Christmas Evil (1980)

It's a constant challenge to keep up in this competitive and cruel world. Some are born or raised with tenacity, while others become withdrawn from the heavy weight of social pressures. Harry Stadling is a middle aged recluse with intimacy issues who maintains the same ideals he had when he was an innocent kid just learning the ropes. At first this looks like "Taxi Driver" or "Driller Killer" all over again, as the character's ambitions are far from wanting, or incapable of having, the normal life with a dedicated wife, eager kid and white-picket fence house, but the difference here is his mind is stuck reliving a childhood event that still matters dear. Something more like De Niro in the later picture "The Fan" to give a closer idea.

Harry has an obsession with everything related to the greeting card version of Christmas, from counting the days, decorating his apartment, watching parades and even dressing up as the jolly, white-bearded man himself. It's no coincidence he collects toys, works with toys, eats sugary cereal and holds what actions kids do with consequential meaning in written logs because he's mentally one himself. As others start to take advantage of this man-child--who's reserved and has something about him that isn't quite right--he becomes a ticking time bomb ready to go off. As the unlucky ones that learned the hard way from Dirty Harry about being judge, jury and executioner: You don't mess with a man on his own turf.

Instead of being just a straightforward plot about someone ready to commit violence if anything comes between their fixation like some typical slasher, this is a character study that goes through motivations in a quirky, off-beat way and reveals a method to the madness, as unorthodox as that may be. "You Better Watch Out" (aka "Christmas Evil") has a demented sense of dark humor that paved the way for "Silent Night, Deadly Night" to roll with it. There's no denying this has an out there and absurd plot that described in advance can make one either offended, morbidly intrigued or just run the other way (they did manage to dodge religious themes though). What ultimately made this work, was it was capable of balancing out seriousness and a sort of eccentricity while not skipping a beat in between. Its messages got a little too obvious towards the latter part of the film, such as giving reference to Frankenstein about a "monster" in society, but, on the other hand, it also steadily paced itself and kept you in the moment as it went. (Also submitted on http://fromblacktoredfilmreviews.blogspot.com/)

Fmovies: I hate to admit it, but i have a psychosis. It's really a passion that has blown way out of preportain. I love holiday horror films. At over fifty i think i have one of the largest collections around. The Santa killers are my favorite of this sub genre. Now, while admittedly next to the likes of the Godfather and such this is a very bad movie. BUT! I still highly suggest this film. It really is an interesting look into the psyche of a deranged mind. If you get a chance watch this movie, the ending alone is worth the buck fifty rental fee. This film is one of the true gems of my bloated movie collection.

This is a strange film. It has good acting, yet bad editing. One longs to fast forward it; it could use some cutting--yet, by the time it's over, one is curiously moved. The anti-hero is strangly moving; he is not your usual B-film slasher. He has a genuine, though insane in a world like ours, moral sense. The ending makes it more like a dark fairy tale. I did not enjoy watching it; yet, when it was over, I remember it fondly. It was really trying something different. Its shifts of tone may be its problem; yet it is a worthy effort.

Christmas Evil fmovies. (Some Spoilers) Off the wall slasher film involving this not so stable toy factory manager who got the shock of his life when, as a little boy, her saw Santa and his mom getting off on Christmas Eve. The fact that Santa was young Harry Stadling's father didn't seem to be noticed by Harry who became obsessed with Ol' Saint Nicholas his entire life. Going on a one man crusade Harry was intent to prove the existence of Santa if it was the last thing that he did. Harry went so far as living a secret life as the man in the red and white suit using his disguise as Santa as his personal and secret identity.

Harry keeping tabs on all the kids in his neighborhood, by spying on them, had a list of who was naughty and who was nice among them and as Christmas approached he was to make sure that they all got, good or bad, everything that they so rightfully deserved. It was really the adults who didn't believe in Santa and the giving spirit of the Chistmas holidays that Harry really had it in for. And it was them who in the end had to pay, in Harry's mind, for their unforgivable sins! It was when Harry flipped out, on Christmas Eve, that he turned the joy of Christmas into a night of horrors.

Touched by the horrible conditions at the local Willowy Springs-a take of on the notorious Willowbrook state school in Staten Island NY- State Hospital Harry tried to get his fellow workers at the Jolly Dream Toy Factory to chip in and give the unwanted and discarded, by their families, kids there some toys for Christmas. It's When he was laughed at and made to feel like a fool,in his wanting to give away loads of toys for free, by his bosses at the factory that something snapped in Harry's head having him go ballistic! Besides Harry taking all the toys, from the factory, to give away as Christmas presents to the children in the city he also plans to give his Scrooge-like bosses a Christmas that they'll never forget!

Harry's rampage in the movie was motivated by those who looked at Christmas, and Santa, as nothing but a money making, not giving, time of the year. Even though he didn't like kids who didn't listen to their parents and elders and looked at dirty pictures, like Penthouse Centerfolds, Harry felt that they can be made to see he evil in their ways and be straightened in time. It was the adults who made a mockery of Christmas, and Santa Clause, that Harry really had it in for in that they should know better but don't. which in Harry's mind was unforgivable and needed to be, by him, taken care of with the utmost urgency!

Hard to take serious slasher/horror movie in that the villain, Harry Stadling, was so lovable that even when he did in his victims you just couldn't dislike him. Harry was so believable as the lovable Santa Clause that even the children of the people that he murdered looked up to him, with Harry giving them expensive presents, as if he were the real McCoy, Santa, himself!

During the entire film Harry was always on the outs with his younger brother Philip who, since they were little boys, never believed in Santa and let Harry know it in no uncertain terms. It took a while but in the end even Philip became a believer. Not that Harry proved to Philip that the legendary Santa does in fact exists but, in the final moments of the movie, that Santa is actually his own brother, Harry Stadling, in the flesh!

You Better Watch Out otherwise known as Christmas Evil is essentially a Christmas version of Falling Down (1993) just not as clever, interesting, thought provoking or even remotely good.

It tells the story of a man tormented by the memory of discovering that Santa Claus isn't real. Overworked and underappreciated, taken advantage by work colleagues and witnessing the selfishness of his company he finally snaps and goes on a killing spree dressed as santa (As you do).

It's one of those films where though you can't fully empathise with the antagonist you can understand his plight to an extent and even feel a little bit sorry for him. Arguably a tale of mental illness it certainly has a passable premise but the execution is more than a little shoddy.

If you take it for what it is you may find a level of enjoyment, but nothing is likely to prepare you for the more than a little odd finale.

The Good:

I get what they were trying to do

The Bad:

Delivery is lacking

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I'm unsure whether that ending constitutes as good or bad

A young boy sees mommy having sex with Santa Claus (this seems to turn a lot of people crazy in these movies) and grows up Christmas-obsessed. He has his own "Naughty and Nice List" and takes Holiday cheer seriously...very seriously. If any adults are mean to Santa, they get a punishment a little worse than coal.

This movie was definitely odd. It was odd because of one scene, in which the psycho Santa brings toys to kids in a hospital. It actually... warmed my heart. Yes. Christmas EVIL warmed my heart. I felt horrible for the killer, as the director intended. It's like a Christmas Slasher version of Frankenstien, where the villain is tragic and just in his killings. Plus, both feature a town of mobbing people with torches. But there were little scene scattered about, the end scene, the toy scene, that actually... made me happy. So it manages to scare AND celebrate Christmas at the same time.

Oh boy, what am I saying? All in all it's a weird ass film that's pretty entertaining. 7/10. HO HO HO! MERRY Christmas!