I appreciate that while 'A Christmas horror story' echos the format of any given anthology film by splitting its length between distinct stories, its approach to that end is much more loose and free-flowing. Set primarily all within and around the town of Bailey Downs, each story happens concurrently, with passing shots or scenes to initially illustrate that connection. Where other movies in this style would tell its stories one by one, separated with the customary wraparound segment, 'Christmas' cuts from one story to the next, generally a few minutes at a time, until they are all told to completion. Does that style make it easier to engage with, or more difficult? I can't say for sure; mileage will vary from one viewer to the next.
Static imagery, blood, and gore looks fine generally; more dynamic CGI is more of a mixed bag. Other rounding details like hair, makeup, set design and decoration, and so on range from questionable to suitable; the cast's performances range from suitable to swell (although, that said, William Shatner has rarely seemed so indifferent in his acting). Of more concern for a genre picture is the quality of the writing, and here it's a rather mixed bag. Character writing, dialogue, and plot development across each story are founded foremost on contrivances: leaps in logic, poor and unlikely decisions, stubbornness and pride, and so on. To one extent or another some of the story beats are predictable - there are also some great ideas here - but above all, however well done it may be at times, very little strikes me as especially remarkable or noteworthy.
I'll say this: the action-horror vibe at Santa's workshop is a good bit of fun; Kris Kringle has never been so hard-boiled. Despite some ham-handedness, I think each story concludes with a fine ending. And while the wraparound segment here is given less concrete treatment compared to other anthology flicks, I do like the way that it progresses with subtle suggestions of something sinister before summing up sharply. Why, the strong finishes are enough to make me want to hold the entirety in higher regard. The fact remains, though, that while duly entertaining, 'A Christmas horror story' doesn't do much to grab our attention outright. It's enjoyable enough that it's worth putting on if you want to watch a horror flick without necessarily having to actively engage with it, though don't go out of your way to find it.
Worth 107 minutes of your time? You could do a lot worse.
Static imagery, blood, and gore looks fine generally; more dynamic CGI is more of a mixed bag. Other rounding details like hair, makeup, set design and decoration, and so on range from questionable to suitable; the cast's performances range from suitable to swell (although, that said, William Shatner has rarely seemed so indifferent in his acting). Of more concern for a genre picture is the quality of the writing, and here it's a rather mixed bag. Character writing, dialogue, and plot development across each story are founded foremost on contrivances: leaps in logic, poor and unlikely decisions, stubbornness and pride, and so on. To one extent or another some of the story beats are predictable - there are also some great ideas here - but above all, however well done it may be at times, very little strikes me as especially remarkable or noteworthy.
I'll say this: the action-horror vibe at Santa's workshop is a good bit of fun; Kris Kringle has never been so hard-boiled. Despite some ham-handedness, I think each story concludes with a fine ending. And while the wraparound segment here is given less concrete treatment compared to other anthology flicks, I do like the way that it progresses with subtle suggestions of something sinister before summing up sharply. Why, the strong finishes are enough to make me want to hold the entirety in higher regard. The fact remains, though, that while duly entertaining, 'A Christmas horror story' doesn't do much to grab our attention outright. It's enjoyable enough that it's worth putting on if you want to watch a horror flick without necessarily having to actively engage with it, though don't go out of your way to find it.
Worth 107 minutes of your time? You could do a lot worse.