Deck the halls with boughs of... horror! This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we’re celebrating the dark side of the holiday season and pitting two modern festive slashers against each other: the neon-soaked, robotic rampage of Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) and the clever, multiversal "what if" slasher It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023). Grab your cocoa (and maybe an axe), because Santa is coming to town—and he’s not bringing toys.
Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
Directed by Joe Begos, this film is a loud, proud, and incredibly gory tribute to 80s synth-horror and The Terminator. Tori Tooms (Riley Dandy), a record store owner who just wants to spend Christmas Eve drinking and partying, finds her night turned into a bloodbath when a high-tech robotic Santa Claus at a local toy store malfunctions. Reverting to its original military programming, the metal Saint Nick goes on a relentless killing spree. The film is a visual feast of 16mm grain, saturated neon lights, and practical splatter effects that feel like a fever dream from the video rental era.
It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)
Directed by Tyler MacIntyre and written by Michael Kennedy (Freaky), this film offers a brilliant horror spin on the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. A year after saving her town from a masked killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop) finds her life falling apart. In a moment of despair, she wishes she had never been born—only to find herself transported to a nightmare parallel universe where she doesn't exist. In this timeline, the killer was never stopped and has turned the town into a desolate, fear-stricken wasteland. Winnie must team up with the town's outcasts to unmask the killer and find a way back home.
Join us as we break down these two very different takes on holiday horror. We’ll discuss the gritty, relentless energy of the "Robot Santa" versus the meta-humor and emotional stakes of the "Wonderful Life" slasher. Which film captures the holiday spirit best—by drenching it in blood? Tune in to find out which one earns the star on top of our tree!
Spoilers start around 5:15.
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