User reviews

This cult favourite seasonal picture is writer / director Lewis Jackson's interesting, offbeat take on the holidays, focusing on a pathetic figure named Harry Stadling (Brandon Maggart), whose mind has been warped ever since seeing something as a child that he ought not to have seen. He's grown up with an obsession with Christmas; the decorations at his place have a Christmas theme, for one thing. He's dismayed at the attitudes displayed by co-workers at his place of employment, a toy factory, and goes so far as to catalogue the naughty or nice activities of children in his neighbourhood. When he learns that his company plans on donating toys to a local hospital, but expects all employees to make any financial donations, that's when he truly becomes determined to spread his own brand of Christmas cheer.

Now, this is not really for hardcore horror fans. True enough that Harry does end up murdering a few people, but this is not about racking up the body count. This is ultimately about one man's mental and emotional deterioration, and nowadays some folk might even insist on giving it the common "psychological thriller" label. Jackson takes aim at the crass commercialization of the holiday, a common theme in Christmas fare, and comes up with some very striking images, notably the police line up of Santas, and the homage to the Fritz Lang classic "M" with angry torch bearing citizens hellbent on getting their hands on Harry.

Talented star Maggart came in cold for his audition and delivered the exact performance seen in the movie; it's truly something to see. Fellow character veteran Jeffrey DeMunn ('The Walking Dead', "The Green Mile", etc.) is also effective as Phil, the younger brother frustrated over having to look out for Harry for many years rather than being able to look up to him. The cast and crew is filled with a number of people who did very well for themselves afterwards; the actors include future 'Home Improvement' wife & mom Patricia Richardson, as well as Peter Friedman, Mark Margolis, Raymond J. Barry, Robert Lesser, Bill Raymond, and Rutanya Alda; the crew includes "presenter" and producer Edward R. Pressman, cinematographer Affonso Beato (who would shoot "The Big Easy"), and the late editor Sally Menke, who cut all of Tarantino's directorial efforts. Fun sequences feature Harry partying hearty with some strangers at a Christmas party and delivering toys to the children at a hospital. Seeing Harry spy on the kids, however, does create a fairly creepy vibe, no matter how good his intentions are.

One thing is for certain, and it's that this amusing low budget flick is fairly memorable, right down to its ending.

Seven out of 10.

A young boy sees mommy having sex with Santa Claus (this seems to turn a lot of people crazy in these movies) and grows up Christmas-obsessed. He has his own "Naughty and Nice List" and takes Holiday cheer seriously...very seriously. If any adults are mean to Santa, they get a punishment a little worse than coal.

This movie was definitely odd. It was odd because of one scene, in which the psycho Santa brings toys to kids in a hospital. It actually... warmed my heart. Yes. Christmas EVIL warmed my heart. I felt horrible for the killer, as the director intended. It's like a Christmas Slasher version of Frankenstien, where the villain is tragic and just in his killings. Plus, both feature a town of mobbing people with torches. But there were little scene scattered about, the end scene, the toy scene, that actually... made me happy. So it manages to scare AND celebrate Christmas at the same time.

Oh boy, what am I saying? All in all it's a weird ass film that's pretty entertaining. 7/10. HO HO HO! MERRY Christmas!

Christmas Evil (1980) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a man who was scared as a child when he discovered Santa Clause wasn't real. He now works at a toy factory as an adult until he discovers his employers are more worried about profit than creating fantastic toys for the kids. He embarks on a killing spree to gain revenge on the factory owners on the children's behalf.

This movie is directed by Lewis Jackson (The Transformation: A Sandwich of Nightmares) and stars Brandon Maggart (Dressed to Kill), Jeffrey DeMunn (The Mist), Dianne Hull (Girls on the Road), Peter Friedman (Single White Female) and Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement).

The storyline for this picture was actually fun to watch unfold and reminded me of a Santa themed Child's Play in some ways. The man losing his mind and his family dynamic was well depicted and a little like Maniac. The sets and settings do a great job of setting up the scenarios and circumstances. The kill scenes themselves are a bit disappointing but has some good use of blood and props.

Overall this is more fun to watch than good and I'd score it a 5.5/10. I'd recommend seeing this once.

This is a strange film. It has good acting, yet bad editing. One longs to fast forward it; it could use some cutting--yet, by the time it's over, one is curiously moved. The anti-hero is strangly moving; he is not your usual B-film slasher. He has a genuine, though insane in a world like ours, moral sense. The ending makes it more like a dark fairy tale. I did not enjoy watching it; yet, when it was over, I remember it fondly. It was really trying something different. Its shifts of tone may be its problem; yet it is a worthy effort.

You Better Watch Out otherwise known as Christmas Evil is essentially a Christmas version of Falling Down (1993) just not as clever, interesting, thought provoking or even remotely good.

It tells the story of a man tormented by the memory of discovering that Santa Claus isn't real. Overworked and underappreciated, taken advantage by work colleagues and witnessing the selfishness of his company he finally snaps and goes on a killing spree dressed as santa (As you do).

It's one of those films where though you can't fully empathise with the antagonist you can understand his plight to an extent and even feel a little bit sorry for him. Arguably a tale of mental illness it certainly has a passable premise but the execution is more than a little shoddy.

If you take it for what it is you may find a level of enjoyment, but nothing is likely to prepare you for the more than a little odd finale.

The Good:

I get what they were trying to do

The Bad:

Delivery is lacking

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I'm unsure whether that ending constitutes as good or bad

One Christmas Eve 1947, two parents decide to surprise their kids (Harry and Phil) by having the father dress as Santa Claus and come down the chimney. All goes well, until later that evening when Harry sees them making love. Seeing that apparently traumatizes Harry as a child which leads into his adult life. Fast forward to present day 1980 where we meet an adult Harry who is clearly unhinged, all stemming from that night as a young boy. Harry has a job at a toy factory and spies on the children in the neighbouring apartment complex, keeping a naughty and nice list on all of them. We see that Harry isn't respected at all at work, with his coworkers constantly poking fun at him either to his face or behind his back. His own brother Phil even thinks he's a loser.

Harry handles all of his stresses and traumas the same way - bottling them up in public and then blowing up at home. After we see Harry dive deeper and deeper into a psychotic state, Christmas Eve arrives and he starts to believe that he is Santa Claus. Harry fills up a sack with toys he stole from his workplace and starts wandering the streets of New York looking to leave presents to only the good and deserving children. On the way, he decides it's time to kill anyone who is on the naughty list...

I was not a huge fan of this one, which surprised me. I love holiday horror and 80's slashers, so this should have been right up my alley. But I just found it to drag on and on to the point where I lost interest in a lot of the middle frame. A few things save it from being a flop. The acting by Brandon Maggart, the gore, and the last 20-30 minutes or so when Harry starts killing.

Overall, a very average holiday horror movie that is loved by many. I just wasn't a fan for some reason. I'd recommend giving it a watch and see what you think

5/10

Well I finally got round to seeing this film and although not a classic it's not as bad as some have made out. At times you cant help feeling sorry for Harry which is credit to Brandon Maggart. I have seen worse films than this that have had a lot more money spent on them and are not as good. If you want a slice (no pun intended) of Christmas horror try Back Christmas 1974 or Silent Night, Deadly Night 1984.

Although often overlooked, "You Better Watch Out" (1980) offers a distinct approach to the holiday horror theme, standing out as one of the first productions to feature a malevolent, murderous Santa Claus as the protagonist.

The intriguing premise captivates by exploring in an unconventional and psychotic way the central character's coping with childhood trauma, with the protagonist's complex personality being a highlight of the film. The project incorporates several robotic attractions and, despite possible budgetary limitations, manages to present few convincing gore scenes. However, the development of the final minutes of the narrative harms the pace of the story, resulting in an impactless and anticlimactic ending.

The film's script fails to properly explore the premise that makes it interesting, relegating the story of the brothers and the trauma experienced by the protagonist to the background. Despite its flaws, "You Better Watch Out" served as inspiration for several Christmas horror productions, the most notable being "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (1984).

Directed by Lewis Jackson. Starring Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dianne Hull, Joe Jamrog, Burt Kleiner, Scott McKay, Peter Friedman, Patricia Richardson. (R)

After witnessing mommy kissing (among other acts) Santa Claus as a child, Harry (Maggart) grows up to become a toy factory employee with a pretty unhealthy disassociative disorder, eventually thinking he's the real Saint Nick and going on a murder spree. Atypical, slightly above average slasher focuses almost entirely on the killer rather than a parade of victims-to-be; Maggart gives a good performance, but his character's psychology/motivations become awfully thin when given so much scrutiny (or is it supposed to be campy parody?). Either way, the movie would have benefited from heightened style, better pacing, more polished production (the seams really start showing when it comes to the all-too-evident fake snow); not particularly scary either. The most interesting aspect--besides Maggart--is the unusual, sometimes surprising bends in the plot/mood (it even borrows a page from "M"); the riotously outlandish ending needs to be seen to be (dis)believed. A favorite of cult director John Waters; later released under alternate titles like "Christmas Evil" and "Terror in Toyland."

43/100

oddball seasonal slasher that has more characterisation and less gore than many of its contemparies.After witnessing his mother getting it on with his father in a santa suit as a boy,a now deeply disturbed and grown up harry standling (Brandon Maggart) decides to celebrate Christmas his own way by metering out punishment to those who have besmirched the season of good will.

'Christmas evil' succeeds due to the film's emphasis on showing harry as a three dimensional character and for conjuring up a generally oppressive and Eerie atmosphere throughout,the fact that the death scence's are sporadic and often off kilter add too this 1980 slasher's unsettling nature.

'Christmas evil' will be far too off-beat for your average stalk and slash fan,but for those open minded and adventurous enough,'Christmas evil'is a one of a kind,genuinely original treat.

Being a big fan of dated horror movies i found this low budget holiday horror to be quite entertaining. It starts off with a kid watching his mom getting (mildly) jiggy with ol Saint Nick which totally trips him out. 40 years later he's a total loser on a full on Christmas trip. He watches kids to see if they've been naughty or nice, makes a list, checks it twice, and goes totally crazy. Dressed as Santa he brings presents to nice kids and kills a bunch of people who aren't so nice. There's a couple rad kills but most of the movie a pretty tame. It's definitely not as good as SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT but it is pretty funny watchin homeboy flip his wig. It also can be a little boring at times but it's got a really cool (extremely cheesy) ending that i was definitely not expecting. All in all it's a decent piece of crud that lacks in violence. Definitely check out SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT before this one. You also might want to give the much more gruesome MANIC a look.

Christmas Evil is a rather uninteresting black comedy about a homicidal Santa Claus who takes his role to murderous levels. It start off promisingly enough as a kid witnesses his mother engaged in a rather intimate situation with Father Christmas and later self harms. Years later, he goes on a rampage at Yuletide.

The problem with this low budget production is that it's very slow and not much happens. It's a full 50 minutes before we get any horror scenes and even those are weak in the extreme. The acting is poor and the tone is off too - half of this seems to be designed as a black comedy, but the problem is that it's neither funny nor interesting.

Christmas Evil didn't do anything for me at all, and that cheesy joke ending is the sour cherry on top. It's probably the worst Christmas-themed "horror" movie in existence.

This movie is a very well thought out piece of low budget horror. Unlike the cheezy imitations such as "Silent Night, Deadly Night" this movie has a well thought out storyline with a central character you can understand and feel sympathy for. This movie is more than just another generic slasher flick. It has an interesting story and main character. The film may move a little slow at the beginning for people with short attention spans and no intelligence, but just about everyone else should be able to appreciate this low budget wonder. Just remember, this is not supposed to be another Friday the 13th.

(Some Spoilers) Off the wall slasher film involving this not so stable toy factory manager who got the shock of his life when, as a little boy, her saw Santa and his mom getting off on Christmas Eve. The fact that Santa was young Harry Stadling's father didn't seem to be noticed by Harry who became obsessed with Ol' Saint Nicholas his entire life. Going on a one man crusade Harry was intent to prove the existence of Santa if it was the last thing that he did. Harry went so far as living a secret life as the man in the red and white suit using his disguise as Santa as his personal and secret identity.

Harry keeping tabs on all the kids in his neighborhood, by spying on them, had a list of who was naughty and who was nice among them and as Christmas approached he was to make sure that they all got, good or bad, everything that they so rightfully deserved. It was really the adults who didn't believe in Santa and the giving spirit of the Chistmas holidays that Harry really had it in for. And it was them who in the end had to pay, in Harry's mind, for their unforgivable sins! It was when Harry flipped out, on Christmas Eve, that he turned the joy of Christmas into a night of horrors.

Touched by the horrible conditions at the local Willowy Springs-a take of on the notorious Willowbrook state school in Staten Island NY- State Hospital Harry tried to get his fellow workers at the Jolly Dream Toy Factory to chip in and give the unwanted and discarded, by their families, kids there some toys for Christmas. It's When he was laughed at and made to feel like a fool,in his wanting to give away loads of toys for free, by his bosses at the factory that something snapped in Harry's head having him go ballistic! Besides Harry taking all the toys, from the factory, to give away as Christmas presents to the children in the city he also plans to give his Scrooge-like bosses a Christmas that they'll never forget!

Harry's rampage in the movie was motivated by those who looked at Christmas, and Santa, as nothing but a money making, not giving, time of the year. Even though he didn't like kids who didn't listen to their parents and elders and looked at dirty pictures, like Penthouse Centerfolds, Harry felt that they can be made to see he evil in their ways and be straightened in time. It was the adults who made a mockery of Christmas, and Santa Clause, that Harry really had it in for in that they should know better but don't. which in Harry's mind was unforgivable and needed to be, by him, taken care of with the utmost urgency!

Hard to take serious slasher/horror movie in that the villain, Harry Stadling, was so lovable that even when he did in his victims you just couldn't dislike him. Harry was so believable as the lovable Santa Clause that even the children of the people that he murdered looked up to him, with Harry giving them expensive presents, as if he were the real McCoy, Santa, himself!

During the entire film Harry was always on the outs with his younger brother Philip who, since they were little boys, never believed in Santa and let Harry know it in no uncertain terms. It took a while but in the end even Philip became a believer. Not that Harry proved to Philip that the legendary Santa does in fact exists but, in the final moments of the movie, that Santa is actually his own brother, Harry Stadling, in the flesh!

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.

Stupid and just plain weird movie about some kid who becomes traumatized when he finds out Santa isn't real (???). He grows up and becomes an adult (Brandon Maggart) who makes lists of people who are naughty or nice. One Christmas Eve he snaps and sets out to kill the naughty people--dressed as Santa of course.

Boring and just plain bad killer Santa movie. It's not really a horror movie--it's more of a character study--a very BAD character study!If you're looking for gore, it's not here. Only a few of the murders are shown and they're not that gory with VERY fake effects. Most of the movie just contains Brandon Maggart talking to himself and slowly going crazy. The script is trite, the acting is terrible and it leads to an ending which had me staring slack-jawed at the TV. Seriously, I had to rewind the tape and watch it again to make sure I wasn't hallucinating! Really REALLY poor ending.

If you want a scary Christmas flick rent "Black Christmas" (the original 70s version---NOT the terrible remake). Avoid this one at all costs.

This is an entertaining Christmas horror movie that in the end is about much more than just old Saint Nick running around with an axe as the movie poster suggests. I saw this under the title CHRISTMAS EVIL and it starts in 1947 where a young boy Harry watches his mom get it on with Santa Claus. Thing is Santa was actually his dad, but poor little Harry didn't know any better. It messes him up pretty bad. We then jump ahead to 1980 and Harry (very well played by Brandon Maggart) has almost an extreme obsession with Christmas. He even has a list of who's been naughty and who's been nice. Quite interesting and very creepy as he watches the children and he appears at people's windows a few times in the film watching their lives.

Not the first to have a homicidal Santa, but was done four years before the more popular SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT. To me it is just as good as that movie, but they are quite different to the point where the killer in this film garners more sympathy.

So, if it's Christmas time and you are looking for a Christmas themed horror flick I would suggest giving this one a try. Also starring Jeffrey DeMunn as Harry's older brother Philip.

Now that Arrow Video brought this out on DVD it was time again to pick up this horror. We do all know the classics Black Christmas (1974) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984).

It all starts very silly with two children and their mother sitting on the stairs seeing how Santa comes down the chimney to give some presents. Harry does believe in Santa but his brother tells him that Santa is his dad. When they all go to bed Harry goes down again to see Santa again but what he sees changes him forever. Santa is giving mommy a lickety-clit.

Back forward a few years and Harry works at a crummy factory as a toymaker but deep inside he only wants to be the real Santa. Shaving gives him a joy with the white foam giving him the Santa beard feeling. Once it's Christmas he's out as Santa.

Sadly that's all that we do see here in Christmas Evil. It's low on gore and even blood. The only thing we see is an eye-stabbing and an axe going into a skull. He even gets stuck in the chimney. He do becomes a deranged Santa but it's really camp and the end scene is really cheesy with the last words coming out of The Night Before Christmas and just look what happens, cheesy isn't it?

Kleenex lovers will think that the licking of Santa is erotic, well let me tell you there is nothing to see, no nudity at all. Christmas Evil as a title is misleading thinking you will see a good old season slasher, it isn't, it's more a drama. Horror buffs will discard it, I'm sure of that. It wasn't my thing neither. Coming out in the glory days of gore and blood this is a really bad Santa flick.

Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5