Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Red Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson December 19, 2017

Australian filmmaker Craig Anderson is primarily known for directing and acting in TV comedies but takes a stab at yuletide horror in his feature-length debut Red Christmas. Anderson tries to break some new ground with the home invasion horror thriller but overacting, weaknesses in the script, and budgetary limitations make it run-of-the-mill. To his credit, though, Anderson at least attempts to interweave the narrative with some controversial and timely topics. The movie begins with some mocumentary footage of pro-life protestors stomping the streets with sloganeers. This segues into a prologue of an experimental procedure taking place at an abortion clinic. One of the last images shows a man carrying what is probably a malformed infant. Moments later, pro-life extremists ignite the building in a big blaze. Flash-forward twenty years later to a large house in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales where Diane (Dee Wallace) is preparing for a grand Christmas Day feast with family. Diane is a widow who lives with her son, Jerry (Gerard Odwyer), who suffers from Down syndrome but is smart as he freely recites aphorisms from Shakespeare. Visiting them are Diane's opinionated and very pregnant daughter Ginny (Janis McGavin) and her beau Scott (Bjorn Stewart); Diane's stoner brother Joe (Geoff Morrell) who is like her muse; Ginny's prim-and-proper sister Suzy (Janis McGavin) and her vicar husband Peter (David Collins); and the youngest sister Hope (Deelia Meriel). This is not a family who keeps to themselves. Diane is excited not only to toast but to get this last Christmas at her house over with. She plans to sell the estate and take a major excursion to Europe. Diane's sweet but also feisty and tough. Ginny and Suzy just don't see eye-to-eye on the most basic things, constantly bickering with each other. As the family is getting ready to open gifts, the doorbell rings and as Diane opens the door, it looks like the Grim Reaper is standing at the entryway. A figure clad in a black cloak and bandages insists that he has a letter to read to "Mother" and that's the purpose of his unannounced visit. Family members chat away to forestall the reading but this man, who call himself Cletus (played by Sam Campbell), reads aloud an aggrieved plea about an aborted fetus. This immediately rubs Diane the wrong way and she orders Cletus out of the house. She sends him with a jar of peanuts and brother Joe heaves him off the doorstep.

Viewers familiar with seasonal horror fare know that doom is in the offing when they see one of the good guys slicing a tree with an axe. Or later in the evening when it turns dark, they can predict that the young woman who ventures outside will not be coming back. That's part of the formulaic setup of Red Christmas. Even if Dee and her relatives strongly disagree with the content in Cletus's message, they should be far nicer to a bloke that they should know by his outward attire is probably not a nice person. Getting thrown out of the house has made Cletus very angry and he wants to ensure that everyone pays a price.

The family Christmas get-together has an unexpected visitor.

Red Christmas could have been a more suspenseful film had some of the characters either learned to shut their traps or controlled their emotions when the killer is lurking. Joe and Diane each try to take control of the dire situation but it becomes undone when someone like Ginny is frantically screaming for all to hear. One notices too that Anderson is constrained when he has production resources that are in short supply. A lot of the camerawork, especially in the frenzied house, is handheld and shaky. This may have been a deliberate attempt by Anderson to disorient the audience but one gets dizzy as a character often scampers up and down the stairs. Tension is removed when characters yell in panic, thus robbing the moment of a jump-scare. Fidelity is also highly problematic. When Cletus practically traps them in the house, he shuts down the electricity so it's inexplicable why the Christmas trees lights all of a sudden come on. Was it due to a backup generator? Or, when the lights don't work in the kitchen and a pugged-in appliance magically turns on? Red Christmas seems to want to make a bold statement about reproductive rights and while I guess that it's message is pro-life, there are too many contractions that muddle and undercut what it wants to say.

Red Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Red Christmas has also been released on Blu-ray in Germany this autumn (courtesy of SchröderMedia) and makes its official Blu-ray debut in North America through indie distributor Artsploitation Films, the first BD in a long while for the label. The film appears in its presumed original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-25. (The back cover states 2.25:1 but I believe that's a misprint as it measures closer to 2.35.) The feature boasts an average video bitrate of 29159 kbps. The first couple of minutes are meant to meant to look like stock footage so faux grain and a few print flaws present in the frame are intentional. You'll notice the hairline to the inside of the man's right arm in Screenshot #12. The movie has a DV aesthetic (Anderson states it was shot with the Arri Alexa in his commentary). Skin tones are natural without any apparent digital manipulations. At night, the movie has a cotton candy palette. Anderson and his cinematographer Douglas James Burgdorff employ green gels (see #s 5, 20, and especially 13) as well as hot pink. The film takes on the neon spectrum for most all of the night shots.

Twelve chapter breaks are encoded for the main feature.

Red Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Artsploitation supplies two lossy mixes: a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (448 kbps) and a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (192 kbps). I focused on the 5.1 track for this review. Dialogue is coherent most of the time and words come through clearly along the front speakers. Composer Helen Grimley's electronic score shows some solid depth on the surround channels, particularly the left. Screams, wails, shotgun fires, and other f/x provide occasional activity on the satellite speakers. This is a serviceable mix but more suited for DVD. I don't know why Artsploitation couldn't have done an uncompressed mix.

Optional Engish SDH are included for the movie.

Red Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Artsploitation ports over a couple of the extras from the Aussie DVD released by Madman Entertainment but it loses that disc's two-part behind-scenes doc which totals twenty-eight minutes.

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Craig Anderson and Actor Gerard Odwyer - this commentary track, recorded at a crew member's home, features Anderson and Odwyer, the latter whose along to listen and chime in occasional remarks. Anderson was battling a bad cold so he steps away periodically to cough. The director does have an abundance of production anecdotes to deliver and the result is a chatty and informative conversation with few gaps. In English, not subtitled.

• "Dee Wallace Speaks!" Interview (19:43, 1080p) - Wallace answers a series of questions from her interviewer, director Craig Anderson. She recalls her reaction to an early version of the script, working with Blake Edwards, and hot-button issues that Red Christmas raises. In English, not subtitled.

• Interview with Actor Gerald Odwyer (9:57, 1080p) - Anderson and actor Sam Campbell (Cletus) visit Odwyer and ask him what it was like to appear in Red Christmas and his experience of portraying Jerry. In English, not subtitled.

• Deleted Scene (:45, 1080p) - a brief kitchen scene that hit the cutting room floor.

• Blooper Reel (3:26, 1080p) - a series of alternate and unused takes as well as screw-ups from the filming of Red Christmas.

• Mini-Interview with Director Craig Anderson (1:40, 1080p) - Odwyer asks Anderson three improvised questions while the director is enjoying ice cream. In English, not subtitled.

• Previews - trailers for The Anatomy of Monsters, Vampyres, and Wide play after the disc loads.

• EASTER EGG Trailer (2:13, 1080p) - the original theatrical trailer for Red Christmas should be located in the Bonus menu; when the the cursor vanishes on the last option, hit Enter to access the trailer.

Red Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I realize that fans of Dee Wallace must have looked forwarded to what the star of The Howling and Cujo would bring to Red Christmas both as the lead and a producer but unfortunately, this is a conventional and predictable slasher film. The gore and body count may be mildly satisfying to genre devotees but the film's message is obscured by Anderson's screenplay. Artsploitation gives us an above-average transfer and some good bonus features but lossless audio is lacking. Fans of Wallace may want to consider a purchase but curious cinephiles should first do a RENTAL.