Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'All Through the House'

Written by Scott Edwards

Throughout the holidays, it is always nice to let a little bit of Christmas spirit shine around your neighborhood, whether it be by making your yard look like a lighted monstrosity, or by lending a hand to your neighbors to make sure that they will be ready for the holiday. While I am a firm believer in love thy neighbor, there are some that I cannot stand but they always receive some cookies or a fruit cake from me, just so they know that I care. Keeping your neighbors on your good side is something that more people should try, since you never know when you might need them in the future.
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Arriving at her grandmother’s home for Christmas, Rachel Kimmel has become used to the tradition after her mother left her many years ago. With Abby being her only family left, Rachel has many good memories around the house and is willing to help out her former neighbor, Mrs. Garrett, with all of her Christmas decorations. But Abby does not want her granddaughter to have anything to do with the reclusive woman and tries to get Rachel to steer clear. Yet when leaving the house to go meet up with her friends, Rachel sees Mrs. Garrett struggling and decides to lend a quick hand, only to wind up agreeing to help with the entire set up later on in the evening. 

Meeting with her friends Gia and Sarah, Rachel is shocked to see that one other face from her past has arrived. Seeing her ex-boyfriend Cody along for the ride is bringing back memories of her mother leaving fifteen years ago and she does not want to re-live those events. Calling it an early night, Rachel is able to convince her friends to come along to Mrs. Garrett’s house to help with the decorating. Arriving at the old woman’s house, Rachel recounts some of the memories of Mrs. Garrett’s daughter, Jamie, who she never personally knew. Finding out a little bit more about the poor girl, Rachel hears that it was Mrs. Garrett’s husband who was responsible for her daughter being taken away, but does not know what to do with that information.

As Mrs. Garrett leaves for the evening, the girls start to work their magic around the house, but get distracted by all of the mannequins that are surrounding them. Not knowing where Mrs. Garrett is when it comes to her mental state, Rachel decides to get some more supplies from the attic and finds an old picture of Mrs. Garrett and her mother. Remembering what the old woman had told her about barely knowing her mother, Rachel can see that she was lying and wants to know why. Trying to get information from Abby about the relationship that the two had, Rachel is shut down, but there are plenty of other clues in the house that might lead to the uncovering of a mystery that is fifteen years old and also what really happened between the Garrett and Kimmel houses. But there is someone roaming around the neighborhood who has another take on the mystery and with their Santa suit and pair of garden shears, they are ready to turn this Christmas into one that nobody will ever forget.

This might have just become one of my favorite Christmas slasher movies of all time, the only way it could have been better is if there were candy canes. From the get go of this movie, you get to see that anyone that is looking to get a little frisky becomes the main target of the killer and you are rewarded with the reason why when you see a bag of joy at the end of the movie. I must admit, I was feeling bad for Mrs. Garrett pretty much throughout the movie, since it appears that she is really off of her rocker when arguing with her mannequins, but then you see the purpose behind it. Rachel and her friends were great, especially when trying to find out what was really going on with the mystery of the missing adults and children. With a pair of garden shears, a scary Santa outfit, frisky folks on Christmas, a bloody bag, some chops, some stabs and plenty of blood, you might find yourself wanting to take a nap rather than getting it on this holiday, because Santa…is always watching you. Stay Scared. 

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