Also known as You Better Watch Out and Terror In Toyland, the title it's best known by really gets to the crux of what Christmas Evil is all about. A decidedly B-movie slasher from the eighties, it's nonetheless amassed a cult following midnight movie maestro John Waters is a particularly evangelical fan, quoted as saying it is the "greatest Christmas movie ever made." Maybe wouldn't go that far but boy, there sure is some fun to be had with Christmas Evil. Possibly the first in the sub-subgenre of slasher films set at Christmas starring Santa as the villain, the movie opens with a young boy named Harry catching his mum and dad at it, whilst the latter is dressed up as Santa. Heartbroken, he rushes up to the attic and cuts his hand with glass form a shattered snow globe. Childhood trauma, for sure, but probably the sort that could easily be solved with a birds and the bees talk or a bit of therapy. Unfortunately Harry isn't lucky enough to receive either, instead harbouring those psychological scars through to adulthood, where a particularly crummy day at work has him enacting bad will upon all men that cross his path. Whilst dressed as Father Christmas. Worth it just to see the incredible, inexplicable ending that's accompanied by a reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
