What a waste of my time!!!

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

I learned about this movie from John Waters and if there's one thing I know, it's that John Waters has never let me down. He said of the film, "I wish I had kids. I'd make them watch it every year and if they didn't like it, they'd be punished."Christmas Eve 1947: Harry Stadling (played later in the film Brandon Maggart, who is the father of Fiona Apple) watches his father - dressed as Santa - get sexy with his mother. He gets so upset that he smashes a snowglobe and uses it to slice up his hand.Fast forward to 1980: Harry wants to be Santa. He sleeps in costume, his home is constant decorated for the holidays, he works in the Jolly Dreams toy factory and keeps a book of who is naughty and who is nice. Of note, the toy factory was owned by the family of producer Edward R. Pressman and were known for making the board games Triominoes and Mastermind.Harry notices an employee that called in sick is at the bar, even after he had to fill in for the man on the assembly line. He gets so mad that he smashes one of his dollhouse figures and cancels Thanksgiving. There's a bright spot, though, as his boss announces that if they increase production, they can give toys to the kids at a hospital.Harry realizes that everyone sees him as a loser, so he has a nervous breakdown and becomes Santa. He starts making toys in his basement and steals toys from the factory to give to the hospital. But he also does some insane things - like leave dirt on a bad kid's door. And oh yeah - he murders a bunch of young adults who make fun of his costume, an act which his co-workers witness. Harry goes full nutzoid, destroying his nephews gifts and replacing them with toys he's made and killing a co-worker and leaving more toys behind.He attends the company Christmas party and dances to an increasingly faster an more frenetic version of "Here Comes Santa Claus" before threatening to put people in his bad book.Then, Harry activates the assembly line and makes more toys before getting his van stuck in the mud. He escapes a mob who recognizes him as a killer before making it to his brother's house. A battle ensues between the two, but Harry escapes and he's forced to drive his van off the bridge by the mob. But in his mind, the van flies off like Santa' sled to the words of "The Night Before Christmas."Obviously, this is not the movie to share with the kids. But if you're an adult who has had it up to here with the holidays, by all means, this is the tonic you're seeking.

A toy factory worker (Fiona Apple's father), mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.I had a copy of this movie on my desk for over a year (thanks, Vinegar Syndrome) but somehow never found the time. Finally, in December 2016, I put it in and gave it a watch. And, sadly, despite a few good scenes and the possibility of this being the first killer Santa movie, it runs a bit too slow and too long to be a really strong slasher.On the bright side, it has Jeffrey DeMunn before he really became a horror icon through his work with Frank Darabont.

Okay, "Christmas Evil" aka "You Better Watch Out" (which IMO is a better title) is a film I approached expecting something "slasher" in nature. It is not. I would probably describe it as a movie about a man who is losing his mind due to an obsession with Santa and Christmas. And we get to witness this firsthand. This does not make it a bad film. I actually liked it somewhat. The lead character is pathetic. He is a man who was traumatized as a child when he found out that Santa Claus was make believe. As an adult, he is seen living in a kind of Christmas Fantasy world at home and trying to influence others around him to be kinder,etc.He is played by veteran character actor Brandon Maggart who is excellent in the role. You will see a number of familiar faces in this one too. It seems a bit TV movie like and I think this makes it even more interesting. NOT a horror film but a look at a man basically losing his marbles to a Christmas song.

Christmas Evil is no feat of film making. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone convince me of that. That being said there are some things about this film that make it stand out from other slashers that came after or even before it. It has a distinctive Psycho vibe to it and it is clear that the director actually cared about this film and was trying to make a good solid horror flick. I didn't find it nearly as campy as other B-horror 80's flicks I have seen and the performance by our lead actor is downright disturbing. Certainly it borders on being comedic in some sort of twisted way but so much of the style, scenes, sound effects and acting is just too weird and creepy to be funny. I absolutely understand why this has become a cult classic in certain circles because as far as I know and can tell this was really the first movie to turn everything sacred about Christmas into a terrifying idea. Yes, Black Christmas was set at Christmas time but our killer is literally obsessed with Christmas, children, Santa and having his dreams shattered as a child. I'm not a film expert and I rarely notice things like camera angles or specifics in cinematography and yet I couldn't help but notice some of the smart and equally creepy shots in this movie.Perhaps in the most disturbing concept Sesame Street 70's alumni Brandon Maggart who has also had a lucrative Television career is fascinating in this movie as the completely deranged killer. I know many of you that hate B-movies will scoff and wonder if I'm crazy but Maggart is excellent in this. He displays his very best Norman Bates given the very shallow character development he gets. His mental breakdown and obsessions drives this movie and honestly his performance is far better than a movie like this deserves. I anxiously awaited his snap when he would finally lose it and he is actually a very good actor who makes such a ridiculous film concept seem viable. Its almost a one man show for him because every other person in the movie are small supporting roles so the main focus is squarely on him and it actually probably makes the film that much better. How incredible he is from the time he puts on the suit for the first time through delivering the gifts to the hospital (just a jaw droppingly disturbing scene) to his murderous spree. Not the kills are where the film really starts to get campy because they are ridiculous and poorly shot with dollar store special effects. But thanks to (once again) the music and the camera angles...it is just disturbing. Jeffrey DeMunn (a recognizable character actor) plays Harry's brother and does a solid job. Same with Dianne Hull as his sister in law. They don't get a ton of screen time and they are there strictly to show how far Harry falls from humanity.I have honestly never seen a horror film like this. I mean, it didn't just freak me out but it legitimately got under my skin. It just felt wrong...the killer is completely sadistic and his descent is terrifying to watch. As a horror fan I would never add this to my collection because I simply don't think I could watch it a second time and yet I have to give it kudos for style and just the sick dark nature of it. Writer and director Lewis Jackson has virtually no other credits to his name and I'm actually surprised because I keep emphasizing there is some talent here. The problem with the movie is the story is incredibly weak. I mean, it would have made a great difference to have something other than Harry spotting his Dad dressed as Santa and fooling around with his mother to leave a disturbing impression on him. If some aspects of another B-Horror Christmas classic Silent Night, Deadly Night mixed with this they would have had a real terrifying movie on their hands. I have to call it like I see it and this is brilliantly crafted in so many ways. It drags and dawdles a lot but its like a horrifying car wreck that you can't look away from. His Santa suit is so well done and every time you see a child on the screen you feel sick to your stomach because this guy is truly so messed up. Watch this but with caution because it is something really sick. Only horror fans looking for something outside of the box should watch this one. The last half hour of the film turns into a bizarre homage to Frankenstein and just about nearly de-vilifies our killer and makes him an anti-hero. But I would argue with anyone who says this belongs in a "campy horror" film section. It is a bizarre and twisted film that needs to be seen to be believed. 7/10