Hello readers, and welcome to a new post that takes a look at one of the latest films from Artsploitation Films. Is Red Christmas worth your time? Keep reading to find out.

Red Christmas

Director:
Craig Anderson

Stars:
Dee Wallace, Geoff Morrell, Sarah Bishop, David Collins, Janis McGavin, Bjorn Stewart, Sam Campbell, Gerard Odwyer, Deelia Meriel.

What’s It About?:
“A mother must protect her family on Christmas Day from a demented stranger who is hell-bent on tearing them apart.” – IMDB


THE FILM:

Red Christmas is the first feature from Artsploitation Films to be featured and reviewed for FTS. I went into this feature with never having seen any trailer or knowing anything about it except that it starred Dee Wallace. I was pleasantly surprised after sitting down to watch this feature for the first time.

The movie starts off with a scene of an abortion clinic bombing, but as luck would have it, aborted child clings onto life. Fast forward years later and we meet Diane (Dee Wallace) and the rest of her family for a Christmas gathering. But when a cloaked stranger shows up and is invited in, things start to go awry.

This movie starts off a bit slow but once it gets going it’s pretty fun. It features some really neat death scenes including one with a blender that I was extremely pleased with. Overall the acting was okay, but clearly Dee Wallace is the standout performance. There were some really unique visual choices as well, including the colors and lighting. Certain rooms later in the film each have their own color to them and are very reminiscent of the Suspiria color scheme, which was a great choice.

The films main underlying topic here is abortion. It’s all over this feature with most of the characters seeming to come from a pro-life stance. I don’t feel the movie is trying to persuade audiences in one direction or another on the topic as both sides are clearly expressed in the film. But with a topic like this of course people will have their own opinions.

Overall, this movie was pretty fun and I could for sure see it being another Christmas horror staple with features such as Silent Night Deadly Night and Black Christmas.

THE EXTRAS:

Special features include a semi-interesting commentary with director Craig Anderson and star Gerard Odwyer. The commentary starts off really awkward as they just keep repeating what’s happening on screen, instead of most where they just delve into stories about the shooting of scenes. Also included is a really nice interview with Dee Wallace where she talks about the films she has done over the years. This was by far my favorite bonus feature. There’s also one deleted scene which is pointless, a very short gag reel and an interview with Gerard Odwyer as well.

CONCLUSION:

In the end I would say go ahead and give this movie a whirl. It’s pretty fun and could become another Christmas horror feature to add to your annual watchlist. Thanks to Artsploitation Films for sending me a copy to review and I hope to see more of their stuff in the future.