Strictly speaking this is nothing too special, and filmmaker Paco Plaza isn't reinventing anything. The plot is familiar as a group of friends stumble onto someone in need who they take advantage of for their own gain, leading to discord, violence, and a bloody climax. The differences, of course, are that in this instance those friends are perfectly amoral, rather monstrous children (which really makes me think Plaza thinks children are the spawn of the devil), and that this flick is flavored with Christmas seasoning. There are further flashes throughout of more discrete horror flavors, too, seen mostly (but not exclusively) in the kids' obsession with a zombie B-movie. And what may be most noteworthy of all is that while such a dark tale follows a recognizable horror/thriller formula, it is made to be extra twisted by adopting an extremely light, playful tone, discerned in Plaza's direction, in references and tropes borrowed from other "80s kids have an adventure" titles, and not least in Mikel Salas' peppy original score - at once cheekily connoting the end of innocence for the youths, and the wry, cynical subversion of a classic genre where kids are the unquestionable heroes. The end result might not be particularly striking, yet when all is said and done 'Cuento de Navidad' (or 'A Christmas Tale') is sharply made and a pretty good time all around.
This is well made in all regards. The cast demonstrate strong acting; the special makeup is outstanding, as are the stunts and effects. The sets and filming locations are imaginative, or at least imaginatively used. Plaza's direction is solid in orchestrating every shot and scene. The writing may not specifically offer anything new, but the concatenation is marked with just enough nice little touches to help the feature to feel fresh. Case in point, perhaps aided in part by the insertion of children into a tried and true narrative, this feels extra nasty as the length progresses and the kids get grim. One can maybe think of other things the screenplay could have done that would have been more satisfying, but there's no rule that says every flick has to be a revelation, and this is just swell as is. There was no goal here except to entertain with a sinister holiday genre piece, and even if it won't especially stand out in a crowd that goal is achieved. There's no need to go out of your way for 'Cuento de Navidad,' but if you appreciate the blend and do have the chance to watch, at only seventy-some minutes this is worth checking out.
