"Have Yourself a deadly Little Christmas."	Year of Release: 1980 Directed by: Lewis Jackson Running Time: Approx. 95 minutes Rating: R Listing on the A.K.A. Page: YES! Click here! A Second Opinion: Stomp Tokyo Buy the Special Edition DVD at: Amazon.com or Movies Unlimited.com My Rating:

Harry Stadling- As a child he witnessed an (oral) sexual rendevous between his mother and Santa Claus (though I suspect that it was Harry's dad in a Santa suit). This event really screws up Harry's mental stability, especially once he grows older. At the end of the movie, he drives off a cliff and flies his van into the night sky.

Philip Stadling- Harry's overprotective but loving brother. In a fit of rage, he nearly strangles Harry to death, after hearing of the recent night's Santa Claus murders.

Jackie, Dennis, and Marc- Phil's wife and kids. They all love and pity poor Harry which really pisses off Philip. More on that later on.

Frank- One of Harry's co-workers. Frank tricks Harry into working his shift, which Harry eventually finds out. Frank is smothered in his sleep by Harry Claus.

Three Heckling Churchgoers- Killed with a hatchet by Harry.

People at Christmas parties and small children- Benefactors of Harry's good will and Christmas spirit!

Angry Mob- A group of people who band together, light some torches, and chase after poor Harry! I thought that type of lynching ended back in the 1800's?!

Harry's Mom- Because she had Santa satisfy her with some oral sex, she messed up her eldest son for life. Way to go you greedy nymphomaniac!

Well I have to tell you, this movie was a doozy! From start to finish, I was awestruck by the black humor contained within Christmas Evil. Also there's a bit of symbolism in this film (of course I could once again be reading too much into it). Harry symbolizes the childish side we all have. He loves Christmas, loves Santa Claus, and loves children (and no, he is not a pedophile). His brother Philip however is kind of the exact opposite. You see, Philip didn't believe in Santa as a child, and basically has no childish side. Because of that, Harry goes against Phil's grain all the time, and really looks down on his older brother. But there's much more to this twisted tale my friends, oh yes! There's much, much more!
Back in 1947, on Christmas Eve, Harry and his mother wait up for Santa and wouldn't you know it, the real Santa Claus (in a terribly fake beard) comes down the chimney. Old Saint Nick enjoys some milk and cookies, then leaves some gifts under the tree before departing. Harry rushes upstairs to tell Philip, but naturally Phil doesn't believe his older sibling and goes back to sleep. Harry then ventures downstairs again, only to see Santa performing some oral sex on Mrs. Stadling. Yikes! What a thing for a child to see! I'm sure if Harry stayed longer, he would've seen Santa's yule log! But Harry is understandably upset by what he just witnessed and runs upstairs. He then smashes a snowglobe and uses a piece of glass to cut his hand!
About thirty years pass and the Stadling brothers are all grown up. While Philip seems to have a good life and a loving family, Harry is all alone and slipping slowly into his own little world. From the start, we see that Harry has a healthy obsession with Santa (his Santa pajamas and job at a toy factory are testimony to that). Harry seems harmless at first, but we soon see that he spies on the neighborhood kids and keeps a book of "Naughty Children" (with a list of the bad traits they have) and "Good Children." Later on, we see Harry at work. He's just gotten a promotion for his hard work, but he isn't really excited about it. The main reason Harry liked working at the factory was making the toys on the assembly line (part of the obsession with Santa again).
But luckily for Harry, Frank doesn't want to work that night so Harry has to take his place. While Harry's putting together toy motorcycles he cuts his hand (causing some flashbacks). Later, as he's at home, he starts to hum "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in a menacing tone. After a quick time lapse, it's Thanksgiving and Harry skips out on dinner with Philip and family. Instead, Harry stays home to watch the parade and build his Santa suit (which looks great by the way). Besides doing that, Harry also stalks one of the troublesome pre-teens in his neighborhood. Yet another time lapse occurs, and it's now Christmas Eve day. Harry attends a party at work and learns that cash donations to the local children's hospital aren't being delivered on Christmas Eve. This gives Harry an idea! Why doesn't he dress up as Santa and spread some holiday cheer?!
Now you're probably thinking... "What in the hell? I thought this was a horror film?!" Well just bear with me a bit longer folks, there will be some carnage a little later on. Harry sneaks into the warehouse at work and steals a ton of toys and shoves them into his van (which has a huge sled painted on each side by the way). Then he goes home, pastes hair to his face and dons the Santa suit! Moments later Harry begins his Christmas run and... robs a house?! Well he did it to get more presents for his stop at the aforementioned children's hospital (which looks more like a warehouse) so I won't hold it against him. The nurses are all overjoyed and thank the faux Santa as he departs. Harry then drives around and pulls up to a church which has just ended it's Christmas Eve sermon. As the parishioner's file out, three rowdy gentlemen begin teasing Harry. Bad idea guys!
Harry suddenly pulls out a hatchet and slaughters his three hecklers, much to the horror of everyone else outside. Harry panics, hops into his sleigh-mobile and drives off. As he's cruising along he pulls over and prepares to deliver more gifts. He ends up getting dragged into a Christmas party and almost pulls out another weapon from his gift sack, until he realizes that everyone there loves him (or rather, loves Santa). Harry stays a bit and dances with the children and some of the women there. (I never knew Santa was such a sex symbol!!!) But alas, Harry has to leave and spread more holiday cheer. Harry's next stop is at a house, where he climbs to the roof on a ladder and tries hopping down the chimney. Does he make it down? Of course not! He gets stuck and uses every bit of strength he has to free himself.
Harry then sneaks inside (by using either an unlocked door or window) and leaves a few gifts under the tree. Then he walks into a bedroom and wakes up Frank (uh oh...). Harry then smothers Frank, who thrashes about wildly while making plenty of noise. But for some reason, this doesn't wake up Frank's wife until he finally stops struggling. Her screams startle Harry who runs like hell and drives off again in his white van with the sleigh painted on each side! (I mention that again because at this point, the authorities are searching for Harry and haven't managed to find him! How can anyone not notice that van?!) Meanwhile, back at the local police station, the cops are lining up every Santa they can find, but of course, haven't caught their man! (I swear, the cops in small towns are incompetent!)
Harry finally makes his way to a brightly lit street and ends up getting his van stuck in a snowbank. He gets out and walks up the street and is soon surrounded by children. Harry Claus hands them all gifts, much to the horror of the nearby parents. One of the fathers pulls out a switchblade knife and threatens Harry. The man's daughter charges at him and causes him to drop the knife. She then picks it up and hands it to Harry who makes a run for it. Soon a mob forms, lights up some torches, and chases poor Harry (where the hell did all these people come from, and where did they get these torches?). Harry runs for his life and after some close calls, makes it to his van. He drives away and goes to Philip's house. Phil is none too happy about his brother's tiny murder spree and seemingly chokes the life out of Harry.
It was at about this point where I really felt pity and sorrow for Harry. Here's a guy who's trying to do some good deeds but it all backfires on him. Why? Well for one thing he has a short temper, but mostly it's because of the traumatic moment he had back in 1947. On top of that, Philip doesn't try to understand Harry at all (and we all have had that feeling that no one in this world understands us right?). He just flips out and chokes him! So where was I now? Ah yes, Phil has choked Harry to death (or so he believes) and drags his brother's carcass out to the van. Once in the van, Harry wakes up, punches Philip to the ground, and drives off. But Harry just can't catch a break. That damn torch wielding mob has caught up and Harry ends up crashing over a cliff. But instead of falling to the ground and exploding in a huge ball of fire, the van flies up into the air toward the moon. And with that, Harry yells, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
Boy, that movie was one hell of a trip! I have to say that I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of dark humor strewn throughout that had me giggling uncontrollably at times. You really have to have a good and/or twisted sense of humor to enjoy this film. Brandon Maggart who portrayed Harry did a great job with his character. His acting turned Harry into a truly tragic hero! My only real complaint about the film was the ending. I suspended my disbelief up until Harry flew into the moonlit sky in his van. Sorry folks, but it was a bit too surreal for my blood. Also, the movie needed more light. Half the time I couldn't see what was going on! Of course that could just be the aged VHS tape I have. Perhaps the DVD transfer is much better? I'll find out soon enough. In closing, Christmas Evil stands on it's own and is an extremely underrated movie. Most people watch it expecting and axe wielding Santa (which they do get for about twenty seconds or so) and walk away disappointed. Do I suggest you watch this movie? Yes! But wether you love it or hate it is your choice. Give it a shot, you just might be surprised!

Male Nurse: "Can I ask who donated all of this?!"
Harry: "Some people who didn't realize how generous they could be!"
(Reviewer's Note: What makes Harry's line funny, is the fact that he stole a majority of the gifts that he gave away!)