Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Christmas Evil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 13, 2014

In the Killer Santa subgenre, 1980’s “Christmas Evil” (aka “You Better Watch Out,” which is the title on the print) is the best of the bunch. It’s not the goriest or the most aggressive of the collection, but it explores a psychological unraveling with unsettling precision, playing up the manic highs and lows of a man obsessed with the holiday with interest in creeping out the audience, not bludgeoning them with gratuitous violence. It’s dense work from writer/director Lewis Jackson, who employs seasonal iconography and mental instability to generate a suspense effort that genuinely disturbs, keeping viewers in the dark as the picture surveys possible catastrophe from a decidedly non-jolly man in a bulging red suit.

When he was an impressionable boy, Harry (Brandon Maggart) witnessed a strange moment with Santa Claus and his mother on Christmas Eve, scrambling his perception of the world. Now an adult, Harry makes a living at the Jolly Dreams Toy Company, working his way from the assembly line to the corporate side of the business, with his heart committed to quality products for all kids. His love of the holiday season runs deep, disturbing his concerned young brother, Philip (Jeffrey DeMunn), who notices that Harry is slowly pulling away from reality. Building a fantasy life as a Santa figure, Harry watches over the neighborhood kids, keeping record of their antics in a naughty and nice behavior book. He’s also transforming himself into St. Nick, cocooning himself inside a beard and red outfit, driving into the night in his sleigh-painted van to distribute toys to good kids and gift revenge to those who’ve wronged him or perverted the meaning of Christmas.

“Christmas Evil” scores with its intimacy. Instead of electing the slasher movie routine, Jackson dares to hold on Harry’s nervous breakdown, which technically began when he was a child, using a glass shard from a broken snow globe to self-mutilate, commencing a lifelong war with the world’s cynicism and propensity for cruelty. Harry’s a complex character, constantly fighting urges and insanity as he creates a warm pocket of purpose to reside in, using Santa as way to achieve function in a dreary life. The season provides a focal point, and “Christmas Evil” follows the character as he embarks on a last stand of sorts, consumed with punishing the naughty and preserving the idea of Santa as a miracle man of charity and compassion, even breaking into the toy factory to supply him with gifts for all, including institutionalized kids used by his heartless corporate pals for promotional purposes.

The goal of “Christmas Evil” is to create a seductive gray area in Harry’s behavior, with viewers never quite sure if his intentions are pure. Sure, Harry cares about the kids, but he also monitors them with binoculars, journaling their daily actions as they embark on naughty and nice behavior, with one particular boy, the vilified Moss Garcia (Peter Neuman), marked for sustained punishment after Harry catches him reading a Penthouse magazine and disrespecting his mother (Patricia Richardson). Of course, Harry’s not just offering a lump of coal, but a weird tribal-esque plan of stalking, pressing his mud-caked face on his target’s house to mark his territory before delivering a bag of dirt as a gift. Normally, the concept of threatening children reads unavoidably unpleasant, but Jackson has control over tone, making it clear that Harry’s intentions are firmly in the realm of Santaland justice. The nut doesn’t want to kill kids, but god help ‘em if they misbehave.

It’s all so wonderfully weird and corrosive. Jackson has a real vision for “Christmas Evil,” aided by exceptional cinematography by Ricardo Aronovich, who brings artistic lighting to the realm of B-moviedom. Unfortunately, narrative clarity isn’t always available for inspection, with subplots and motivations a bit vague at times, while the urgent dynamic between Harry and Philip acts primarily as dramatic bookends instead of being threaded throughout the entire picture. Most of “Christmas Evil” is devoted to Harry’s private hell, with long passages of silent behavior and community creeping filling up the effort. It’s good for tension, but the storytelling is undeniably mangled in places, though it never derails the work. It’s disappointing to learn that Jackson never made another feature after this.

Christmas Evil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Christmas Evil" looks superb, handling the cult picture with respect for its original gauzy cinematography. Grain is managed well, preserving a filmic appearance that's loaded with appreciable detail, isolating the softness of Harry's Santa suit and the facial strain of his insanity. Holiday decorations are also open for inspection. Colors are consistent and tastefully refreshed, offering bold seasonal greens and reds, while the colder palette of the toy factory is sustained, isolating specific moods. Blacks are inherently thick, but delineation remains. Print exposes a few cigarette burns and some mild speckling, but remains in stable condition.

Christmas Evil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a stable and clear read of Jackson's original soundscape. Dialogue exchanges are preserved to satisfaction, rarely slipping into distortive extremes despite some muddiness. Scoring is fresh and balanced, adding atmosphere without steamrolling over dramatics. Soundtrack cuts, from live bands to holiday pop music, register as intended. Minor hiss and pops are detected, but nothing is distracting.

Christmas Evil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplementary material is divided between the Blu-ray and DVD.

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Lewis Jackson.

• Commentary #2 features Jackson and actor Brandon Maggart.

• Commentary #3 features Jackson and superfan John Waters.

• Interview (6:53, SD) with Jackson is a holdover from the previous Troma disc, catching the filmmaking on the street, discussing his time with "Christmas Evil." Exploring the feature's cult status and spotty distribution history, Jackson seems relived the movie is receiving a second life on disc. Interestingly, he reveals that Glenn Close and Kathleen Turner auditioned for the role of Philip's wife.

• Interview (6:41, SD) with Maggart is another Troma relic, with the actor joined at his kitchen table by Sgt. Kabukiman. Exploring the audition process and his feelings about the picture, Maggart retains his rascally personality, with the interviewer trying to steer the conversation toward the private life of his daughter, Fiona Apple.

• Audition Tapes (25:51, SD) present a peek at the creative process, with black and white video capturing the actors feeling around the material, including Maggart and DeMunn. Also competing for a gig is JoBeth Williams, Michael Beck, and Lindsay Crouse.

• Deleted Scenes (6:32, SD) visit the toy company psychologist, who challenges Harry on his ideas (which also sets up the lead casting toy soldier sequence in the final cut), highlights an assembly line accident, and delves deeper into Harry's good and bad behavior book.

• Comment Cards (2:42) detail the testing process for "Christmas Evil," with responses ranging from utter delight to complete disdain. It's a hilarious look at pure, unfiltered reactions to the picture. Make sure to watch this collection all the way to the end.

• Storyboards (4:00) explore a few moments from the movie, including a deleted amusement park encounter, the opening sequence, and the end scene, with script pages and a photo to help piece together the evidence.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:43, HD) is included.

Christmas Evil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jackson's determination to articulate the melting of Harry's mind carries through to the climax, which introduces expressionistic techniques to isolate the unreality forming, reaching a deliciously audacious final sequence that intentionally welcomes shocking fantasy to fully indulge Harry's madness. "Christmas Evil" isn't interested in the collection of dead bodies (though it certainly adds a few to the pile) or cheap scares. It's a sustained depiction of mental health woes and the escalation of self-medication, making it one of the most interesting and daring genre offerings of the 1980s.