Deathcember

Well this is not related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the social distancing and the Quarantine. No this is about the calendar doors that have horror shorts inside. Now all kidding aside, we get a mixed bag (no pun intended) of presents here. Some of the shorts are really good, others not so much. The best thing is, that they are quite short overall.

This is a german production and anthologies always find an audience. There are way better ones outside this, though if you do watch this, stay for the extra story during the end credits. There's a bonus one can get behind with - especially if you don't mind the blood and violence included in most of these

Sure, it may not be an 8 to most people, but this is a really well done, sometimes spooky anthology. There are people making negative reviews because they were insulted my a segment or two. That should be all the reason you need to watch it.

This is the first review I've ever written and to tell you the truth, I've mainly registered here to do so. Because I've seen the film at a festival earlier this year and I liked it very much, and now I hear it's being released VoD and wanted to see what others are saying... and I'm honestly SHOCKED!! at the low ratings and all the negativity going around here. Did you people watch the same film?? Can't be true. Because Deathcember really is bags of fun, I think. So, I rate it 10/10. Is it worth a 10? Nah, of course not, only The Godfather is. But it's a very solid 8/10. So why do I rate it 10/10? Because I want to be a counterweight to all those shamefully low ratings. And because I really admire the film for what it is and the filmmakers for what they've achieved here. Come on, so many films by so many different people all delivering on gleefully dark Christmas Horror fun, never ever boring or tiresome, like an ABCS of Christmas horror. I've never seen anything like it. Yeah sure, some of the episodes are a bit of a letdown, but seriously the vast majority is really cool modern horror with a lot of surprisingly original ideas. The Mexian one with the carol singers is downright epic. And so many more that had me laughing, screaming, groaning... loved it. I'd say, ignore the downvoters and check it out for yourself. And thank you for reading this!

I like anthology horror. I like holiday horror. Many anthology movies suffer from being either too short if they're good or too boring if they're long. 26 very short horror stories, some are genuinely entertaining, some are just "good-bad" enough to laugh at... These stories are much shorter than usual in the genre, which manages makes it all bearable. The good stories are artistically efficient and whimsical with some fun twists and turns. The not-so-good stories are mercifully quick to get through.

26 international horror stories that are short and sweet... Not a bad a deal. Pick and choose. Enjoy. It's literally like a box of chocolates.

Acknowledging "Deathcember's" low-budget background, I still thought it's going to be a somewhat of a hit with me. Its closest relative, "The ABC's of Death" franchise, although always a violently shaken mixed bag, has been quite fine by me. And I love seasonal horror movies very much. However, "DeathCember" ultimately had a little more charcoal than gifts.

24 short films from 24 directors internationally, all horror, all tied to Christmas one way or another, smaller or bigger. A present wrapped in a rather enormous runtime of 2 hours and 25 minutes. A couple known directors include Lucky McKee ("May", "The Woman"), Polyanna McIntosh ("Darlin'"), Ruggero Deodato ("Cannibal Holocaust") and Julian Richards ("The Last Horror Movie"). The rest I had never heard of before. A few familiar faces from the horror world glimpse through too, including Barbara Crampton, Matt Mercer and AJ Bowen.

It really is a very mixed bag, and unfortunately for the pacing, to me it felt like it used up most of its big, flashy fireworks before halfway through. Out of the 24, there were about 6 that I'd say I liked and really enjoyed, 10 more sliding up and down on the line between "alright" and "mehh", and the rest were simply misses for me. There was at least one short that had absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, winter, or any element of this season. But, there is gore, there is violence, there is sci-fi, there is silent cinema, a western, criminal schemes, cannibals, killer deer, all kinds of mischievous ghouls and, of course, santas. And more. There is fun to be had, if you keep in mind that, on many levels, a lot of them are hard not to describe as cheap.

I'm quite sure I'll never re-watch it, but I'm glad I watched it, because it would torture me further sitting on the watchlist. Anthologies always win me. If you are a true seasonal horror maniac and brave, too, then check this out. It's on Amazon Prime. My rating: 4/10.