IMDb-BEWERTUNG
4,7/10
3278
IHRE BEWERTUNG
Jemand mit sehr wenig Weihnachtsstimmung tötet in London jeden in einem Weihnachtsmannkostüm. Scotland Yard muss ihn aufhalten, bevor seine Taten zu einer jährlichen Tradition werden.Jemand mit sehr wenig Weihnachtsstimmung tötet in London jeden in einem Weihnachtsmannkostüm. Scotland Yard muss ihn aufhalten, bevor seine Taten zu einer jährlichen Tradition werden.Jemand mit sehr wenig Weihnachtsstimmung tötet in London jeden in einem Weihnachtsmannkostüm. Scotland Yard muss ihn aufhalten, bevor seine Taten zu einer jährlichen Tradition werden.
Nicholas Donnelly
- Doctor Bridle
- (Gelöschte Szenen)
Laurence Harrington
- Kate's Father
- (as Lawrence Harrington)
Handlung
WUSSTEST DU SCHON:
- WissenswertesThe film took almost two years to complete after original director Edmund Purdom quit the job and Derek Ford took over but was fired after two days. The distributors then hired Ray Selfe to complete the direction and Alan Birkinshaw to rewrite parts of the script, including the original ending and the London Dungeon sequence, and much of the footage was completely re-filmed.
- PatzerWhen the inspector visits Kate's apartment to discuss the attack on Sharon, Kate asks what happened, but her mouth does not move.
- Alternative VersionenThe American DVD has both the shooting of the santa which is missing from the U.K DVD and the castration scene is uncut
- VerbindungenFeatured in The Making of a Horror Film (1984)
Ausgewählte Rezension
I knew from previous reviews that "Don't Open Till Christmas" would be bad, but I didn't realise just HOW bad! But perhaps that's just as well. The 'story' is so sleazy and mean-spirited that the film would be deeply nasty if it were well-made. As it is, it is just laughable.
Even on the most basic levels, "Don't Open Till Christmas" fails to work. The various murders, though gory, are suspenseless. We know nothing of the victims, we know when the killer's about to strike (so there is no surprise) and the direction is hamfisted. The giallo elements fall flat because neither we nor the police are given any clues and indeed the police investigation never really comes to a conclusion.
Parts of the film simply don't make any sense. The timeframe is all to hell, for one thing. Early on, a newspaper headline reads "Only three killing days left to Christmas", but then four or five days pass and we're only at Christmas Eve! Lines like "Is there a pattern here?", after 3 Santas have been gorily dispatched, beggar belief. It also seems unlikely that people would still be happily wandering around London in Santa costumes if a psychopathic Claus-slayer WERE on the loose!
The direction is inept, the dialogue ludicrous and the acting desperately flat. And why does Mark Jones, as one of the police investigators, dress like a Twenties matinee idol? Perhaps his flamboyant costumes are an effort by the makers to disguise attention from the threadbare sets!
Nevertheless, "Don't Open Till Christmas" does have a certain historical interest as the very last gasp of the low-budget British horror film. The involvement of Derek Ford gives it a tenuous link to the gory glory days of Compton and Tigon. And it's amazing to think that it was made in 1984, the time when Goldcrest were at their height. What a contrast between such genteel efforts as "Chariots of Fire" and "The Dresser" and this sadistic little affair!
Even on the most basic levels, "Don't Open Till Christmas" fails to work. The various murders, though gory, are suspenseless. We know nothing of the victims, we know when the killer's about to strike (so there is no surprise) and the direction is hamfisted. The giallo elements fall flat because neither we nor the police are given any clues and indeed the police investigation never really comes to a conclusion.
Parts of the film simply don't make any sense. The timeframe is all to hell, for one thing. Early on, a newspaper headline reads "Only three killing days left to Christmas", but then four or five days pass and we're only at Christmas Eve! Lines like "Is there a pattern here?", after 3 Santas have been gorily dispatched, beggar belief. It also seems unlikely that people would still be happily wandering around London in Santa costumes if a psychopathic Claus-slayer WERE on the loose!
The direction is inept, the dialogue ludicrous and the acting desperately flat. And why does Mark Jones, as one of the police investigators, dress like a Twenties matinee idol? Perhaps his flamboyant costumes are an effort by the makers to disguise attention from the threadbare sets!
Nevertheless, "Don't Open Till Christmas" does have a certain historical interest as the very last gasp of the low-budget British horror film. The involvement of Derek Ford gives it a tenuous link to the gory glory days of Compton and Tigon. And it's amazing to think that it was made in 1984, the time when Goldcrest were at their height. What a contrast between such genteel efforts as "Chariots of Fire" and "The Dresser" and this sadistic little affair!
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By what name was Fröhliche Weihnacht (1984) officially released in India in English?
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