'Secret Santa' Sends Christmas Right To Hell (Review)
Welp, the time is finally here to review the insanity that is Secret Santa that is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable one second, make you squeamish the next and then finally make you laugh out loud at the relentless absurdity that is somehow all so relatable.
Director Adam Marcus seems to really have a firm grasp on this thing, seemingly a bit of a passion project in the way the movie perfectly balances the realistic nature of Christmas gatherings for so many families and also going the extra mile making it stand out with all of the raucous behavior that ensues that has to be seen to be believed.
The movie wastes zero time in showing this family, although willing to muster up the courage to visit each other for the holidays, also are by far and away different on every level as every character is fleshed out in ways that truly makes the magic of the mayhem not feel forced, you can truly understand why these individuals would be at each other's throats all while simultaneously at least attempting to co-exist.
And just the juxtaposition of this is refreshing, I think we are all in our own way tired of this fake, unrealistic, stereotypical type of Christmas family we see that are shoved down our throats in EVERY Christmas movie, you know the type, the type that are ALWAYS on the best terms imaginable, when someone like me who comes from a HUGE family, it is damn near impossible to get along THAT well, now we may never go to the EXTREMES these people do, but c'mon! That's what makes this movie stand out and tempts you to strap in for this blast of a ride.
In conveying all this it still manages to obtain all of that Christmas spirit and doesn't forget it's roots, this isn't one of those "Slant" Christmas movies as I like to call them, this movie is gift wrapped with not only Christmas visuals galore, it is also full of Christmas songs and jingles that will definitely make your bell rock!
Speaking of that mayhem, once it starts it does not hold back in any way, just about any way to dispatch of a family member you can imagine happens in this pedal to the metal flick and it does not hold back on the Gore for all of you Gorehounds out there!
And let's talk about that Gore, other than a couple moments of the blood looking a little too cartoonish for my tastes, the blood and practical effects here are actually very well done and only get better as the movie progresses.
Although, I said this movie seems to strive on being a different type of Christmas film and doesn't dive too deep into the stereotypical, this Movie does however do such a great job at picking at stereotypes in a joking way that if done in the wrong way, could come off as offensive, that line is a tough one to tightrope, but they do such a great job at straddling that line.
Let's talk about that camera work. A good portion of the movie of course takes place inside around the pleasantries of the dinner table and festive cheer inside the house, but when the characters venture outside there is a good bit of atmosphere here, really sells the wintery vibe of the Christmas Season very well.
This one is also not without surprises as we get turns from characters you might not initially see coming and there's a certain something that plays a very key role that you definitely won't see coming that flips the movie on it's head to a degree, it definitely had more in the realm of keeping you guessing than I was expecting which was a pleasant surprise.
Speaking of surprise elements, I also love the unpredictability of WHO dies WHEN people start dropping like flies, does a solid job of making you feel like nobody is safe and anybody can go at ANY time which I absolutely love about Horror Movies.
And lastly, dare I say potential sequels on the way after that ending?!?! I guess we will see in due time!
Overall guys, Secret Santa is a movie that is nothing short of unique for a Christmas Horror flick that breathes fresh air into the Sub-Genre, it wasn't perfect, but this is about as good as you're getting with this kind of flick and Marcus really seems to have dumped a lot into this one which I can naturally applaud, this will most likely be a yearly watch on Christmas time for many Christmases to come!
