I Slay on Christmas

Trying to escape his lot in life, a troubled man runs away to a forest where he finds several pine cones that soon reveal dark fates for several individuals.

The Good Stor(ies): All Chopped Up and Nowhere to Go-Upset about the holiday season, a sleazy stepfather trying not to spend time with his kid soon turns deadly after the incidents cause him to snap violently. Overall, this was a rather fun way to start this off. The sleazy atmosphere present involving his treatment of his wife and stepson sets him up to be one of the most despicable people in the world who gets everything that's directed at him, the cheesiness of the kids' point-of-view interacting with the stepfather sets up the impending twist in the second half where the series of stalking and chasing take place. Some of this escalates quickly without proper warning or build-up but it's not a huge problem with this segment.

The Best Company-Trying to find some company for the holidays, a man pressured to be with someone during Christmas thinks he's found it with a woman with an ulterior motive for the situation. This was an intriguing enough segment. The setup here involving the custom and tradition of everyone finding some company to be with during the holiday so they're not alone during Christmas is a great idea that's given a nice setup to the meeting he has with the woman and the subsequent dinner date they have. That sets up a fantastic twist as the concurrent serial killer story in the background has a fine reveal twist at the end that might not be logical but is based more on the shock of that happening to work quite nicely.

Christmas Revenge-Taking Santa Claus hostage, a delusional grief-stricken man begins to torture him for the misperceived destruction of his family as a kid that requires a special helper to save him. This was an immensely fun and enjoyable segment to close this out. The use of the popular saying as a means of spurning a long-simmering hatred for Santa and being the basis for a series of brutal and somewhat more extreme-than-expected series of brutal tortures makes this quite enjoyable by diving into Torture Porn for a holiday-themed segment. Armed with some fun reveals in the finale where the nice twist is utilized effectively, this one is an immensely enjoyable entry to close this out on.

The Bad Stor(ies): Re-Gifting-Excited about her new relationship, a woman trying to find the perfect gift for her boyfriend is soon confronted with the deadly truth about her psychotic charge. This was a fine if slightly disappointing entry. The build-up is perfectly fine and sets this up really well with the exploits of the relationship they've set up giving the proper context for the twist that occurs once they meet up which has some fun back-and-forth efforts trying to play everything out. It just feels slightly underwhelming as you have to wait for something to happen here since the main part is waiting for the date to occur so it's a little sluggish waiting for the good parts to start that leaves it being the main drawback to this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, and a Rape Scene.

This movie has a lot going on for such a small budget and really deserves the attention and love that they put into it. Phil Herman is a legend in the community and is always working on improving every aspect of his filmmaking ability.

All the segments have a fun catchy theme and will never leave you bored or checking how much time is left in the movie.

First segment really gives you a great feel of what you're getting yourself into with an amazing over the top performance by Joel D. Wynkoop

Second segment is phenomenal and really makes the production value skyrocket for such a low budget flick.

Third segment is great with the always lovely Debbie D.

And the final segment really seals the deal with an over the top story that involves poor old Saint Nick getting tortured for kissing his captors mother on one fateful Christmas Eve.

"I Slay on Christmas" is a festive frightfest that proves big scares can come in small budgets. The spine-chilling anthology takes you on a yuletide journey through the unexpected, with standout segments by indie horror maestros Derek Braasch, James Panetta, Marcelo Fabani, Phil Herman, and Joel D. Wynkoop.

The movie kicks off with a bang, thanks to a stellar soundtrack setting the tone for the holiday horror to unfold. Despite the limited budget, the practical effects are top-notch, bringing the Christmas terrors to life in gruesome detail.

The talent on display is impressive, with well-acted segments featuring familiar faces from the indie horror scene. Phil Herman shines in the wraparound segment, adding a touch of sinister charm. "All Chopped Up and Nowhere to Go" delivers laughs with Joel and M. Catherine Wynkoop, along with Sean Donohue's comedic prowess.

"The Best Company" surprises with its twist, "Re Gifting" brings humor with witty dialogue and a funny storyline featuring the delightful Debbie D. The grand finale, "Christmas Revenge," showcases A. J. Laird and Nina Trader as an excellent Santa and Mrs. Claus, while Heather Harlow steals the spotlight as the sexiest elf of all time.

This Christmas horror anthology is not for the faint of heart but promises a thrilling experience. With its replay value and instant classic status, "I Slay on Christmas" is a must-watch tradition after the little ones have nestled into bed on Christmas Eve. Get ready for a chilling holiday ride that will keep you coming back for more every Christmas.

This film comes with trigger warnings, sexual themes, violence, abuse, horror, gore, incest, attempted rape, and copious amounts of blood!

It's a hack and slash film with several different scenarios and themes threaded throughout.

Right from the get-go, this movie is bonkers and very intriguing! It's about a troubled man escaping into the woods from his stressful life. He comes across 4 pinecones, each revealing a Christmas terror which escalates into a real-life horror.

With a lively arthouse horror dark erotica effect, this one is sure to make you wonder what the heck is going on, but it will become clear eventually. I promise. The deliberate B movie vibes are loud and very clear. The structure of this film is well put together, as we see individual Christmas eve horror stories play out with each pinecone (which is a significant object and plays a major character role. Interesting concept!) The film is broken up into chapters, which helps to interconnect the plot and intwine similar themes throughout the story, sex on the first date, murder and serial killers running amok, loads of twists and turns to keep you transfixed and confused, domineering sadistic characters to give you the creeps. Where the hunter becomes the hunted. The murderer is murdered. Where revenge is best served cold!

Don't sin on Christmas eve, because you won't go to hell, you will remain in the forest for an eternity, with the crazy Jesus looking dude who narrates the scenes with Joseph in the woods. I think I would rather go to hell than be stuck with that guy for an eternity. He did play his character very well, in a cheesy way. To me, this feels like an Ebenezer Scrooge like format, with the ghost coming in as the narrator, taking Joseph, who is the main protagonist character (until he isn't) on a journey through Christmas eve horror stories. I really enjoyed this aspect. With each new story, the intensity is ramped up, with horrifying imagery of darkly disturbing human behaviour on full display.

There are many ghastly characters to carry the film through. There is George in the first chapter, ALL CHOPPED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO, as we see a trailer trash family in disarray, with a domineering dad who abuses his wife and deaf child. Then he tries it on with his wife's friend. Followed by terrific gore scenes to please all you gore fans. The nasty man in THE BEST COMPANY who is stitching together the perfect woman to please his overbearing, domineering mother. The twist in this is great when Claudia enters the scene after such mayhem happening in this story. There is a lot going on in this chapter, from a news report of serial killers in South America, and female body parts washing up on the beach. Then to Suzette in RE GIFTING trying to find the perfect gift for her man Donald, that ends up being anything but, when it is used against her. A nasty turn of events. Then we meet the antagonist character, Curtis, who has childhood trauma about Christmas, after catching mummy kissing Santa Claus in CHRISTMAS REVENGE. So, he decides to kidnap and torture poor old Nick. This is a great gory story, however there is a detail of incestuous connections, but it's a blink and you miss and isn't at all graphic, thankfully!

Then as we wrap up the film, a couple of more significant events take place. We learn the truth about Joseph and his wife Mary (I know, hilarious reference to Christmas.) We have a satisfactory ending, once the story of Joseph is revealed. An evangelistic preacher is harping on about some good issues actually and some topics make a lot of sense. It is relatable to the audience. It's a good way to end the film. Then the story carries on with another person finding pinecones.

There are different artistic ways these stories are delivered. We see news reports, broadcasts, phone calls, visual effects, and sound effects that add to the scenes. The Narrator in the woods breaks the stories up adding depth to the scenes, storyline and overall plot. The musical changes from thrash metal to classical ensembles mash together very well, enhancing the disturbing scenes and action sequences. Considering there is a lot going on in the film I believe the film is well contained, we know what is going on and the plot is easy enough to grasp. The switches from 1st person point of view into 3rd person point of view makes for an interesting watch!

I recommend this film to any horror gore fan or filmmaker who wants to see something different in the independent film sphere.

Reviewed by Del Gibson 😊