It's way better than I'd expected it to be, poor Harry, he's a pure kind hearted guy with some mental instability, he couldn't get out of the childhood trauma of finding out that Santa isn't real, so he started to think himself as Santa, it's more like proving the point that goodness and kindness exist in this cruel world, he found joy in children's love, people's acceptance, but his coworker took advantage of his kindness, only if his brother ever tried to understand him, get him the help he needed, he wouldn't have ended up like this. The scene of children sticking to him saving him from their parents shows that innocence recognizes kindness, its hard to survive for a guy like Harry in this selfish world, the last scene was so good. It's sad that a movie like this is so underrated, it was ahead of its time. Performance of the actor who played Harry was phenomenal.
My Question is was “Santa” Harry’s Father or a stranger doing his thing too Harry’s Mom?. Because two things would have crossed my mind if I “accidentally” seen what Young Harry saw, if it’s dad I would think-“Way to go Dad, my parents are Freakyyy 🎉,” or second if it’s not dad-“Mom is Freakyyy!” 😂 Then lived on and not kill any body etc😊
Brandon Maggart is incredible as an emotionally scarred toy factory worker. Actually, the move has fine acting across-the-board. This movie is drastically underrated. I have watched many of the Christmas horror/slasher movies, and my top two favorrites are Black Christmas and Christmas Evil. This movie is worth your time if you like realistic portrayals. Again, Brandon Maggart does a fantastic and believable acting job.
Wow! I love how they included a reference to the Willowbrook Asylum exposé going so far as to record their own segment with a Geraldo Rivera look-a-like! I’m so impressed!
There’s something about this movie that’s just so wonderfully eerie! From the score, to the performances, to that unexpected ending! People tend to think this movie is a by the numbers slasher with gruesome kills. But Christmas Evil is really an underrated, chilling, character study of a man who just really wants to bring holiday cheer to all these kids. And it’s honestly so sad to see him go down this murderous route because of this obsessive lifestyle and horrible upbringing. Are there flaws, of course there are! But to me, they don’t ruin the overall experience. The dread of knowing what’s to come keeps you engaged. And the kills, while few and far between, are pretty savage. Definitely a great holiday horror movie to watch! 8/10
This film is an absolute must for any Christmas horror fan. It's really well-crafted and has a good performance by Brandon Maggart. RU-vid, please put this one out to buy.🙏
Brandon Maggart is wonderful here, like award-deserving wonderful, and really makes the film a deeply disturbed character study with some bloody results.
a fine example of how a moments lack of sexual indiscretiion from,consenting adults turned to,not just robbing a boyhood innocence, bul ultimately a breakdown of what is fantasy and perceived reality with disastrous and muderous results.
Christmas Evil is more funny, entertaining, and heartwarming than it is scary, and that ending is so nuts. It’s crazy to think that if that guy just hadn’t walked in on his parents getting ready to bone after his dad pretended to be Santa Claus, then he probably would’ve grown up into a well-adjusted, kind, generous man, who loves Christmas. That’s actually one of the funniest things about the movie…nobody would become homicidal over that! LOL
True I always thought of this film more of a black comedy drama then a horor movie some bits of this film are really heartwarming like the part where harry brings toys to the kids in the hospital and make you cry like the part where harry breaks down while running from the mob
@@the_gilded_age_phoenix8717 because it is when they’re introduced too young and/or in an abnormal manner. These are not little adults. Their brains are not developed. I don’t understand why people can’t grasp that. This movie is over exaggerating but it’s not far from the truth. It can effect a person into adulthood.
@@nellywilliams2776 Actually, young children "grasp" more than they are given credit for. I was quite aware about that kind of stuff by age five. Kids of the past were too. Modern societies mollycoddle kids.
1:30:49 Fun fact: The director of Christmas Evil says on the commentary of this film that Harry was indeed *DEAD* and that indicates it by adding a sound of a car crash in the background implying that the van didn't fly off and that scene of Harry at the end was actually his dying fantasy
It’s 2023. My first time watching this. A far cry from what “Silent Night, Deadly Night” and its sequels would bring, not to mention the controversy. I actually enjoyed what Brandon Maggart brought to the Yuletide table.
31:40 Patricia Richardson, a decade and change before “Home Improvement”, could you imagine if she had slapped Randy in an episode? Also funny to realize that at the time this movie was filmed, her co-star in HI, Tim Allen was still serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking.
It's kind of that. You hear the van crash as his brother tumbles down the hill, but the van taking off is his last moments in his mind. That's my thought.
It’s Santa! And he’s a total Freak! 30m in and so impressed already. Never heard of this film and it’s a shame. It’s creepy, well acted and beautifully shot. Great work making Harry cringey and uncomfortable.
1:27:42 this bit always makes me cry phil was the real monster in this movie he never cared about his family and all harry wanted to do was prove to phil santa was real and harry besides killing his coworkers and frank never killed any kids and only punished bad people the emotion brandon magot puts into his little speech to phil about belief is beautiful and very moving
I kinda wish he would have never killed. Harry was a really sympathetic guy up to that point. I guess they were going for the Taxi Driver thing though.
After Frank says "its christmas I hate most..that's when i get slaughtered bying all those presents!"---harry could have said "your fired frank-merry CHRISTmas!"....
I wonder if the movie Joker got some inspiration from this movie. Let's see: a mentally ill loner who slowly grows to his climax. Arthur turning to Joker and Harry turning to Santa. Both get made fun of at work. Both commit a murder and are on the run from it. Both have a traumatizing childhood.
Well in 1980 the 2nd Star wars came out and when I was about 7 I asked 🎅 for all the Star wars toys that year and Yippy Skippy Santa brought them to me even today I still believe in Santa Claus.
I was weirdly impressed by this film. It's almost like a proto-Joker, where a man's deep-seated mental illness, combined with the events of the movie, just leads him to snap. The lead, Brandon Maggart, was a standout. I would say he was wasted on this film, but the film itself turned out a lot better than I expected.
Moss was naughty for impure thoughts..I don't know why Harry even bothered to drop off dirt at his house!!! Santa Harry could have skipped Moss's house all together!!! And given tooys to susie lovett, richie and those other kids as well as the children at the hospital!
1:25:34 If I were Harry, I would have left the wig and hat on the ground, drive somewhere safe and change clothes (at least bring regular clothes with you) and just either rip off the beard or cut it off the chin. But we all know how obsessed Harry is with Santa.
Harry in Christmas Evil 1980 he looks like Bill Murray Peter Venkman from Ghostbusters 1984 Ghostbusters 2 1989 Ghostbusters Afterlife and Ghostbusters Frozen Empire 👻🚫
“ kids need someone to care if they’re good or bad " so meaningful nowadays a lot of parents can’t hold their responsibilities and drove their kids to be criminals or monsters 😂😂
I never understood why Harry started reciting Twas The Night Before Christmas at the beginning.....and at the end as he's flying off into the sky he ends the story with "And I heard him exclaim........"........was this a retelling of the Twas The Night Before Christmas?????
Man, I kinda wish this wasn’t a horror film cuz, with some rewriting and retooling this could be a genuine Christmas movie. The premise just seems way too…. Well jolly for the kind of movie this is
I think in my mind this is genuine a very wholesome movie despite like Santa Stadling murdering 4 people. I think overall, despite the horror aspects, this is the equivalent of a PG13 film and while this will be definitely scarring to the little ones who believe in genuine Santa and seeing him go from giving presents to straight up pre-meditated murder will be jarring. If they edited out those kills and left the implications that there was murders done by a Santa Claus killer it would be pretty good for the whole family.
I thought so too! Fantastic piece of acting! Like the precursor to Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck, a deeply troubled man only pacified when something breaks.
I'm giving it a try but the comments lead me to believe this isn't going to be one of the better 80's slasher horror films. ---54 minutes into it and there is nothing "evil' about it.. Just a boring movie 😊
