Often the joys of Christmas are the cosy times, either spent with loved ones or just cuddled up at home, in particular on Christmas Eve, soaking up the comforts of the festive season. Well, unless that is you are in any of the films hiding by this particular door.
To begin with, in the dishonourable mention category, we have Calvaire (2004). In this dark psychological drama from Belgium, a struggling musician on the way to a Christmas gig breaks down in the middle of nowhere. However he happens across a local youth who leads him to a run-down motel, operated by an eccentric old man, Mr Bartel, who seems like a friendly old fellow. However, of course, as we all know, run-down motels in the middle of nowhere are trouble, and Marc finds himself trapped in a world of pain and depravity. Drawing on the likes of Deliverance and Wake in Fright, and featuring a few nods to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Calvaire is a bizarre and bleak film filled with unpleasant things and most unfestive behaviour. But while it is sometimes described as a horror film, it is a long way from your usual horror genre fare, and is more a very strange arthouse exploitation film, and hence earns a dishonourable mention here.
Moving on, our next film sails very close to the wind too, a 2007 French horror movie which is about as far from cosy as you can imagine. Released in France on June 13th 2007, and a little later in other territories, was À l'intérieur, better known in English-speaking countries as Inside. This was the debut feature of a pair of directors, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, who would go on to make a string of French horror movies including Livid (2011), Among the Living (2014), Kandisha (2020), and The Deep House (2021). Plus they made what has been hailed as one of the few decent sequels in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, Leatherface (2017). However Inside, their first feature remains their most notorious. Often bracketed with other European New Extremity horror films like Haute Tension, Irreversible, Frontiere, and Martyrs.
So then, what’s the story? It is Christmas Eve, and Sarah, played by Alysson Paradis, is pregnant and close to birth. We learn that she lost her husband several months ago in a tragic car accident, and her baby is due tomorrow. However there is a knock at the door, and a woman, played by Béatrice Dalle, asks to come in and use the phone. Sarah is suspicious and refuses to let her in, and things take a turn for the weird when the mystery woman reveals that she knows that Sarah’s husband is dead. The woman tries again to gain entry but Sarah repels her and calls the police. However later the mysterious woman breaks in, and a harrowing and bloody game of cat and mouse ensues…
Now Inside started with a simple concept - rather than doing another movie in which a guy chases a girl, what if the maniac was a woman? It was then a short step to having the victim be pregnant. And as it was it was this second wrinkle that makes Inside such a difficult watch for most viewers. Now, in many regards, Inside is not more violent or gory than many other stalk and slash movies, but the pregnancy puts everything into a far more upsetting context. And while Inside is undoubtedly an excellently made movie, be warned that for many viewers, it becomes too upsetting to watch. Certainly it is an extremely tense and harrowing way to spend Christmas Eve.
However later in 2007, there were less controversial festive thrills and chills available in the shape of a little movie called P2 released on 9th November 2007. Funnily enough, this movie also had a connection to the New Extremity films, as director Franck Khalfoun had acted in a role in Haute Tension, and what’s more, P2 was produced by Haute Tension’s director Alexandre Aja. However thankfully here we have a somewhat more accessible movie!
The title P2 refers to the number of a bay in an underground car park of a Manhattan office block. It is Christmas Eve, and businesswoman Angela Bridges, played by Rachel Nichols, has been working late. However on reaching P2, she finds her car won’t start and so turns to the parking garage’s security guard for help. And the guard, Thomas, played by Wes Bentley, is more than happy to help. However there are two small problems getting in the way of Angela getting home for Christmas. Firstly the car still wouldn’t start, and secondly, Thomas really, really doesn’t want her to go… These two things are not connected, and Angela finds herself, shall we say, forcibly invited to spend Christmas with Thomas, whether she likes it or not.
Originally developed by Alexandre Aja after reading about attacks in Paris car packs, P2 largely avoids the violent excesses of Haute Tension. And while there is some splatter, there’s only one scene which is quite jaw-droppingly gory, and in the main P2 opts instead for taut and terrifying suspense. It’s very much one of those movies which has you asking yourself, what would I do in this situation, namely being trapped in a deserted car parking complex at Christmas with an obsessed stalker.
Very much concentrating on the battle of wills between Angela and the increasingly volatile Thomas, the performances from the leads are excellent, with Wes Bentley putting in a brilliant portrayal of a man whose sanity is slowly slipping away as the situation he has engineered begins to spiral out of his control. The tension and terror is very much contrasted with the timely use of Christmas favourites on the soundtrack, making P2 a perfect festive thrill ride. And if it puts you off working too late on Christmas Eve, that’s all the better!
Finally rounding off today’s selection is a British horror from 2008, The Children. Now strictly speaking this movie is set just after Christmas and over New Year, but with plenty of festive décor and a snowy landscape, it easily deserves a mention here. Plus it was released on 5th December 2008, meaning it was in theatres for that Christmas. It was directed by Tom Shankland, who previously had worked extensively in television on a variety of shows, but had also made crime horror WΔZ, also known as The Killing Gene in 2007. And The Children saw him heading once more into horror territory. So then, what is the plot of this slice of New Year’s terror?
Elaine and Jonah travel with their two children, Miranda and Paulie, to spend the New Year with Elaine's sister, Chloe, her husband Robbie, and their two children, Nicky and Leah. Also coming along is Casey, played by Hannah Tointon, Elaine's teenage daughter from a previous relationship. When they get there one of the kids, Paulie, is ill, but this isn’t just car sickness, as the other kids get infected too. This isn’t just a case of the sniffles, rather it's an infection that seems to have a very sinister effect on the children, basically turning them into pint-size evil killers.
Interestingly though the movie doesn’t opt for a virus that just turns the kids feral and homicidal. Rather, as I said, it makes them evil; they are smart, cunning, and ruthless, which is far more effective than just having them as very small zombie analogs. And what follows is most definitely not a happy New Year! The Children is a dark but fun little movie, and if you are looking for some snowy mayhem for the days between Christmas and New Year, then this is the film for you!
However we will have more true Christmas horror tomorrow in the shape of two classic bad Santa movies!
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