JP Nunez
I have to be honest, when I first heard about Violent Night, I dismissed it without giving it much of a chance. I figured I didn’t really need to watch another killer Santa Claus film, so I had no interest in this movie whatsoever. But then something changed. I decided I should at least check out the trailer, and after finally watching it, Violent Night is now one of my most anticipated films of the next few months. Here’s what it’s about:
When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus (David Harbour, Black Widow, Stranger Things series) is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.
Contrary to what I initially thought, this isn’t just another movie about a guy dressed up as Santa Claus (or possibly the real St. Nick) going around killing people. It’s actually a home invasion film with a You’re Next-like twist, and what do you know, Santa is a good guy this time! He uses his magic and his badass combat skills to protect an innocent family from criminals who want to steal their fortune, and that unique premise is already enough to get me in the theater.
Then, when we turn to the trailer, Violent Night just gets even more enticing. Unsurprisingly, David Harbour looks like he’s going to be great as jolly old St. Nick, and his Arnold Schwarzenegger-esque one-liners are corny perfection. On top of that, the violent action is everything I want from a Santa Claus horror film, so if this is what the entire movie is like, Universal can pretty much take my money right now.
Violent Night will come out exclusively in theaters on December 2.
