Brilliant and touching

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This seasonal slasher has a group of friends stay at a cabin in the woods for the holidays. Little do they know a killer is lurking in the forest waiting to kill them off one by one.Dismembering Christmas brings nothing new to the genre but does somethings well. The snowy setting and Christmas decorations along with the characters clothes all make this feel very Christmassy, really making the seasonal slasher work. Another plus for the film is some of the hand-held camera work. In particular the drinking scene is very well done with the camera swooping around the whole group as they enjoy themselves. Another scene where one of the characters is trying to sneak passed the killer and the camera hides along with our protagonist giving us a little peek of the killer is well done.The acting is real hit and miss. To be fair most of the cast do a good job with one or two exceptions. But the bad ones are bad. The dialogue is okay, I've definitely heard worse. The sound though is an abomination, Spiking and dropping sometimes during the same scene it's really off putting. The kills are okay a couple off screen but the ones you do see are pretty good a done with practical effects. The editing is all over the place sometimes it really ruins the flow of a scene. The biggest mistake for me comes in the final scene of the movie when the final girl finally gets the baddie. This moment has the worst sound and the worst editing. Also the blood should be spraying from the bottom of the shot instead it's coming from the side, you can even see a black tube spraying the blood at the actresses face. I can't believe how shambolic this last scene is and that's what the movie ends on.Dismembering Christmas isn't a terrible film. It does somethings really well but fails on other respects and it's this that's most disappointing. It could easily have been a much better movie if more care had been taking with some aspects.

If you were looking for a generic horror movie this is it. I would like to call BS on most of the deaths. I say that because even a modestly aware person would notice a potential threat coming. ******spoiler**** I reference the snowman death, are you telling me that a killer is able to sneak up on the character coming from the person's front? One may cite blocked line of sight, but really, its like if a killer was fat and trying to hide behind a twig. Another ***spoiler*** clichés like watch alarm going off randomly when hiding from said killer is very lame. One last bull crap that urked me was when one character, sees their friend get killed, runs out of the house... then stops may 30 feet from the house to take a breather...I say I am a horror junkie and some films are going to be subpar, but I would think that directors would try to be smart about it.

Not long ago, Slasher Studios screened their film "Don't Go to the Reunion" before a full house at HorrorHound Indianapolis. The crowd cheered, laughed, and it was a big hit. Maybe not scary, but the kind of movie you want to see with some friends and a few beers.Now they're back... with a vengeance. That same great mix of blood and belly laughs, but with an improved video quality, some great camera shots, and a beautiful soundtrack. We even have a killer with black gloves, which can only be a nod to the great Italian giallo films. (Indeed, in some respects this is more of a mystery than a slasher, at least for the first half.) "Dismembering" retains that independent feel. There is still some amateur acting at times (one actress in particular) and minor sound issues that come from not having a sound stage or boom mics, but it's part of the Slasher Studios charm. This is a low-budget, high-fun film. Most of the actors double as crew – including the director-editor (Austin Bosley) and makeup artist (Marla VanLanen). And for being shot over 12 days, it comes off as quite professional. (Even notorious rush artists like Jim Wynorski typically allow 17 days in case of retakes.) Though he did get a "thanks" on "Reunion", hinting at some sort of involvement, director Austin Bosley is new to the Slasher Studios family. He has acted and directed a few things, but one hopes he sticks around with this group a while. He seems to have the magic touch. (With all due respect to Slasher Studios' former regular director Steve Goltz, who co-wrote this screenplay.) Worth singling out is the actor who plays Mark: Baker Chase; he is the strongest of the cast – a good actor, with a good look, who has a bright future if he wants it. His IMDb credits show him very busy over the next year or two, and it would be no shock if he made the transition to mainstream films or television.Slasher fans will have to check this out. Christmas and slashers have been going hand in hand since the 1970s, but never before have they been this highly entertaining. This Christmas, be sure to deck the halls with lots of bodies!

I have been so excited about this movie coming out, so to my excitement I get to watch and review this movie before it comes on DVD where I will also be buying the DVD. I love supporting independent films, and aspiring filmmakers and their cast and crew. Dismembering Christmas lived up to all my expectations and more.This film was directed by Austin Bosley who is known for survival Of The Dumbest as acting, director and writer. Written by Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz. Kevin who I have got to know through him on facebook and researching him on the internet, I know that he is inspired by Wes Craven and his horror films, he loves 80s slashers, owning up to 5000 (?) DVDs. I know that Dismembering Christmas is set as a 80s slasher. If you are comparing Dismembering Christmas to Scream or Wes Cravens other slasher horrors I would say its up to same standards and considering Dismembering Christmas is a low budget, independent horror. Its high class indeed. Steve Goltz the other writer, he and Kevin are both involved in the same horror films Teddy and Popularity Killer. Teddy was the first "Entry Into Terror" (as quoted on IMDb). Again Steve was also inspired by by the horror sub-genre slashers, being Friday The 13th and I know What You Did Last Summer. Lets hope there will be a lot more horrors from them both. The cast includes Nina Kova, Leah Wiseman, Danielle Doetsch, Johnathon Krautkramer, (who was also in Don't Go To The Reunion) Shannon McInnis, Jennifer Lenius, Austin Bosley, Scott Seagren and Marla Van Lanen. Most of these actors are new to the acting scene (Less than 5 years). With Marla, Leah and Danielle being in many horror films and earning the rights to be on my Wall Of Horrors. When I started watching this film I noticed was the sound tracks. There was a lot of music depending on how the film went. It was brilliant. The music fitted very well with the film, characters and everything that was happening. Also the start where "Slasher Studios" came on screen and the sound effects there, it amused me. I haven't seen many Christmas horror films but it felt very 80s style when I compared it with other cabins/houses in the middle of no where and the mysterious happenings. Im loving how there are no cliques, no blond bimbos who run up the stairs with a banana instead of out the door with a knife or something. I noticed they all meshed well together as "friends and family". You can tell which ones are family too, there is a way they look, and mess around together that makes it perfect because this is how me and my sister talk to each other and messes around. The best part (which is the thing that I have to stop myself giving away), is the creativity of the murder weapons and how they are used. This movie is only just over 70 minutes long, there could have been a lot more action to make it go longer. But nonetheless I enjoyed this film very much and will watch many more times. Overall it was amazing, if you like fast paced, intense and creative Christmas horror I recommend this one you will NOT be disappointed.