You Better Watch Out

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

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!

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.

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

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.