This holiday favorite from Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas takes Santa Claus to some dark places:
On Christmas Eve 1947, young Harry sees Mommy do more than just kiss Santa Claus; he's so shaken by the event that he smashes a Christmas snowglobe, cuts himself with the broken glass and bleeds on the snowy cabin inside. Cut to 33 years later: Grown-up Harry (Brandon Maggart) sleeps in Santa Claus pajamas, covers his wall with St. Nick paraphernalia, creates a fake "Santa" beard with shaving cream, and monitors the neighborhood kids for his "naughty" and "nice" lists.
He's cruelly exploited at his job at a toy factory and eventually snaps. Soon, Harry's expressing his rage -- while dressed as Santa -- by murdering people he perceives as "naughty" while setting up his own toy workshop at home. Adults track down the killer, but children come to "Santa's" defense before he gets in his van and...well, you'll have to see for yourself.
Lewis Jackson's sole film as writer-director got a rave review from John Waters, who calls Christmas Evil "the best seasonal film of all time...If I had kids, I'd make them watch it every year, and if they didn't like it they'd be punished." (Waters later recorded a DVD commentary track for the film.) Unlike the later Silent Night, Deadly Night, whose protagonist is obsessed with the whole punish-the-naughty part of the job, this movie gives a maniacal Santa who balances his kind, gift-giving side with a stern sense of discipline. Creepy, funny and unsettling, Christmas Evil ranks as a holiday horror must-see.
Fun Facts:
· Maggart later starred on the cable sitcom Brothers and is the father of singer Fiona Apple. (He also received a Tony nomination for the Broadway musical Applause.)
· Kathleen Turner auditioned for, but didn't land, the role of Harry's sister-in-law.
· One critic called the film's climax "a heartwarming sight for the mentally ill of all ages."
Check out the rest of Movieline's 12 Films of Christmas as they're revealed this week and next.