredible work paid off in spades because at its core, this film is terrifying through and through. 

Despite the fact that there is calm before the storm in the opening minutes of the film, the audience never quite feels safe. From the ominous opening credits to the way those early scenes are designed, there is a sense of claustrophobia and doom permeating over every single second of the film, and by simplifying Jack's downward spiral into insanity, he becomes a more dynamic character; a man that is desperately trying to hold onto his sanity and as it turns out, all he needs to completely and utterly lose his mind is a little push from the power waiting in the shadows of the hotel. It takes several viewings to appreciate the nuanced performance from Jack Nicholson, but once it settles in, you realize that this family was always doomed, the hotel simply made the inevitable happen a lot sooner.

Of course things only get worse for the audience once Jack does begin to crack and that's when Kubrick accomplishes his mission. The viewer is now trapped with this family, forced to watch a father turn upon his wife and son and commit to a powerful bloodlust that claims the unlucky souls in his path and that's when Kubrick unleashes his final fury, putting forth demented yet powerful imagery where the hotel comes to life. Suddenly we are treated to images that are truly the stuff of nightmares, forced to watch in order to see if a respite is coming our way or if safety will arrive for the characters, before we are once more pulled into a jarring moment. It seems as though the terror will never end, until we are finally treated to that all-important happy ending where Wendy and Danny escape to safety, and the hotel claims the soul it so desired.

But what matters most, is that Kubrick's grand experiment is a rousing success. He essentially froze a moment in time, one filled to the brim with fear and let us experience it first hand as well and you'd be hard pressed to find another horror film out there that is as raw and powerful as this one, all because Stanley Kubrick was curious about what this genre would be like if you stripped away the standard trappings and simply struck at the raw nerve and the end result is a flawless horror film, one that inspires dread and fear on a primal level and one that dares you to come back for more.